What Hacos does

Hacos nv is a Belgian industrial machinery company that designs, manufactures, and installs chocolate production equipment for both artisanal chocolatiers and large industrial chocolate producers. Founded in 1959 and merged with Van Meulenbeke in 1992, the company is headquartered at Industrieweg 11 in Malle, Belgium, and operates with a team of approximately 105 employees. It claims a top-five position among global manufacturers of chocolate machines and serves customers in more than 70 countries.

The product range covers the full chocolate production process from a chocolate block to a refined finished product — melting, tempering, moulding, enrobing, cooling, decorating, and dosing. Core systems include the MINOS one-shot depositing machine, RDM tablet moulding variants (RDM XL, RDM TABLET, RDM TANDEM), the ARTI-TOWER cooling tower, EBELT cooling belts, continuous and batch tempering machines, and robotic solutions such as the Robotic Spinning Line (for hollow figures) and DECOROBOT (for fine-line decoration on cakes and biscuits). Capabilities are vertically integrated in-house, spanning 3D design, CNC machining, laser cutting, welding, assembly, testing, and worldwide installation. With the September 2025 acquisition of Prefamac, the catalogue was extended with quick melters, chocolate flaking machines, and temper meters; prior acquisitions include Collmann and BCT, which are retained as sub-brands.

Hacos monetizes through three streams: (1) hardware sales of machines and full automated production lines, (2) after-sales services including spare parts, remote online support, and on-site technician assistance, and (3) installation services delivered globally 2-3 times per year. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with geographically specialized roles (export, Benelux, Belgium, Netherlands), supported by demand-generation activity at major European industry exhibitions such as Interpack (Düsseldorf), SIRHA (Paris), and ProSweets (Cologne), plus a LinkedIn and Facebook presence and a website newsletter. The customer base spans fragmented small artisanal chocolatiers and larger industrial producers, with no individual end-customer concentration disclosed; the company is privately held with no external PE/VC ownership indicated, and the management team — led by Managing Director Patrick Ducornait, the Van Meulenbeke family, and a multilingual sales and operations group — has long tenures.

Name

Hacos

Legal name

Hacos nv

Website

https://hacos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hacos nv is a Belgian manufacturer that designs, produces, and installs chocolate manufacturing machinery — moulding, tempering, enrobing, cooling, and robotic systems — for artisanal and industrial chocolate producers across more than 70 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chocolate Machinery

akta.pro primary industry

Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Confectionery Manufacturing (Chocolate, Candy, Gum) (AFAKAAAD)

Keywords

• Chocolate machinery
• Industrial chocolate equipment
• Chocolate moulding machines
• Chocolate tempering machines
• Robotic chocolate production

Headquarters

HQ city

Melle

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Chocolate Machine Sales: Sale of chocolate manufacturing machines including moulding lines, tempering machines, enrobing machines, cooling tunnels, robotic solutions, and custom-built machinery. Full production line automation solutions from melting to tempering, moulding, enrobing, and cooling.
2. After-sales service and spare parts: Professional service including remote online support and on-site technician assistance. Spare parts supply and machine maintenance services.
3. Installation services: Installation services worldwide including international installations 2-3 times per year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hacos designs, produces, and installs chocolate manufacturing machines covering every stage of industrial and artisanal chocolate production, from melting and tempering through moulding, enrobing, cooling, dosing, and decoration. The offering includes modular moulding lines (e.g., MINOS, RDM Tablet), robotic automation (Robotic Spinning Line, DECOROBOT), cooling equipment (EBELT cooling belts, ARTI-TOWER), and tempering machines, delivered as tailor-made turnkey solutions backed by installation, spare parts, and worldwide after-sales service.

Product overview

Hacos designs, produces, and installs a comprehensive range of Chocolate Manufacturing Machines covering the full production process from A to Z. The core portfolio centres on moulding lines (MINOS, RDM Tablet), robotic solutions (Robotic Spinning Line, DECOROBOT), and cooling systems (ARTI-TOWER, EBELT cooling belts), supplemented by complementary equipment for melting, tempering, enrobing, dosing, and decoration. The product range is delivered as a modular, scalable system that can be expanded as a customer's business grows. Following the 2025 acquisition of Prefamac, the portfolio was expanded to include quick melters, chocolate flaking machines, and temper meters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hacos: Core brand for chocolate manufacturing machines
• Prefamac

Products and services

• Robotic Spinning Line Robotic moulding system for medium and large production of chocolate hollow figures and shells, using robot technology to produce a large range of hollow figures on one line with limited series of moulds.
• DECOROBOT Robotic decoration machine for fine-line chocolate decorations in the bakery and chocolate industry, particularly suited for decorations on cakes and biscuits, with multi-colour systems available.
• MINOS Depositing Line Automatic one-shot chocolate moulding line for depositing chocolate into moulds, combinable with the ARTI-TOWER cooling tower and DM automatic demoulding system.
• ARTI-TOWER Cooling tower module for chocolate moulding and depositing lines, providing controlled cooling for chocolate products as part of the modular line system.
• RDM Tablet Moulding Line Automatic chocolate moulding line for tablet and solid product production, part of the modular depositing line family including RDM XL, RDM TABLET and RDM TANDEM variants.
• EBELT Cooling Belts Cooling belts for chocolate processing with improved cleanability through openable covers, detensionable belts, and removable inner panels for full air channel access.
• Prefamac product range (quick melters, chocolate flaking machines, temper meters) Acquired product line from Prefamac including quick melters, chocolate flaking machines, and temper meters, complemented by melting kettles, enrobing machines, and cooling tunnels that overlap with the Hacos range; manufactured and supported by Hacos from the Oostmalle factory.
• Continuous and batch chocolate tempering machines Hacos tempering machines for continuous and batch processing of chocolate, including automatic tempering machines used as part of complete chocolate production lines.
• Enrobing machines Hacos enrobing machines for coating chocolate products with a chocolate layer, forming part of the company's full A-to-Z chocolate production line offering.
• Custom-built chocolate production lines Tailor-made turnkey chocolate production lines combining melting, tempering, moulding, enrobing, cooling, dosing, and decoration equipment, designed and built in-house to customer specifications.
• Installation, after-sales service and spare parts Worldwide installation services and ongoing after-sales service including on-site technician assistance, remote online support, machine maintenance, and spare parts supply for Hacos and Prefamac equipment.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PrefamaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2025Hacos acquired Prefamac in September 2025 after Prefamac had to close its books. Hacos continues production of Prefamac machines in the factory in Oostmalle, primarily quick melters and chocolate flaking machines that complement the Hacos range. Hacos maintains existing Prefamac machines and took over spare parts from the bankruptcy.
• CollmanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreviously acquired by Hacos. Success proven capability of integrating acquisitions.
• BCTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreviously acquired by Hacos. Success proven capability of integrating acquisitions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: Global large-cap process equipment supplier serving food (including chocolate and confectionery) with separators, homogenisers and process lines. Competes with Hacos on larger industrial installations but is far broader in scope.
• Tetra Pak: Global food processing and packaging incumbent with processing equipment relevant to chocolate and confectionery liquid/semi-liquid preparation. Indirect competitor for processing scope within chocolate plants.
• Bühler Group: Swiss global food processing machinery giant with a large chocolate and cocoa processing equipment portfolio. Direct competitor to Hacos on industrial chocolate lines, but with significantly broader scope, scale, and service footprint.
• BCH (Baker Perkins / Bosch): Baker Perkins (and adjacent Bosch confectionery lines) supply complete chocolate and confectionery plants. Competes with Hacos on turnkey industrial lines and shared end customers in industrial chocolate manufacturing.

Direct peers

• Sollich KG: German family-owned manufacturer of chocolate machinery including tempering, enrobing, cooling tunnels and moulding lines. Closely overlapping product range with Hacos and a benchmark "Made in Germany" premium analogue to Hacos's Belgian positioning.
• Carle & Montanari (CM): Italian chocolate and confectionery machinery maker offering moulding, enrobing and wrapping lines. Overlapping product range with Hacos, particularly in moulding and complete line automation.
• Royal Duyvis Wiener: Dutch manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate processing equipment (refining, conching, tempering). Direct competitor in chocolate processing machinery with comparable niche focus and European heritage.
• Aasted ApS: Danish manufacturer of chocolate processing and moulding equipment, including enrobers, tempering machines and complete production lines. Direct peer serving the same artisanal and industrial chocolate customer base.
• Marchant Schmidt: US-based manufacturer of chocolate moulding and depositing equipment, often used by North American confectioners. Comparable product scope to Hacos in moulding/depositing lines, but primarily serves the North American market.

Emerging players

• Netzsch-Feinmahltechnik: German manufacturer with chocolate refining/grinding and process equipment relevant to chocolate mass preparation. Partial overlap with Hacos in the upstream part of the chocolate process chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hacos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hacos