VEBO

What VEBO does

VEBO Genossenschaft is a Swiss cooperative (Genossenschaft) headquartered in Oensingen, Canton of Solothurn, founded on 26 August 1964 as a sheltered-employment facility under Switzerland's 1960 federal disability insurance law and reorganized as a cooperative in 1975. The organization operates six production sites plus a dedicated horticulture site (Oensingen, Solothurn, Olten, Grenchen, Breitenbach, Matzendorf, and Gärtnerei) and employs approximately 1,850 people, of whom 77% have disabilities, making it one of Canton Solothurn's largest employers. Beyond production, VEBO runs Wohnen (supported housing), Tagesstätten day-centre services (rebranded ProLab in 2026 across six locations), Berufliche Integration vocational training (118 apprentices), gastronomy (Genusswerkstatt, staff canteens, public restaurants), and a wholly-owned kitchen/household-goods subsidiary Kisag AG (acquired 2017), alongside a minority stake in Plaque Suisse AG (2024).

The operational backbone is Production Cloud®, a registered trademark for an integrated manufacturing-as-a-service platform that combines 3D-CAD design, CNC machining, in-house sensonique sensor technology, and modular production cells across the six production sites. Certified to ISO 9001/14001/45001, ISO 22000, Swissmedic GMP (Breitenbach and Solothurn sites), and Bio-Verordnung, VEBO delivers CNC machining, electronics assembly, mechanical production, metalwork, joinery, packaging, pharma/medical-device packaging, food primary and secondary packaging, laundry, sewing, and plastics injection molding — primarily under quote-based multi-year contracts with industrial, pharmaceutical, food, and consumer-goods customers including Ricola, Schaerer AG, LANZ Oensingen AG, Schwabe Pharma, EET, and Schenker Storen AG.

Revenue is generated across four principal streams: (1) B2B Production Cloud® contract manufacturing billed per project, (2) retail/e-commerce product sales through on-site outlets (Gärtnerei, nanooq) and the VEBO online shop, (3) gastronomy and catering revenue from restaurants, bistros, and staff canteens, and (4) managed services including cleaning, facility maintenance, and cantonal-licensed Personalverleih. Distribution combines direct field sales for production and managed-service contracts, owned e-commerce and on-site retail/gastronomy outlets, and strategic channel partnerships — most prominently the May 2026 IKEA Switzerland/Ingka Social Enterprise Partnership Programme integration, under which VEBO delivers licensed kitchen installations and repairs as part of IKEA's core supply chain in central and western Switzerland.

Name

VEBO

Legal name

VEBO Genossenschaft

Website

https://vebo.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

VEBO Genossenschaft is a Swiss cooperative operating six production sites plus a horticulture site in Canton Solothurn, employing ~1,850 people (77% with disabilities) across contract manufacturing (Production Cloud®), pharma/food packaging, gastronomy, cleaning, vocational integration, and supported housing — serving industrial, pharmaceutical, food, and IKEA Switzerland enterprise customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Directed/Consumer-Directed Caregiver Enrollment & Payroll Support (HSABAMAI)

Keywords

• Contract manufacturing services
• Sheltered workshop services
• Pharmaceutical packaging services
• Vocational integration services
• Industrial assembly services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oensingen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Production Services (Production Cloud®): B2B contract manufacturing services billed per project/order — covering CNC machining, electronics assembly, metalwork, packaging, sensor integration, and modular assembly. Revenue is generated per engagement with industrial and pharmaceutical clients.
2. Product Sales (Retail / E-commerce): Direct sales of VEBO-produced goods (flowers, plants, food products, horticultural items, merchandise) through on-site retail outlets and an online shop. One-time transactional revenue per unit sold.
3. Gastronomy and Catering: Revenue from VEBO's restaurants, bistros, and catering operations (e.g., onsite staff canteens, public restaurants). Transaction-based consumption revenue.
4. Cleaning, Facility, and On-site Services: Managed services revenue from contracted cleaning, facility maintenance, and on-site service delivery to corporate and municipal customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VEBO Genossenschaft is a Swiss cooperative (Genossenschaft) and one of the largest sheltered-employment providers in Canton Solothurn, employing roughly 1,850 people of whom 77% have disabilities. It sells contract manufacturing services through its registered Production Cloud® platform — covering CNC machining, electronics assembly, module assembly, packaging, metalwork, joinery and pharmaceutical packaging under Swissmedic GMP — alongside horticulture (Gärtnerei), gastronomy, residential housing (Wohnen), day-centre programmes (ProLab/Tagesstätten) and vocational integration services. It also operates an online shop and on-site retail outlets selling its own horticulture, food and lifestyle products to consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Production Cloud®: Proprietary production/manufacturing services offering under the VEBO umbrella.
• Gärtnerei
• Genusswerkstatt
• Gutgemalt
• Haarsache
• Hundehausen
• nanooq
• sensonique
• ProLab

Products and services

• Production Cloud® Registered-trademark manufacturing-as-a-service platform that integrates 3D-CAD design, CNC machining, sensonique sensor technology and modular production cells to deliver flexible contract manufacturing across CNC machining, electronics assembly, metalwork, packaging, sensor integration and module assembly. Used by industrial, pharmaceutical and food customers such as Ricola, Schaerer AG, LANZ Oensingen AG, Montratec and Schwabe Pharma.
• Pharmaceutical, Medical and Cosmetic Packaging Primary and secondary packaging services for pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic products, performed under Swissmedic GMP licence at the VEBO Breitenbach and VEBO Solothurn sites for customers including Schwabe Pharma and Dr. Andres Pharma AG.
• Food, Primary and Secondary Packaging Food packaging and confectioning services operated under ISO 22000 food safety certification, including packing and konfektionierung for food manufacturers.
• Module Assembly (Baugruppenmontage) Assembly of industrial modules and sub-assemblies for industrial customers such as Montratec, Schaerer AG, LANZ Oensingen AG and Schenker Storen AG.
• Electrical Engineering (Elektrotechnik) Electrical engineering services including cabling, electronics assembly and electrical integration work performed at the production sites.
• Mechanical Production (Mechanik) CNC machining and general mechanical production work, including production brought back in-house at the VEBO Grenchen site in 2018.
• Joinery (Schreinerei) Woodworking and joinery services performed at the production sites, including custom small-batch work.
• Laundry (Wäscherei) Commercial laundry services operated as part of the VEBO production network.
• Cartonage and Cardboard Packaging Cardboard and carton packaging production services for industrial customers.
• Plastic Injection Moulding (Kunststoffspritzerei) Plastic injection moulding services for industrial production customers.
• Printing and Labelling (Druck & Beschriftung) Printing and labelling services as part of the contract manufacturing offering.
• Sewing and Tailoring (Näherei) Sewing services performed at the production sites.
• Scanning and Digitalisation Document scanning and digitisation services offered to commercial customers.
• Commercial Services (Kaufmännische Dienstleistungen) Commercial back-office and administrative services for business customers.
• Personalverleih (Staff Leasing) Temporary staff-leasing services performed under a cantonal Personalverleih permit issued in 2022, placing workers with disabilities into customer operations.
• Gärtnerei (Horticulture and Nursery) Horticulture and nursery business line launched in 1994, producing flowers, plants and horticultural products sold through on-site retail at the VEBO Gärtnerei site in Matzendorf (~49 employees) and the VEBO online shop.
• Gastro / Gastronomy and Catering Gastronomy operations spanning Betriebsgastro (corporate staff canteens), the Genusswerkstatt culinary workshop, and externally operated restaurants and catering services across the VEBO sites.
• Wohnen (Supported Housing) Supported residential services launched in 1983, offering Wohnen im Alter (housing for older residents), Wohnen mit Begleitung/Betreuung, Wohnen plus Beschäftigung, Wohnen während der Abklärung and Wohnen während der Ausbildung across multiple Wohnstandorte.
• ProLab Day Centres (Tagesstätten) Day-centre programme (rebranded ProLab in 2026) operating at six locations across Canton Solothurn (Breitenbach, Grenchen, Matzendorf, Oensingen, Olten, Solothurn), providing low-threshold work opportunities for people receiving IV disability pensions.
• Berufliche Integration (Vocational Integration) Vocational integration services established in 2006 at the Oensingen Competence Center, covering assessment, training, supported education, apprenticeships (Lehrstellen), retraining (Umschulung), job coaching, Schnupperlehre trial internships and the Berufswahljahr career-choice year.
• Cleaning, Facility and On-site Services Managed cleaning, facility maintenance and on-site service contracts delivered to corporate and municipal customers at their premises.
• VEBO Online Shop (E-commerce) Owned online storefront selling VEBO-produced flowers, plants, food products, gift items and merchandise to end consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~1,850 employees, of which 77% are people with disabilities, employed in market-oriented production and service operations.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IKEA Switzerland / Ingka GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKEA Switzerland has contracted VEBO through the Ingka Social Enterprise Partnership Programme. The partnership positions VEBO as a strategic social-enterprise supplier to Ingka (IKEA's parent operating group) and represents one of VEBO's most prominent enterprise-level partnerships, anchoring its reputation as a social-manufacturing partner of choice for major Swiss and global brands.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Werkheim Uster: Swiss social enterprise providing sheltered employment, manufacturing and assembly services primarily in the Zurich area. Closely parallel to VEBO's mix of B2B production work and disability-inclusion employment mandate.
• Stiftung Rütiweil / Rütiweil Werkstätten: Swiss social-enterprise workshop operator offering production, packaging and assembly services combined with residential/day-structure services. Same hybrid operating model as VEBO at a regional Swiss scale.
• Stiftung Wagerenhof: Swiss social foundation offering sheltered workshops, residential services and contract manufacturing in the Zurich region. Closely comparable to VEBO in combining production services with disability employment and supported housing/day-structure programs.
• Stiftung Balm (Balm Werkstätten): Swiss social foundation providing sheltered workshop employment, contract manufacturing, packaging and assembly services primarily in the Bern region. Operates the same sheltered-employment-plus-B2B-manufacturing model as VEBO.
• Stiftung Brändi: Large Swiss social foundation providing sheltered employment and contract manufacturing/packaging services across multiple sites in central Switzerland. Operates the same hybrid social-enterprise + B2B manufacturing model as VEBO with enterprise customers in industrial and consumer goods.
• BAND (Berner Arbeit + Design): Swiss sheltered workshop cooperative offering contract manufacturing, packaging, assembly and commercial services to B2B clients. BAND is explicitly co-named with VEBO in the May 2026 IKEA Switzerland/Ingka social-enterprise partnership, making it the most directly comparable peer in both business model and customer footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Georg Fischer (GF): Major Swiss industrial group operating in precision casting, machining, and piping systems. Comparable in CNC/metalwork competencies and Swiss industrial customer base, but at a fundamentally larger, publicly-listed scale versus VEBO's cooperative structure.
• Mikron Group: Established Swiss contract manufacturer specializing in high-precision machining, automation and assembly for industrial customers. Compares to VEBO's Production Cloud® CNC and assembly offering but operates as a conventional profit-maximizing EMS/CM player without the social-employment mandate.
• Feintool System Parts: Swiss-headquartered industrial manufacturer of precision metal components and assemblies serving automotive and industrial customers. Comparable as a Switzerland-based contract manufacturer serving enterprise B2B, though at much larger scale and without the social-enterprise structure.

Others

• Pro Infirmis (Werkstätten): Swiss disability advocacy and service organization operating sheltered employment programs. Relevant as a sector enabler and ecosystem participant in Swiss sheltered employment, providing comparable employment-integration services to VEBO's Berufliche Integration division but without a B2B contract-manufacturing arm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VEBOGenossenschaft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vebo-genossenschaft
• Instagraminstagram.com/vebo_genossenschaft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 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 VEBO