Asia Express Food

What Asia Express Food does

Asia Express Food B.V. is a Netherlands-based B2B food importer and wholesale distributor founded in 1991 and headquartered in Kampen, operating as a subsidiary of the family-owned Brouwer Groothandelsgroep conglomerate (founded 1931). The company supplies more than 4,500-4,600 products across three regional catalogs — Asia, Africa, and India — spanning fresh, dried, frozen, ambient, and non-food categories, and represents over 90 internationally recognized brands including Acecook, Bibigo, Haidilao, Maggi, Nestlé, Nongshim, Tsingtao, India Gate, Haldirams, and Weilong. Its customer base is split across five B2B verticals: Asian and African ethnic shops, wholesalers, foodservice companies, supermarket chains, and e-commerce platforms across Europe.

The underlying operating model is built on three infrastructure layers: a certified supplier network across Asia, Africa, and India; specialized Europe-wide cold-chain logistics for fresh, frozen, and ambient SKUs with twice-weekly air and sea deliveries from China, Thailand, Ghana, and Ecuador; and a multicultural sales team of 64 members organized into regional verticals, providing customer support in more than 10 languages. A dedicated B2B webshop at order.asiaexpressfood.nl handles self-service ordering, supported by an in-house quality assurance team ensuring EU compliance on a daily basis. Distribution reaches ethnic shops (SMB), wholesalers (mid-market), and foodservice and retail accounts (enterprise), with own-label branded fresh exotics (Wabu) sourced directly from certified farmers in Thailand, Costa Rica, and Honduras.

The company generates revenue through B2B wholesale transactions — selling imported ethnic food and adjacent products in bulk on a transactional, volume-based pricing model that is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market combines field sales via regional account managers, a self-service B2B webshop, and brand presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, with digital product catalogs (Asia 2024/2025, Africa 2025, India 2022/2023) serving as mid-funnel content marketing. Marketing channels are primarily direct B2B sales outreach and digital, with no disclosed pricing tiers, public rate cards, or ARR/SKU-level economics.

Name

Asia Express Food

Legal name

Asia Express Food B.V.

Website

https://asiaexpressfood.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Asia Express Food is a Netherlands-based B2B importer and wholesale distributor (founded 1991, subsidiary of Brouwer Groothandelsgroep) supplying over 4,500 Asian, African, and Indian food products across Europe to ethnic shops, wholesalers, foodservice operators, supermarket chains, and e-commerce platforms via a dedicated B2B webshop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethnic Food Wholesale Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & International Foods Distribution (CRAOABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ethnic & International Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAJ), Specialty & Ethnic Grocery Wholesale (AFAIABAJ), International Specialty Ingredients & Import Markets (CRAHAFAL), Ethnic Beverages Wholesale (Specialty/Import) (AFAIAIAG), Ethnic Produce & Specialty Vegetables Wholesale (AFAIAIAD)

Keywords

• Ethnic food distribution
• Asian food wholesale
• B2B food import
• International grocery supply
• Ethnic supermarket wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale B2B Food Distribution: Selling Asian, African, and Indian food products in bulk to ethnic shops, wholesalers, supermarket chains, and E-commerce platforms across Europe. Products include ambient, fresh, and frozen goods. Up to 2 deliveries per week.
2. Foodservice Supply: Supplying restaurants and foodservice businesses with authentic ingredients from Asia, Africa, and India

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Asia Express Food is a B2B wholesale importer and distributor of Asian, African, and Indian food products, offering more than 4,500 SKUs across fresh, dried, and frozen categories. It serves ethnic shops, wholesalers, foodservice companies, supermarket chains, and e-commerce platforms across Europe, delivering up to twice per week via specialized cold-chain logistics and ordering through a dedicated B2B webshop.

Product overview

Asia Express Food is a B2B food import/export company operating as a total supplier of Asian, African, and Indian food products across Europe. The company offers more than 4,600 products through three main catalogs (Asia, Africa, and India), organized into product categories including fresh produce, preserved products, dried products, rice, noodles & instant products, flour/starch/panko, seasonings & spices, sauces, oils, coconut products, beverages, dairy, sweets & snacks, frozen products, cosmetics & hair care, and non-food items. The company represents over 90 top brands including Acecook, Bibigo, Haidilao, Maggi, Nestlé, WAI WAI, Wabu, Weilong, India Gate, Haldirams, Nongshim, Tsingtao, Gold Kili, Royal Thai, OKF, Dabur, and X-Pression. The product portfolio serves ethnic shops, wholesalers, food service companies, supermarket chains, and e-commerce platforms throughout Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asia Express Food - Asia Catalog Comprehensive product catalog featuring Asian food products including fresh produce, noodles, rice, spices, sauces, frozen foods, and beverages for B2B customers across Europe.
• Asia Express Food - Africa Catalog Comprehensive product catalog featuring African food products including preserved goods, dried products, beverages, and specialty ingredients for B2B customers.
• Asia Express Food - India Catalog Comprehensive product catalog featuring Indian food products including spices, seasonings, rice varieties, and specialty ingredients for B2B customers.
• B2B Webshop Ordering Platform Dedicated B2B ordering platform at order.asiaexpressfood.nl allowing registered wholesale customers to self-serve order ethnic food products across ambient, fresh, and frozen categories.
• Fresh Produce Supply (Wabu - Fresh Exotics) Fresh fruits and vegetables imported directly from certified farmers in Thailand, Costa Rica, and Honduras via air and sea transport, delivered twice weekly. Wabu is the in-house fresh exotics brand featuring Shanghai Pak Choi and other Asian greens.
• Frozen Product Range Extensive frozen food assortment including frozen produce, seafood, meat, dim sum, ready meals, and ice creams distributed via specialized cold-chain logistics.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 4,500 products available from a single supplier
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brouwer GroothandelsgroepcoreOthersAsia Express Food is a subsidiary of Brouwergroep (Brouwer Groothandelsgroep), a family business founded in 1931. Brouwergroep has served as the backbone for various international enterprises for over 80 years, providing corporate support and shared resources.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• East End Foods: UK-headquartered ethnic and world foods wholesaler distributing Asian, African, and Caribbean products to retailers and foodservice. Highly comparable to AEF in product breadth, customer mix, and B2B distribution model, though geographically focused on the UK.
• TRS Wholesale: UK-based supplier of ethnic (particularly Asian) foods under the TRS brand and others, supplying wholesalers, cash-and-carry, and foodservice. Comparable to AEF in assortment focus and B2B ethnic retail channel.
• Surya Foods: One of the largest ethnic and world foods wholesalers in the UK, distributing Asian and African products to independent retailers, foodservice, and supermarkets. Direct analogue to AEF's Europe-wide ethnic distribution model.
• Kreyenhop & Kluge: German importer/wholesaler of Asian and international foods serving retail and foodservice. Comparable scale, channel mix, and assortment overlap with AEF's continental European operations.
• Continental Foods: Belgium-based ethnic and world foods distributor operating across Benelux and parts of Europe. Overlapping assortment, customer base, and distribution channels make it a direct comparable to AEF.
• Pema Trading: Germany-based importer and distributor of Asian and international specialty foods serving ethnic retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice across the DACH region. Closest geographic peer to AEF within continental Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Bidfood: Major European foodservice distributor (subsidiary of Bidcorp) operating in the Netherlands and broader Europe. Competes with AEF on the foodservice segment but serves a far broader assortment and customer base.
• METRO Cash & Carry: Large cash-and-carry and foodservice wholesaler operating across Europe with broad assortment including ethnic ranges. Represents the broadline incumbent that could compete with AEF for both retail and foodservice customers.

Emerging players

• 168 Cash & Carry / 168 Food: European cash-and-carry focused on Asian food products serving ethnic retailers and small foodservice operators. Comparable ethnic niche and B2B orientation, though typically smaller scale and more format-specific than AEF.

Others

• Horecagroothandel Brouwer: Dutch foodservice wholesaler operating as a sister company within the same Brouwer Groothandelsgroep parent. Useful benchmark for shared logistics, sourcing, and back-office economics, though its focus is broader foodservice rather than ethnic specialty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/asiaexpressfood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asiaexpressfood
• Instagraminstagram.com/asiaexpressfood.eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Asia Express Food