HACO

What HACO does

HACO AG is a Swiss specialty food manufacturer founded in 1922, headquartered in Gümligen, Switzerland, with approximately 1,200 employees across the HACO Group globally. The company operates two principal divisions: a Custom-Made Foods business that develops tailor-made snack, coffee, culinary, and flavor-ingredient products on a private-label or co-development basis for B2B food manufacturers and retailers; and a Foodservice business that supplies convenience products (bouillons, soups, sauces, seasonings, dressings, menu components, ready meals) to hospitality and HoReCa customers through a dedicated Swiss field-sales force, regional KAMs, and authorized distribution partners across Switzerland, Benelux, Italy, France, and the USA. Underlying production spans four technology platforms: snacks (extruded bars, coated bars, protein bars, soft baked bars), coffee (spray dried, freeze dried, cold brew, microgrind), culinary (dry mixes, liquid and viscous products), and taste/flavor ingredients (extraction, drying, freeze-drying, blending), executed across owned manufacturing sites in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Malaysia, with 14 acquisitions integrated since 2004.

HACO generates revenue through transaction-based B2B sales of custom-developed food products to manufacturers and retailers, direct product sales to foodservice professionals, and a small consumer retail footprint through the HACO Shop storefront in Gümligen. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per customer and order, typically structured as multi-year supply agreements with no public price list. The company maintains certifications across BRC Global Standards, ISO 9001/14001/45001, and an EcoVadis Silver sustainability rating, with additional compliance for Bio, Vegan, Halal, and Kosher ranges. The foodservice assortment comprises 315 products across multiple categories, and the broader brand portfolio includes Cuisine Pro, Cuisine Santé, Edition Culinaire, MARA Gewürzwelt, TASTIQ, Optimahl, Riscossa, Plantics, and Gautschi.

The group is privately held, with HACO Holding AG (est. 1994) as the holding entity and no identified external institutional, private equity, or public shareholders; growth has been funded internally and through acquisition rather than equity fundraising. HACO does not disclose revenue, and key risks for an investor view include integration risk across the 14 acquired entities, FX exposure across CHF/EUR/USD/CAD/MYR, raw material and energy cost volatility (partially mitigated by a 2022 PINCH analysis with HSLU saving 5 million kWh), and concentration of legacy brands and family ownership governance.

Name

HACO

Legal name

HACO AG

Website

https://haco.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HACO AG is a Swiss custom-made food manufacturer founded in 1922, producing snacks, coffee, culinary products, and flavor ingredients for B2B manufacturers, retailers, and foodservice operators across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Condiments, Sauces & Dressings (CRADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG), Soups, Broths & Meal Starters (CRADAAAF)

Keywords

• Private label food manufacturing
• Custom snack manufacturing
• Foodservice convenience products
• Coffee manufacturing services
• Culinary ingredient production

Headquarters

HQ city

Gümligen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Custom Food Manufacturing: HACO develops and manufactures tailor-made food products and ingredients for B2B customers including food manufacturers, foodservice operators, and retailers. Revenue is generated through product sales under custom-made arrangements. The company serves as a private-label and co-development partner, creating unique food concepts for clients.
2. Foodservice Product Sales: Direct sales of convenience food products to foodservice/hospitality professionals through the HACO Foodservice division. Products include bouillons, soups, sauces, seasonings, dressings, menu components, and ready meals under brands such as Cuisine Pro, Cuisine Santé, and Edition Culinaire.
3. Consumer Retail (HACO Shop): Direct retail sales of HACO food products to consumers through the HACO Shop storefront in Gümligen, Switzerland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HACO develops and manufactures tailor-made food products and distributes them worldwide to B2B customers. Its offerings span four custom-made categories — snacks (extruded, coated, protein, soft-baked bars), coffee (spray dried, freeze dried, cold brew, microground), culinary products (bouillons, soups, sauces, dressings, ready meals), and taste/flavor ingredients (seasonings, reaction flavors, spices) — as well as a HACO Foodservice convenience product range of approximately 315 products sold to hospitality professionals through direct field sales and authorized distribution partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cuisine Pro: Proven, efficient product line for simple, fast, and reliable preparation in foodservice
• Cuisine Santé
• Edition Culinaire
• MARA Gewürzwelt
• TASTIQ
• Optimahl
• Riscossa
• Plantics
• Gautschi
• Custom-Made Snacks
• Custom-Made Coffee
• Custom-Made Culinary Art
• Custom-Made Taste

Products and services

• Custom-Made Snacks Tailor-made snack and cereal/muesli bar concepts developed for B2B clients, spanning extruded bars, coated bars, partly coated bars, fully coated bars, peanut bars, nuts/fruits bars, bites, filled bars/squares, soft bars, soft baked/oaty bars, indulgence bars, and protein bars. Targeted at food manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, and QSR chains seeking differentiated snack products.
• Custom-Made Coffee Custom coffee concepts for B2B clients, covering spray dried coffee, freeze dried coffee, cold brew coffee, and microground coffee products. Targeted at food manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers seeking differentiated coffee offerings.
• Custom-Made Culinary Art Custom culinary products for B2B clients covering bouillons, soups, cold and warm sauces, dressings, dips, menu components, and ready meals in dry mix, liquid, and viscous formats. Targeted at food manufacturers, brand owners, and foodservice operators.
• Custom-Made Taste Flavoring ingredients developed and produced through extraction, drying, freeze-drying, and blending technologies for B2B clients, including seasonings, reaction flavors, spices, and coffee-based ingredients. Targeted at food manufacturers and brand owners.
• HACO Foodservice Product Range Convenience food product range of approximately 315 products including bouillons, soups, sauces, seasonings, dressings, menu components, and ready meals, sold to foodservice and hospitality professionals in Switzerland and select international markets via the HACO Foodservice division. Includes sub-brands Cuisine Pro (efficient professional preparation), Cuisine Santé (natural, gluten- and lactose-free), Edition Culinaire (high-end culinary solutions), MARA Gewürzwelt (spice world), TASTIQ (cereal bars), Optimahl (sauces and culinary solutions), Riscossa (pasta), Plantics (plant-based), and Gautschi (culinary specialties).
• HACO Shop (Consumer Retail Storefront) Physical retail storefront in Gümligen, Switzerland selling HACO food products directly to consumers (cash, Maestro-EC, Postcard, and TWINT payments accepted). Open three days per week.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million kWh of energy saved through PINCH analysis with HSLU (2022)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Long-standing cooperation with HSLU on energy efficiency projects. In 2022, HACO implemented a PINCH analysis with HSLU professionals, leveraging the knowledge and network of PINCH method developers, resulting in 5 million kWh of energy saved.
• MOVIS AGminorOthersMOVIS AG provides free social counseling services to HACO employees for professional or private problems, offered directly and unbureaucratically.
• SV GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSV Group operates HACO's public staff restaurant, providing employees with various menus daily at CHF 9.60 per meal.
• EcoVadiscoreTechnology or IntegrationEcoVadis assesses HACO annually across sustainability dimensions. The overall EcoVadis rating reflects the quality of HACO's sustainability management system. HACO also uses EcoVadis IQ Plus tool to request individual sustainability assessments from suppliers.
• Supplier's GuidecoreTechnology or IntegrationHACO uses the Supplier's Guide supplier evaluation tool to review product specifications, quality questionnaires, and sustainability topics for supply chain partners.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company providing custom-developed ingredients and flavor systems to food, beverage, and foodservice customers across multiple categories. Most comparable to HACO in custom B2B formulation breadth across snacks, culinary, and beverage end-uses.
• McCormick & Company: Global flavor leader with strong presence in spices, seasonings, sauces, and dressings across retail, foodservice, and industrial channels. Comparable to HACO's culinary, spice (Merschbrock-Wiese/Altius/Zamek), and dressing (GFF/Plochman) manufacturing footprint.
• TreeHouse Foods: Private-label and co-manufacturing food producer operating across multiple snack, sauce, dressing, and culinary categories for retail and foodservice customers. Highly comparable to HACO's custom-made/snacks/culinary manufacturing model and multi-category private-label structure.
• Lamb Weston: Global manufacturer of value-added frozen and prepared potato and appetizer products serving foodservice and retail customers. Comparable to HACO in B2B-focused prepared culinary manufacturing for foodservice end-markets.
• Symrise AG: Flavor and fragrance manufacturer with deep presence in savory flavors, seasonings, and culinary ingredients serving food and beverage manufacturers globally. Closely comparable to HACO's Taste division and broader flavor/seasoning custom-formulation business.
• Givaudan: World's largest flavor and fragrance house supplying custom-developed flavors and ingredients to consumer goods and foodservice customers. Comparable to HACO in B2B custom flavor development and culinary ingredient specialization.
• Strauss Group: Israel-headquartered multinational food and beverage group with vertical coverage in coffee, snacks, and culinary products, operating across multiple international markets through acquisitions. Highly comparable structural analog to HACO's multi-category, acquisition-driven, multi-region platform.
• Carl Kühne KG: German family-owned manufacturer of vinegars, sauces, dressings, and condiments supplying retail and foodservice customers across Europe. Comparable to HACO's Gautschi/Bigfood/GFF culinary divisions in sauces and dressings, with a similar family-owned mid-size European heritage.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): Global ingredients company providing flavors, taste, and functional ingredients for food, beverage, and consumer goods manufacturers. Comparable to HACO in serving B2B customers with custom savory and culinary ingredient solutions across multiple end-markets.
• Corbion: Food ingredients and biobased products company supplying preservation, savory flavors, and functional ingredients to food manufacturers. Comparable to HACO in supplying ingredient solutions and customized culinary components to B2B food customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haco-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries13 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 HACO