Antartic Foods

What Antartic Foods does

Antarctic Foods Aquitaine SAS is a privately held B2B frozen vegetable producer founded in 2014 by Herwig Dejonghe, who previously helped build Pinguïn (later Greenyard Foods) into an international frozen vegetable player. The company operates a single production site in Ychoux, in the Aquitaine region of France, with a commercial headquarters in Roeselare, Belgium. Its portfolio centers on freshly frozen vegetables — carrots (its flagship), peas, beans, sweet corn, potatoes, and salsify — using Industrial Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) technology that brings product to -18°C within minutes to preserve cell structure, vitamins, and flavor. The production process combines precision agriculture with cooperative-sourced raw materials, flowfreezer-based freezing, and a blanching step that deactivates enzymes while retaining texture and color.

The company sells primarily to industrial food producers as ready-to-use ingredients, with secondary segments in baby food manufacturers and private-label retailers. Packaging options range from 450g–2.5kg pillow bags and 1x10kg cardboard boxes to 800–900kg octabin bulk containers, with private label and custom cuts available. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Antarctic Foods holds BRC Food, IFS Food, and Ecocert organic certifications, which serve as prerequisites for major European food-producer accounts. The business is owned by founder Herwig Dejonghe in partnership with Terres du Sud, a regional agricultural cooperative that acquired a stake in September 2020, formalizing the company's direct farmer relationships. Distribution is focused on Southern Europe, reached via a direct B2B sales team, a multilingual website (EN, NL, FR), and dedicated phone/email channels for sales, logistics, and accountancy. A related sub-brand, Antarctic Foodies, distributes artisan frozen specialties to consumer-facing channels.

Name

Antartic Foods

Legal name

Antarctic Foods Aquitaine SAS

Website

https://antarcticfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Antarctic Foods is a privately held B2B frozen vegetable producer based in Ychoux (Aquitaine, France), founded in 2014. It uses IQF technology to supply freshly frozen carrots, peas, beans, sweet corn, and potatoes to European food producers, baby food manufacturers, and private-label retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Vegetable Ingredients

NAICS

Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Manufacturing (AFAKACAF), Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Wholesale (AFAIAHAE)

Keywords

• Frozen vegetable production
• IQF frozen vegetables
• B2B food ingredients
• Private label vegetables
• Organic frozen produce

Headquarters

HQ city

Ychoux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Frozen Vegetable Sales to Food Producers: Antarctic Foods produces and sells freshly frozen vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, sweet corn, potatoes, salsify) to food producers as ready-to-use ingredients. Revenue is generated through direct B2B sales with various packaging options including private label, pillow bags, stand-alone bags, cardboard boxes, and octabin bulk packaging. The company offers custom cuts and specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Antarctic Foods produces and sells freshly frozen vegetables — including carrots, peas, beans, sweet corn, potatoes, and salsify — to food producers using Industrial Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) technology at -18°C. The company operates from Ychoux in France's Aquitaine region, offering private label options and flexible packaging from 450g retail pouches to 900kg industrial octabins, with custom cuts and specifications tailored to industrial food applications.

Product overview

Antarctic Foods is a frozen vegetable producer specializing in freshly frozen vegetables for food producers. The core offering consists of fresh seasonal vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, sweet corn, and more) processed using IQF technology. The product portfolio includes three main sub-categories: Real Vegetables (standard cuts), Baby Food Vegetables (under stringent requirements), and Organic Vegetables (Ecocert certified). Additional offerings include flexible packaging services (pillow bags, stand-alone bags, cardboard boxes, octabin bulk) and complete production processing from cultivation to freezing. A related sub-brand, Antarctic Foodies, distributes artisan frozen food specialties like shrimp croquettes and regional delicacies. All vegetables are grown in the Aquitaine region of France, with the company founded in 2014 by Herwig Dejonghe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Antarctic Foodies: A sub-brand that promotes artisan frozen food specialties, serving as a distributor of regional delicacies such as North Sea grey shrimp croquettes, Flemish cauliflower, and carrots des sables. Unlike Antarctic Foods (which focuses on frozen vegetables for food producers), Antarctic Foodies brings traditional specialties closer to consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vegetables retain full nutritional value and can be conserved for up to two years without preservatives
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bonduelle: Bonduelle is a French frozen and canned vegetable major with deep presence in Aquitaine and across Europe. Directly comparable in frozen vegetable processing for retail, private label, and B2B ingredient supply, including peas, beans, carrots, and corn.
• Crop's: Crop's is a Belgian frozen vegetable and fruit producer serving B2B food manufacturers in Europe. Comparable as a direct peer in IQF-processed vegetables with similar customer base in food production, baby food, and private label.
• Ardo: Ardo is a Belgian-headquartered frozen vegetable producer supplying food manufacturers and foodservice across Europe. Comparable as a direct competitor in IQF-processed vegetables for B2B customers, with overlapping customer profiles (food producers, private label, baby food).
• Dujardin Foods: Dujardin Foods is a Dutch producer of frozen vegetable specialties and potato products serving food manufacturers and foodservice in Europe. Comparable as a direct peer in B2B frozen vegetable supply with overlapping customer use cases in prepared meals and ingredients.

Regional players

• Aliments Cérès: Aliments Cérès is a Quebec-based frozen vegetable and fruit producer supplying North American markets. Comparable as a producer of IQF frozen vegetables for B2B customers, though operating primarily in a different geography than Antarctic Foods' Southern European base.

Broad incumbents

• Greenyard Frozen (parent of Pinguïn): Greenyard is one of Europe's largest frozen vegetable producers, into which founder Herwig Dejonghe's earlier company Pinguïn was integrated. Comparable as the scaled incumbent in the same category, operating across multiple European geographies and product lines.
• McCain Foods: McCain is a global frozen food major with significant frozen vegetable operations in Europe. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering frozen vegetables (and prepared potatoes) to food service and retail, though its portfolio extends well beyond Antarctic Foods' ingredient focus.
• Nomad Foods (Birds Eye, Findus): Nomad Foods owns Birds Eye and Findus, major European frozen vegetable and seafood brands with broad retail distribution. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the frozen vegetable category across Europe, though primarily consumer-facing rather than B2B.
• Unilever (Knorr / frozen food): Unilever, through Knorr and other frozen food lines, is a major European packaged food player sourcing frozen vegetable ingredients. Comparable as a downstream buyer-class participant in the frozen vegetable value chain and a broad incumbent in adjacent frozen prepared foods.

Others

• Terres du Sud (parent/co-owner): Terres du Sud is a French agricultural cooperative and Antarctic Foods' strategic investor and co-owner. Comparable as an ecosystem participant — a key upstream partner providing farmer network, supply integration, and capital, rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/antarcticfoods

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Antartic Foods