Vlaamsch Broodhuys

What Vlaamsch Broodhuys does

Vlaamsch Broodhuys is a Dutch artisan bakery company founded in 1996 by Dimitri and Diante Roels, headquartered in Vlaardingen with a vertically integrated production bakery supplying a network of own-brand Baker's Cafés, Shop in Shops, sales points, a B2B hospitality channel, and consumer e-commerce and delivery. Its core product is sourdough bread, produced from a mother dough starter culture maintained since 1996 using only flour and water, Campremy heritage wheat stone-milled at family mills in France and grown on the company's own farm under the Recolte Trace traceability protocol (microtoxin levels guaranteed at least 50% below legal limits), Guérande Celtic sea salt, and vitalized water; dough is hand-shaped, cold-risen in bannetons and baked in stone-floor injection ovens at 260°C after 8–24 hour fermentation.

The company's revenue model is predominantly retail food and beverage sales through 19 Baker's Cafés across six Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Den Bosch, Schiedam) offering breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea, drinks and Huyskamer private event spaces. Secondary revenue streams include B2B wholesale of fresh artisan bread to top restaurants and hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium (with chef ambassadors including Sergio Herman, Jonnie and Thérèse Boer of De Librije, and Restaurant C's Arnout van der Kolk), Shop in Shop reseller partnerships with organic and delicatessen retailers, a consumer webshop for bake-off products delivered at home, and distribution through third-party delivery aggregators (UberEats, Deliveroo, Thuisbezorgd, Picnic). Pricing is based on unit pricing with limited public disclosure; visible reference points include €10.95 TO-GO lunch combos and €9.95 breakfast deals.

The company is privately held by the founding family, with no external investors, funding rounds or M&A activity disclosed. It employs 101–250 people and is led by founders Dimitri Roels (trained under Pierre Wynants, Joël Robuchon and at the Max Poilâne bakery) and Diante Roels, both born 1969 and still described as actively leading the business. Product extensions include patisserie, deli sandwiches and salads, gift vouchers, seasonal specialties (Easter bread, Christmas stollen, King's Day tompoes, Sinterklaas treats, oliebollen, Valentine's and Mother's Day pastries), and Vlaamsch Blond beer co-developed with Brouwerij Noordt.

Name

Vlaamsch Broodhuys

Legal name

Vlaamsch Broodhuys

Website

https://vlaamschbroodhuys.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Vlaamsch Broodhuys is a Dutch artisan sourdough bakery founded in 1996 by Dimitri and Diante Roels, operating 19 Baker's Cafés across the Netherlands and supplying artisan bread to top restaurants, hotels and online delivery platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery & Café

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), DTC Bakery & Desserts Delivery (AFAIANAF)

Keywords

• Artisan sourdough bread
• Bakery café services
• Patisserie and deli
• Wholesale artisan bread
• Private event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Vlaardingen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Baker's Café Sales: Direct sales of artisanal sourdough bread, pastries, patisserie, deli products (salads, sandwiches), breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea, and drinks through 19 owned Baker's Cafés across the Netherlands. These cafés function as both neighborhood bakeries and full-service dining destinations.
2. B2B / Wholesale to Hospitality: Supply of fresh artisan bread to top restaurants and hotels in Belgium and the Netherlands. Orders placed by 23:30 are delivered two days later, baked fresh daily in a food-safety certified bakery. Ambassadors include top chefs Sergio Herman, Dick Middelweerd, and Schilo van Coevorden.
3. Shop in Shop / Reseller Partnerships: Smaller branded counters inside partner retail stores (e.g., Organic Cornelis Schuytstraat, Erik's Delicatessen, Dennis Delicious) selling the complete bread assortment daily, with revenue flowing through the partner's sales.
4. Huyskamer / Event Space Rental: Private dining rooms within Baker's Cafés available for reservation (minimum 6 persons) for meetings, high teas, private parties, baby showers. Custom arrangements created with the store manager.
5. Third-Party Delivery Platforms: Bread, sandwiches, and meal products delivered via UberEats, Deliveroo, Thuisbezorgd, and Picnic (online supermarket delivery). Bake-off products sold via the company's own webshop for home finishing.
6. Gift Cards and Seasonal Products: Sale of gift cards (Vlaamsch Broodhuys cadeaubonnen) redeemable at all Baker's Cafés. Seasonal specialties (Easter bread, Christmas bread, King's Day tompoes, Sinterklaas treats) drive seasonal revenue spikes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Vlaamsch Broodhuys produces artisan sourdough bread, patisserie, and deli products (sandwiches, salads) at its central bakery in Vlaardingen using traditional methods with the same sourdough starter culture maintained since 1996. The company distributes these products through 19 owned Baker's Cafés offering full dine-in service (breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea, borrel), Shop in Shops within partner stores, B2B wholesale to restaurants and hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium, an online webshop, and third-party delivery platforms. Seasonal specialties (Easter bread, Christmas stollen, Sinterklaas treats, Valentine's and Mother's Day pastries) and a branded beer round out the offering.

Product overview

Vlaamsch Broodhuys is an artisan bakery company founded in 1996 by Dimitri and Diante Roels, operating a platform model consisting of three core product divisions (sourdough bread, patisserie, and deli), a retail network of 19 Baker's Cafés plus Shop in Shops and Verkooppunten across the Netherlands, and B2B/B2C e-commerce channels. The company's sourdough bread, made with proprietary Campremy wheat from their own French farm, is the flagship offering. Seasonal specialties (Easter bread, Christmas stollen, Sinterklaas treats, Valentine's/Mother's Day pastries) drive recurring demand cycles. The company also offers private event spaces (Huyskamers), corporate ordering, and a branded beer (Vlaamsch Blond).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sourdough Bread (Zuurdesembrood) Artisan sourdough bread produced daily at the central bakery in Vlaardingen using a sourdough starter culture maintained since 1996, Campremy heritage wheat, long cold fermentation, hand-shaping, and stone oven baking. Sold through all Baker's Cafés, Shop in Shops, B2B channels, and online.
• Patisserie House-made pastries including seasonal tarts (strawberry, blood orange, stewed pear, fig), heart-shaped cakes for Valentine's and Mother's Day, Christmas stollen, and Easter bread. Sold across all Baker's Cafés and via seasonal ordering.
• Deli (Sandwiches & Salads) Fresh daily sandwiches, melts, and salads prepared in the Deli kitchen at the bakery, including Dimitri's Favorites such as avocado feta, farmer chicken salad, baba ganoush, hummus, and romesco grilled aubergine. Served in Baker's Cafés and via delivery.
• Baker's Cafés (Owned Retail Café-Bakeries) Full-service owned café-bakeries offering the complete Vlaamsch Broodhuys range including bread, pastries, breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea, borrel, and drinks. 19 locations across Amsterdam (8), Rotterdam (2), Den Haag (4), Utrecht (3), Den Bosch (1), and Schiedam (1). Also houses private Huyskamer event spaces.
• Shop in Shops Smaller branded retail counters inside partner specialty food stores (organic shops, delicatessens, wine stores) offering the complete bread assortment daily. Revenue flows through partner sales.
• Verkooppunten (Sales Points) Smallest format sales points offering a limited bread assortment in partner stores or at weekly markets, complementing the larger Baker's Cafés and Shop in Shops.
• B2B Wholesale Bread Supply (Hospitality) Dedicated B2B ordering service for restaurants and hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium, with orders placed by 23:30 for delivery two days later and bread baked fresh daily in a food-safety certified bakery. Customers include Michelin-starred restaurants and chef ambassadors such as Sergio Herman, Dick Middelweerd, Schilo van Coevorden, and Arnout van der Kolk.
• Online Webshop (Bake-off Home Delivery) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce for bake-off artisan bread products delivered to customers' homes, where the consumer finishes the baking in their own oven.
• Vlaamsch Broodhuys Gift Vouchers (Cadeaubon) Gift cards (cadeaubonnen) redeemable at all Baker's Cafés across the Netherlands for in-store products, meals, and beverages.
• Huyskamer (Private Event Spaces) Private meeting and event rooms within Baker's Cafés available for reservation (minimum 6 persons) for corporate meetings, high teas, private parties, baby showers, and other events.
• Vlaamsch Blond Beer Artisan blonde beer co-developed with Brouwerij Noordt using the four grain types used in the company's bread (spelt, wheat, rye, oats), extending the brand's ingredient philosophy into a brewed format. Sold via Baker's Cafés.
• TO-GO Deals (Lunch and Breakfast Combos) Grab-and-go combo products including a sourdough sandwich with Sanpellegrino beverage (€10.95) and a breakfast combo of coffee, orange juice, and croissant or chocolate pastry (€9.95), marketed for on-the-go, office, or outdoor consumption.
• Seasonal Specialties (Easter Bread, Christmas Stollen, Sinterklaas, King's Day, Valentine's, Mother's Day) Holiday and seasonal specialty products sold annually through Baker's Cafés, including Easter bread (100% almond paste with pistachios, orange, raisins), Christmas stollen, Sinterklaas kruidnoten (with cubebe pepper and secret spice mix), filled speculaas, chocolate letters, King's Day tompouce, Valentine's heart-shaped raspberry cake, and Mother's Day strawberry heart tarts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Microtoxin levels in grain at least 50% below the legal limit (guaranteed by the French cooperative's Recolte Trace methodology)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Picnic (Online Supermarket)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 August 2023Since August 2023, Vlaamsch Broodhuys artisan bread is sold through the Picnic online supermarket app, enabling home delivery across 120+ locations in the Netherlands. This partnership significantly expanded consumer accessibility beyond owned retail locations and other delivery platforms.
• Le PristineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Pristine, the fine dining restaurant (connected to Sergio Herman), partnered with Vlaamsch Broodhuys for chef's Take Away box distribution. Customers ordered boxes via Le Pristine's site and picked them up at select VB Baker's Cafés (Den Bosch, Utrecht).
• Air Republic (Sergio Herman, Cadzand-Bad)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAir Republic, Sergio Herman's coastal restaurant in Cadzand-Bad, partnered for chef's Take Away box delivery to multiple Dutch cities including Amsterdam, Den Haag, and Rotterdam through VB Baker's Cafés.
• Too Good To GominorGTM or Marketing PartnerVlaamsch Broodhuys partners with the Too Good To Go food waste app to sell surplus end-of-day bread at reduced prices. The company sets the content and price of 'mystery bags,' helping reduce food waste while generating incremental revenue and demonstrating sustainability commitment.
• Brouwerij NoordtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Brouwerij Noordt to craft 'Vlaamsch Blond' beer, made with four grain types (spelt, wheat, rye, oats) — the same grains used in VB bread — reflecting the company's culinary philosophy in a brewed format.
• Traiteur Olivijn (Haarlem)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Traiteur Olivijn (owned by Menno Post and Saskia de Wal of Michelin-starred restaurant Olivijn) to sell VB bread on Fridays and Saturdays in their specialty food store in Haarlem.
• Bocca Coffee RoastersminorOthersBocca Coffee Roasters supplies and roasts the coffee beans served in all VB Baker's Cafés. The coffee is sourced and blended with care and roasted by Bocca, who also supply the coffee cards used as gifts.
• SanpellegrinominorOthersSanpellegrino beverages are featured as the drink component in VB's TO-GO summer lunch deals (sourdough sandwich + Sanpellegrino at €10.95). This is featured as an ongoing promotional partnership for seasonal TO-GO offerings.
• Urban CacaominorOthersUrban Cacao supplies artisan popcorn coated in traceable, sustainably sourced chocolate, selected by Dimitri for sale in VB Baker's Cafés. The partnership features the unique farm-to-chef traceability process that aligns with VB's ingredient sourcing philosophy.
• Johan Cruyff FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDimitri and Diante Roels participated in the 2023 Johan Cruyff Gala 'Koken met een Doel,' preparing food under the leadership of Jonnie and Thérèse Boer of De Librije. VB product (Christophe Pavé and coffee cards) was included in guest gift bags as a CSR/community engagement initiative.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based artisan bakery founded by Chad Robertson, famous for its country loaf made with naturally leavened wild yeast and long fermentation. Comparable on craft philosophy, chef-grade ingredient sourcing, and brand-led premium pricing, though Tartine has expanded to multi-location retail and wholesale.
• Stadsbakkerij De Veldkeuken: Amsterdam-based artisan bakery-café focused on organic, sourdough-driven bread and seasonal patisserie with a similar sit-down café format. Directly comparable Dutch competitor operating in the same Randstad geography and overlapping premium consumer segment.
• Gail's Artisan Bakery: UK-based artisan bakery-café chain operating 100+ neighborhood locations with on-site sourdough production, full breakfast/lunch service, and strong brand identity. Closest international comparable in retail format (neighborhood bakery-café) and craft positioning, demonstrating scaled execution of the model Vlaamsch Broodhuys aspires to.
• Maison Kayser: French artisan boulangerie founded by Éric Kayser with a global network of bakery-cafés serving sourdough bread, viennoiserie, and full breakfast/lunch menus. Directly comparable multi-format retail model with craft positioning and B2B supply that has scaled internationally, contrasting Vlaamsch Broodhuys's domestic-only footprint.
• Bread Ahead: London-based artisan bakery and baking school known for its sourdough donuts, breads, and café formats. Comparable as a craft bakery brand that has diversified into education, wholesale, and B2B supply while maintaining chef-led, premium positioning similar to Vlaamsch Broodhuys.
• Patisserie Holtkamp: Long-established Amsterdam patisserie and bakery known for high-end cakes, pastries, and breads with strong brand recognition among Dutch consumers. Comparable on premium Dutch patisserie/bakery positioning and event-driven offerings (celebration cakes), though more patisserie- than bread-centric.
• Poilâne: Iconic Parisian artisan sourdough bakery founded in 1932, renowned for its hand-shaped pain au levain and stone-oven baking from a single production site. Highly comparable to Vlaamsch Broodhuys on craft philosophy, heritage-grain focus, and chef-customer B2B positioning; Dimitri Roels specifically trained under Max Poilâne.

Broad incumbents

• Bakker Bart: Largest Dutch specialty bakery chain with hundreds of locations offering bread, pastries, and sandwiches at mid-market price points. Comparable as a Dutch bakery retailer but competes at lower price tier and lacks Vlaamsch Broodhuys's craft/premium positioning.
• La Place: Dutch foodservice and bakery-café concept formerly part of V&D, now operating restaurant-bakeries with on-site bread and pastry production. Comparable as a multi-format bakery-café operator but positioned as a broad foodservice incumbent rather than a craft specialist.
• MultiVlaai: Dutch franchise bakery chain specializing in vlaai (regional Limburg pie) and pastries with over 250 franchise locations. Comparable as a Dutch multi-location bakery retail format but operates in a different product niche (regional sweet pastries) and franchise model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VlaamschBroodhuys
• Instagraminstagram.com/vlaamschbroodhuys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vlaamsch-broodhuys

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 Vlaamsch Broodhuys