Van Delft

What Van Delft does

Van Delft Biscuits B.V. is a Dutch family-owned private-label manufacturer of biscuits and peppernuts (kruidnoten), headquartered in Harderwijk, Netherlands. The company traces its origin to a bakery established in Koog aan de Zaan in 1834, which was taken over by Jan van Delft in 1880 and relocated to its current Harderwijk facility in 1958. Van Delft operates as the world's largest and oldest peppernuts factory, producing over 7 billion peppernuts per year alongside a broader biscuit portfolio spanning natural and chocolate peppernuts, speculaas, taai-taai, fruit biscuits and bars, chocolate biscuits (Delfia's, Dubbeldikjes), glacé biscuits, espresso biscuits (Café Noir), and children's cookies (Lick Cookies, Miejonkies), with more than 50 chocolate peppernut flavors in market.

The business is built around two revenue engines. The first and dominant engine is B2B private-label manufacturing for major European retailers — including Albert Heijn, Aldi, Lidl, Jumbo, Plus, Dirk, Hema, Kruidvat, and foreign supermarket chains across virtually all European countries — where Van Delft positions itself as cost leader in fruit biscuits and fruit bars, chocolate biscuits, and glacé biscuits. The second engine is the company's own luxury sub-brand, Van Delft Chocolates & Bakery, which sells chocolate peppernuts and cookies through approximately 20 seasonal retail stores per year (open September through year-end) with a stated roadmap of year-round stores and international expansion into Spain, Denmark, England, and Belgium.

Operationally, the company employs 300 people (up from 15 under Oscar de Lange's 20-year leadership) and invests continuously in manufacturing automation and process improvement. It holds the full standard suite of food-safety and sustainability certifications required for major European and US private-label supply, including BRCGS, IFS, FDA, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, RSPO, SKAL organic, and an EcoVadis sustainability assessment. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the company remains privately held with no external institutional investors or public listing.

Name

Van Delft

Legal name

Van Delft Biscuits B.V.

Website

https://vandelftbiscuits.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Van Delft Biscuits B.V. is a Dutch family-owned manufacturer producing biscuits and peppernuts, generating 7+ billion peppernuts annually as a private-label supplier to major European retailers. Operates 50+ chocolate peppernut flavors alongside the luxury sub-brand Van Delft Chocolates & Bakery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biscuit and Confectionery Manufacturing

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Cookies, Biscuits & Crackers (CRADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG)

Keywords

• Private label biscuits
• Peppernut manufacturing
• Chocolate kruidnoten
• Cookie factory
• Confectionery production

Headquarters

HQ city

Harderwijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 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. Private label manufacturing: Produces biscuits and peppernuts primarily under the private labels of major retailers such as Albert Heijn, Aldi, Lidl, Jumbo, Plus, Dirk, Hema, and Kruidvat. Also supplies foreign supermarket chains across European countries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Van Delft is a Dutch biscuit and peppernut manufacturer that produces private-label (chocolate) peppernuts, speculaas, taai-taai, fruit biscuits, fruit bars, chocolate biscuits, and glacé biscuits primarily under the house brands of major Dutch and European retailers. The company is the world's largest and oldest peppernut factory, producing over 7 billion peppernuts annually, and also operates the Van Delft Chocolates & Bakery luxury consumer brand through seasonal retail stores.

Product overview

Van Delft Biscuits is a Dutch food manufacturing company producing a diverse biscuit and peppernut portfolio primarily as a private-label supplier to major European retailers (Albert Heijn, Aldi, Lidl, Jumbo, Plus, Dirk, Hema, Kruidvat), while also maintaining its own luxury retail brand. The product portfolio centers on two main categories: (1) Peppernuts/Kruidnoten including chocolate-covered varieties (50+ flavors) and natural traditional varieties (7+ billion annually), and (2) a broader biscuit range including espresso biscuits (Café Noir), chocolate biscuits (Delfia's, Dubbeldikjes), fruit-based products (Fruit Crackers, Fruit Bakes), and children's cookies (Lick Cookies, Miejonkies). The company operates its own Van Delft Chocolates & Bakery luxury sub-brand with retail stores and international expansion plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Van Delft Chocolates & Bakery: The company's own luxury brand featuring chocolate peppernuts and cookies. Known for luxury peppernut stores, the brand specializes in luxury chocolate peppernuts and cookies, and aims to be the address for luxury and tasty gifts with chocolate peppernuts and cookies. Approximately 20 luxury stores are opened annually from September 1 until year-end.

Products and services

• Chocolade Kruidnoten (Chocolate Peppernuts) Luxury chocolate-covered kruidnoten produced in over 50 flavors for private label and own brand channels. Van Delft positions itself as a specialist in luxury chocolate peppernuts.
• Naturel Kruidnoten (Natural Peppernuts) Traditional Dutch peppernuts made with a proprietary blend of 9 spices including cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Van Delft produces over 7 billion annually and is recognized as the originator of the modern peppernut.
• Café Noir Espresso Biscuits Extra crisp espresso biscuit with a thick layer of coffee icing, designed for coffee accompaniment or as a snack.
• Delfia's Chocolate Cookies Chocolate cookies sprinkled with sugar, a branded chocolate biscuit product.
• Dubbeldikjes Double-thick wheat cookies with creamy chocolate filling, available in milk and dark chocolate varieties. Rich in calcium, vitamin B6 and iron.
• Fruit Crackers Crunchy baked fruit crackers high in fiber, available in forest fruit and apple flavors.
• Fruit Bakes Fruit bars high in fiber, available in forest fruit and orange flavors.
• Lick Cookies (Likkoekjes) Nostalgic glazed cookies with a crunchy baked base topped with colored glaze, available in original, forest fruit, tropical mix, and cocoa/vanilla flavors.
• Miejonkies Children's cookies, a traditional Dutch cookie product targeting the kids segment.
• Van Delft Chocolates & Bakery Luxury sub-brand of Van Delft Biscuits specializing in luxury chocolate peppernuts and cookies. Operates approximately 20 seasonal luxury retail stores from September to year-end, with expansion into year-round stores internationally in Spain, Denmark, England, and Belgium.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew from 15 employees and €3M revenue to 300 employees and €75M revenue over 20 years

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Continental Bakeries: Dutch-headquartered private-label biscuit and cookie manufacturer serving European retailers. Directly competes with Van Delft in the same private-label channel with comparable product mix and customer base.
• Daelmans: Dutch family-owned baker specializing in stroopwafels and traditional Dutch baked goods. Comparable heritage positioning, Dutch origin, and focus on traditional Dutch bakery categories sold through European retail.
• Walkers Shortbread: Scottish shortbread and biscuit manufacturer with strong heritage brand and international retail presence. Comparable on premium/heritage biscuit manufacturing, European and global retail distribution, and family-business character.
• Lotus Bakeries: Belgian biscuit company famous for Biscoff/speculoos. Highly comparable to Van Delft in speculaas-style spiced biscuits and Belgian/Dutch heritage positioning, with similar European retail distribution and growing branded international footprint.
• Bahlsen: Major German biscuit maker producing both branded cookies (e.g., Bahlsen Leibniz) and private-label products for European retailers. Direct overlap with Van Delft in cookie/biscuit manufacturing, chocolate-coated biscuits, and pan-European grocery distribution.
• Biscuit International: European private-label biscuit and cracker specialist serving supermarket chains across multiple countries. Closely comparable to Van Delft on business model (private label), geography (pan-European), and category (sweet biscuits).
• Aalst Chocolate: Dutch chocolate biscuit and cookie producer supplying private-label and branded products across Europe. Comparable in scale, geography, and product focus on chocolate-coated biscuits sold through European retailers.

Broad incumbents

• Mondelez International: Global snacking giant owning Oreo, Belvita, Chips Ahoy!, and Toblerone. Overlaps with Van Delft in cookies/biscuits and chocolate categories and competes for the same European retailer shelf space and private-label contracts, but at vastly larger scale.
• Storck: German family-owned confectionery company producing chocolate and biscuit products (e.g., Merci, Toffifee). Overlaps with Van Delft in chocolate-covered biscuits and European retail, with stronger brand portfolio in adjacent confectionery.
• Pladis Global (United Biscuits): Global biscuit and confectionery group (McVitie's, Carr's, Jacob's, Godiva). Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in cookies/biscuits and private label across European markets, though operating at significantly larger scale across many categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vandelftchocolates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-delft-biscuits
• Instagraminstagram.com/vandelftchocolates
• Xx.com/delftpepernoten

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Van Delft