What VHC ActiFood does

VHC ActiFood B.V. is a Dutch wholesale distributor (totaalleverancier) serving the HORECA (hotels, restaurants, cafes) and institutional/corporate catering market across the northern Netherlands, including all four Wadden Islands. Operating from its headquarters in Oosterwolde, the company runs a comprehensive assortment spanning eight core categories — fresh produce (AGF), frozen, dry groceries, dairy and cheese, beer/wine/spirits, non-food, fresh fish (MSC/ASC/HACCP certified), and a butchery — supplemented by 16 proprietary private label brands such as CoolBreak (ice cream), Chaupain (bread/pastry), Mescoo (coffee), and Sabroso (olive oil). The company is a subsidiary of VHC Groep, a network of four regional wholesale partners that together deliver national coverage while preserving local market knowledge and shared purchasing power.

The business combines a field-sales-led model with a self-service digital layer. Eleven named account managers cover dedicated provinces (Drenthe, Overijssel, Friesland, Groningen, Wadden Islands), supported by product specialists for fish, butchery, fresh produce, wine, and non-food. An online ordering platform (bestellen.actifood.nl) enables 24/7 catalog browsing with next-day delivery for orders placed before midnight. On-site, the Experience Center / ActiFoodLab hosts workshops, masterclasses, and the SVH-recognized Horeca Vakcollege Noord and Patisserie Academie, generating an ecosystem of training, advisory, and product sampling that extends beyond transactional supply.

Revenue is generated primarily through product sales (food, beverage, and non-food) on a per-order unit-pricing basis with transport included; prices are quoted in euros exclusive of VAT and may be repriced when cost factors shift, with a customer cancellation right if increases reach 10% or more. Revenue streams are diversified across branded products, private label concepts, and SVH-certified training and education services. The company is privately held, with no external PE or VC funding disclosed, and ownership is retained within the VHC Groep partner network.

Name

VHC ActiFood

Legal name

ActiFood B.V.

Website

https://actifood.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

VHC ActiFood is a Dutch wholesale totaalleverancier serving HORECA businesses and institutional caterers across the northern Netherlands with a broad food, beverage, and non-food assortment plus proprietary private label brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers (42441), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated Meat & Charcuterie Wholesale (AFAIAHAI)

Keywords

• Horeca wholesale distribution
• Foodservice supply
• Private label brands
• Hospitality products wholesale
• Fresh food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Oosterwolde

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Food & Beverages: Core revenue from selling comprehensive range of food and beverage products to HORECA businesses. Includes fresh produce, frozen goods, dry groceries, dairy, meat, fish, and beverages. Delivery included in pricing.
2. Product Sales - Non-Food: Sale of non-food HORECA supplies including equipment, furniture, tableware, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products.
3. Private Label Brands: Revenue from proprietary brands including CoolBreak (ice cream), Chaupain (bread/pastry), Mescoo (coffee), Sabroso (olive oil), Van Wijck (nuts/dried fruits), Chef's Egg (egg products), De Witte Weijde (cheese), Yindee (Asian foods), Prima (snacks/sauces), Sapori di Casa (pesto/oil), Chudin (cooking wine), Het Rijcke Gilde (meat products), 3Pasión (wines), Lencke (honey), Sanschef (bouillon), Proteq (gloves/hygiene).
4. Training & Education Services: SVH-recognized HORECA education programs, workshops, barista training, and customized team training. Workshops include bedieningspersoneel training, cooking workshops, and professional development courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VHC ActiFood is a wholesale distributor (totaalleverancier) supplying a broad range of food, beverages, and non-food HORECA products to hotels, restaurants, cafes, and large-scale consumers in the northern Netherlands. The offering combines a wide core assortment (AGF, frozen, dry groceries, dairy, fish, meat, beverages, non-food) with proprietary private-label brands and complementary services such as workshops, training, and an online ordering platform.

Product overview

VHC ActiFood is a comprehensive hospitality wholesaler and total supplier serving the northern Netherlands. Their product portfolio is organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture combining a broad core assortment with proprietary private label brands and specialized services. Core assortment categories include AGF (fresh produce), Frozen, Dry Groceries (DKW), Dairy & Cheese, Beer/Wine/Distilled, Non-food, Fresh Fish (with MSC/ASC certifications), and Butcher products. The private label portfolio features multiple branded concepts including: CoolBreak (ice cream), Chaupain (bread & patisserie), Mescoo (coffee), Sabroso (olive oil), Van Wijck (nuts & dried fruits), Chef's Egg (egg products), De Witte Weijde (cheese), Prima (snacks/sauces/fats), Proteq (gloves & hygiene), Yindee (Asian foods), Sapori di Casa (pesto), Het Rijcke Gilde (meat products), Chudin (cooking wine), 3Pasión (wines), Lencke (honey), and Sanschef (bouillon). Beyond product distribution, VHC ActiFood operates an ActiFoodLab/Experience Center offering workshops and masterclasses, plus the Horeca Vakcollege Noord providing SVH-certified hospitality education. An online ordering platform (bestellen.actifood.nl) enables customer self-service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sabroso: Olive oil brand sourced from the Mediterranean, produced using traditional methods.
• Van Wijck
• Chef's Egg
• De Witte Weijde
• Chaupain
• CoolBreak
• Mescoo
• Chudin
• Sapori di Casa
• Het Rijcke Gilde
• Yindee
• 3Pasión
• Lencke
• Sanschef
• Prima
• Proteq

Products and services

• Food and Beverage Wholesale Supply Comprehensive wholesale supply of food and beverages — including fresh produce (AGF), frozen products, dry groceries, dairy and cheese, beer, wine and spirits, fresh fish, and meat — delivered to HORECA businesses. Includes own AGF cutting facility, butchery, and fish wholesale.
• Non-Food HORECA Supplies Wholesale supply of non-food HORECA items including furniture, tableware, kitchen materials, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products such as gloves.
• Private Label Brand Portfolio A consolidated portfolio of proprietary private-label brands offering complete concept solutions across categories — including ice cream, bread, pastry, coffee, olive oil, nuts, eggs, cheese, snacks, sauces, Asian foods, pesto, meat products, wines, honey, and bouillon — sold to HORECA customers.
• Online Ordering Platform Self-service online platform for registered HORECA customers to browse the product catalog, place orders, manage accounts, and receive next-day delivery for orders placed before midnight.
• ActiFoodLab Experience Center Physical training and experience facility at headquarters offering workshops, masterclasses, tasting sessions, and customized team training programs for HORECA staff including cocktail training, fish filleting, fermentation, and wine masterclasses.
• Horeca Vakcollege Noord SVH-certified hospitality vocational training providing recognized certifications including SVH Kok, SVH Sociale Hygiëne, and SVH Leermeester, as well as service-staff training and barista training for HORECA professionals.
• Patisserie Academie Specialized pastry training program offered as part of VHC ActiFood's broader vocational education portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Next-day delivery for orders placed before midnight, enabling just-in-time inventory management for HORECA businesses

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• VHC Jongens BVcoreOthersPart of VHC Group, one of four partner companies providing national coverage in combination with local knowledge and purchasing power.
• VHC KrekocoreOthersPart of VHC Group, one of four partner companies providing national coverage in combination with local knowledge and purchasing power.
• VHC WaddenFoodcoreOthersPart of VHC Group, focused on Wadden Islands region, part of the network delivering to Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, and Vlieland.
• VHC Combigro GroepcoreOthersPart of VHC Group, regional partner company providing national coverage with local partner network.
• ATL SeafoodstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic fish supplier partner. VHC ActiFood references ATL Seafood as their fish product source with focus on sustainability and optimal freshness.
• RATIONAL NederlandstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooking equipment manufacturer partnership for hosting CookingLive cooking workshops at VHC ActiFood Experience Center, demonstrating RATIONAL cooking technology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• METRO Cash & Carry: International cash-and-carry and foodservice wholesale group with operations across Europe. Comparable B2B HORECA and HoReCa supply model at much larger scale, serving a similar institutional customer base.
• Makro Nederland: Cash-and-carry wholesale operator serving HORECA, small businesses, and resellers across the Netherlands. Larger scale and broader assortment (including non-food) make it a broad incumbent competing for the same HORECA customer wallet.
• Sysco Corporation: Global foodservice distribution leader serving restaurants, healthcare, and hospitality operators. While primarily North American, it illustrates the scale and integration of foodservice distribution comparable in business model and HORECA customer focus.

Direct peers

• Hanos: Largest Dutch HORECA wholesaler with a full assortment of food and non-food products, private label brands, and nationwide cash-and-carry and delivery operations. Directly comparable as a totaalleverancier serving the same HORECA customer base in the Netherlands.
• Bidfood: Dutch foodservice distributor delivering food and non-food products to HORECA, healthcare, and large-scale consumers. Closely comparable in business model, customer focus, and one-stop-shop assortment strategy.
• Sligro Food Group: Major Dutch foodservice and HORECA company operating cash-and-carry and delivery wholesale across the Netherlands. Competes head-to-head with VHC ActiFood in broad-line HORECA distribution, serving restaurants, hotels, and catering operators.

Regional players

• VHC WaddenFood: VHC Groep partner dedicated to serving HORECA on the Dutch Wadden Islands. Closely related business model and product mix, but operates as a specialized regional player rather than a competitor to VHC ActiFood on the mainland.
• VHC Combigro Groep: VHC Groep partner providing national coverage with regional focus; operates the same totaalleverancier HORECA model in its own territory. Comparable in assortment breadth and customer type, but does not directly compete in northern Netherlands.
• VHC Kreko: VHC Groep partner operating the same HORECA wholesale model in a different Dutch region. Comparable product assortment, private label portfolio, and full-range supplier positioning, but in a non-overlapping geographic territory.
• VHC Jongens BV: Sister company within VHC Groep serving different Dutch regions under the same partner-network model. Operates an identical HORECA wholesale concept and assortment, but covers a different geography rather than competing in northern Netherlands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ActiFood
• Xx.com/vhcactifoodbv

Compliance3 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 VHC ActiFood