Diepvries Urk
Diepvries Urk B.V. is a family-owned Dutch contract processor that freezes, glazes, breads, sorts, packages, and stores fish and seafood for fish companies and trading companies across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1928
- HeadquartersUrk, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Diepvries Urk does
Diepvries Urk B.V. is a family-owned Dutch seafood processing and co-packing company headquartered in Urk, Netherlands. The company operates as an independent contract service provider for fish companies and trading companies across Europe, offering an integrated suite of processing services that includes IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) at -40°C, glazing with demineralised water, automated breading, computer-controlled weight sorting, primary/secondary packaging, cold storage with customs warehouse facilities, and interleaved (ITL) repackaging. The Van Veen family's involvement in the fish industry dates to 1928 when great-grandfather Albert van Veen opened the first ice factory in Urk (Gebroeders van Veen); the current Diepvries Urk entity was formally established in 1986 as a modern freezing facility, and the company celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2021.
The processing platform is built around a hyper-modern belt freezer (completely upgraded in 2015 in a six-week renovation), a 12-head advanced weighing machine with online printing for retail packs, an automated breading line capable of up to 100% weight increase, and a computer-controlled sorting line accurate to the gram across up to nine sorting rounds. Diepvries Urk holds IFS (Unannounced), BRC, MSC, ASC, and FDA certifications, plus customs warehouse and end-use authorisation licenses — credentials many European retailers require. It processes more than 50 species of fish and food products, ranging from retail packs of 200–3,000 grams to bulk packaging up to 350 kg, with transport across Europe achievable within two days.
Revenue is generated entirely through professional-services contracts — either multi-year or on-demand — with pricing fully tailored and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led direct B2B, anchored by Hendrik van Veen (New Business) and COO Hans van Eunen, supplemented by a multilingual (Dutch/English/German) website, news/PR, and organic social. The company's competitive narrative emphasises an independent, neutral position (no competing sales channel of its own). Current strategic priorities include the DVU 2.0 build-out — a new coldstore with modern expedition facilities — and a generational leadership transition that brought Hendrik, Pieter, and Cees van Veen into the business in December 2023 while current owners Riekelt and Carlien continue the family tradition.
Diepvries Urk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Diepvries Urk
- Legal name
- Diepvries Urk BV
- Website
- https://diepvriesurk.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1928
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Diepvries Urk B.V. is a family-owned Dutch contract processor that freezes, glazes, breads, sorts, packages, and stores fish and seafood for fish companies and trading companies across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Diepvries Urk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Seafood Processing Services
- NAICS
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)
- SIC
- Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Freezing & Cold-Chain Seafood Processing (IQF, Blast Freezing, Glazing) (AFANADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Frozen Prepared Meat & Seafood Meals (AFANAFAC), Fresh & Frozen Seafood Fillets (Portioned, Skinless/Boneless) (AFANALAA), Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Manufacturing (AFAKACAG), Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF)
Keywords
Where Diepvries Urk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Urk
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Diepvries Urk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Co-packing / Contract Packaging Services: Diepvries Urk acts as an independent co-packer for fish companies and trading companies, providing contract packaging services. Services include co-packing, freezing/glazing, breading, sorting, interleaved repackaging, and customs warehouse storage. Services are offered on a contract basis or on-demand.
- Processing and Value-Added Services: Revenue is generated through processing services including freezing, glazing (protective ice layer), breading (coating with breadcrumbs), sorting by weight, labelling, and primary/secondary packaging. Additional storage services (own coldstore with customs warehouse) are provided.
- Packaging and Procurement Services: Diepvries Urk can procure packaging materials on behalf of customers and provide product development support. Revenue is generated through the supply of packaging materials alongside processing services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom B2B service pricing — tailored to customer requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Diepvries Urk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Diepvries Urk B.V. is a B2B contract manufacturer and co-packer for the seafood and food industry, processing, freezing, and packaging fish and seafood products for fish companies and trading companies throughout Europe. Core services include IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) at -40°C, glazing, breading, computer-controlled sorting, cold storage with customs warehouse, and interleaved repackaging, complemented by a range of packaging formats (cartons, pallet boxes, pouches, and custom-printed packaging). The company handles more than 50 species of fish and food products under IFS (Unannounced), BRC, MSC, ASC, and FDA certifications.
Product overview
Diepvries Urk is a family-owned co-packing and seafood processing company operating as a platform of integrated services for the seafood and food industry. The core offering comprises six processing services: Co-Packing (contract packaging with semi-automatic machines for retail and bulk), Freezing/Glazing (IQF freezing at -40°C and protective ice glazing), Breading (automated breading lines with customizable ratios), Sorting (computer-controlled weight-based sorting), Storage/Warehouse (cold storage with customs facilities), and Interleaved Repackaging (mechanical separation and reprocessing). These services are supported by five packaging product types: Carton Packing, Pallet Boxes, Pre-printed Pouch, Pillow Pouch, and Own Packaging. The company serves fish companies and trading companies throughout Europe, processing over 50 types of fish and food products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Co-Packing Contract packaging service for seafood and food products, offering flexible extra packaging capacity and bulk packing from 2 kg to 350 kg for fish companies and trading companies.
- Freezing / Glazing IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) and glazing services for fish and seafood products at -40°C, with glaze layers varying from 10% to 150% of original weight to protect against drying and extend shelf life.
- Breading Industrial breading service applying batter and breadcrumbs to frozen fish and food products, with breading ratios from 25% to 35% and weight increases up to 100%, with inline re-freezing to -20°C core temperature.
- Sorting Computer-controlled sorting line that accurately sorts products by weight, offering up to nine sorting rounds accurate to the gram for whole fish or fillets, fresh or frozen.
- Stock / Storage / Warehouse Cold storage services with movable shelving on pallets or in boxes, featuring constant temperature monitoring and customs warehouse facilities (no import duties while goods are stored) with end-use authorisation.
- Interleaved Repackaging Mechanical loosening and plastic foil removal from interleaved (ITL) products, followed by manual visual inspection for further processing including glazing, breading, sorting, and repackaging.
- Carton Packing Cardboard fish boxes made from corrugated cardboard for packing frozen fish and food products, suitable for 2 kg to 20 kg per box.
- Pallet Boxes Sturdy 3-ply corrugated cardboard over-boxes for bulk transport up to 350 kg (up to 400 kg per box), environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable.
- Pre-printed Pouch Pouch packaging with printed insert offering great product visibility and displaying necessary product information meeting legal requirements.
- Pillow Pouch Versatile, flexible pillow pouch packaging that protects products and can be labeled with product information meeting legal requirements.
- Own Packaging (Custom Printed) Custom packaging service allowing customers to provide their own packaging or have it printed with logos, product information, or EG numbers via the online printer on the 12-head weighing machine.
Quantifiable outcome
- IQF freezing at -40°C preserves moisture content and structure so that after defrosting, flavour and texture match fresh fish
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Diepvries Urk
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Diepvries Urk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Diepvries Urk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Diepvries Urk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Nomad Foods: European frozen-food brand operator (Iglo, Birds Eye, Findus) with in-house and outsourced frozen seafood processing across the continent. Comparable to Diepvries Urk as a customer-side counterpart: a brand owner that relies on third-party co-packers like Diepvries Urk for processing capacity.
- Maruha Nichiro: Japan-headquartered global seafood company with operations across freezing, processing, and packaging of fish products in Europe and globally. Comparable to Diepvries Urk on IQF freezing and value-added seafood manufacturing footprint, though at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
- Lerøy Seafood Group: Vertically integrated Norwegian seafood group with salmon farming, processing, and value-added frozen seafood operations across Europe. Comparable to Diepvries Urk on the value-added frozen seafood processing and European distribution side, though Lerøy owns upstream production.
- Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate (Chicken of the Sea, John West) with extensive frozen and value-added seafood processing and co-manufacturing capabilities. Comparable to Diepvries Urk on the processing-services side, though Thai Union operates at vastly greater scale and owns major consumer brands.
- Mowi ASA: World's largest Atlantic salmon producer with growing value-added processing operations in Europe. Comparable to Diepvries Urk on IQF and value-added seafood processing, though Mowi is vertically integrated into farming rather than a pure contract packer.
- Royal Greenland: One of the largest vertically integrated seafood processors in Europe with extensive freezing, processing, and packaging operations serving European retail and foodservice. Overlaps with Diepvries Urk on IQF freezing and value-added seafood processing but operates at much larger scale and with owned-brand products.
Regional players
- Frinsa: Spanish frozen seafood processor with substantial European IQF and canned seafood capacity. Comparable to Diepvries Urk on the IQF and value-added seafood processing side, but geographically focused on Iberia and southern Europe.
Emerging players
- Highliner Foods: Canadian value-added frozen seafood processor and brand owner with growing European exposure. Comparable to Diepvries Urk on frozen, breaded, and prepared seafood processing; however, Highliner is brand-led rather than a pure co-packer.
Direct peers
- Pickenpack Seafood: German seafood processor and co-packer offering freezing, breading, and packaging services to fish companies across Europe. Closely matches Diepvries Urk's contract-manufacturing model, customer base, and product portfolio of breaded and frozen fish products.
- Slade Gorton & Co. US-based seafood processor and co-packer providing IQF freezing, portioning, breading, and private-label packaging for fish companies. Closely mirrors Diepvries Urk's contract-manufacturing business model, though operating in North America rather than Europe.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Diepvries Urk social profiles
Digital presenceDiepvries Urk compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Diepvries Urk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Diepvries Urk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Diepvries Urk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Diepvries Urk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Diepvries Urk
What does Diepvries Urk do?
Diepvries Urk B.V. is a B2B contract manufacturer and co-packer for the seafood and food industry, processing, freezing, and packaging fish and seafood products for fish companies and trading companies throughout Europe. Core services include IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) at -40°C, glazing, breading, computer-controlled sorting, cold storage with customs warehouse, and interleaved repackaging, complemented by a range of packaging formats (cartons, pallet boxes, pouches, and custom-printed packaging). The company handles more than 50 species of fish and food products under IFS (Unannounced), BRC, MSC, ASC, and FDA certifications.
Is Diepvries Urk a public or private company?
Diepvries Urk is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Diepvries Urk founded?
Diepvries Urk was founded in 1928. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Diepvries Urk based?
Diepvries Urk is headquartered in Urk, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Diepvries Urk make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Co-packing / Contract Packaging Services are the primary driver. The others are processing and Value-Added Services and packaging and Procurement Services.
Who are Diepvries Urk's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Nomad Foods, Maruha Nichiro, Lerøy Seafood Group, Thai Union Group, Mowi ASA and Royal Greenland. Frinsa is listed as a regional player. Highliner Foods is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Pickenpack Seafood and Slade Gorton & Co..
Does Diepvries Urk have an API?
No public API is recorded for Diepvries Urk.
What industry is Diepvries Urk in?
Diepvries Urk's product category is Seafood Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANADAE, Freezing & Cold-Chain Seafood Processing (IQF, Blast Freezing, Glazing), with a secondary code of AFANAFAC, Frozen Prepared Meat & Seafood Meals. Its NAICS code is 31171 and its SIC code is 2092.