Vitacress Real
Vitacress Real is a Dutch joint venture between Vitacress Ltd and Gipmans Groep that grows, packages, and distributes fresh herbs and natural seasonings across Europe. It serves retailers, meal-kit companies, and foodservice wholesalers through potted, cut, and bunched herb formats produced from its five-region European cultivation network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersVenlo, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Vitacress Real does
Vitacress Real BV is a Dutch-based fresh-herb company, headquartered in Venlo, Netherlands, that grows, packages, and distributes fresh culinary herbs (basil, mint, parsley, coriander, and others) along with natural seasonings such as lemongrass, samphire, and fresh garlic. The company operates as a joint venture between UK-based Vitacress Ltd and the Dutch Gipmans Groep (Camino Real BV), combining international market access with deep Dutch cultivation expertise, and it is a member of the Fossa Eugenia growers' association. Its production footprint spans 702 hectares across five European regions (Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, France), enabling year-round supply via a sun-following cultivation strategy, with approximately 90% of herbs sourced from owned cultivation or long-term contracted growers.
The company's product portfolio spans three core fresh-herb formats — potted herbs (potkruiden) for extended shelf life, pre-cut herbs (snijkruiden) in 10g–200g packaging, and bunched herbs targeted at the German market — plus fresh seasonings and a Vitalicious foodservice sub-brand offering herbal tea ranges, chef inspiration boxes, and in-restaurant herb-experience concepts. Technology differentiators include a perforated-film packaging system that regulates oxygen-to-CO2 ratios for delicate herbs, automated portioning for 5–20g meal-kit packs, optical/vision sorting systems for weed and quality detection, and a proprietary data-driven cultivation simulation that measures per-field shelf life to inform routing. Go-to-market is sales-led and multi-channel, supplying retail supermarkets in the Netherlands and Germany, foodservice wholesalers Sligro and Makro, direct restaurant partnerships such as La Place/Hema, and meal-kit companies where the company is described as a market leader in the Netherlands. Annual output is approximately 34 million potted herbs and 140 million herb packages, distributed across 15 export countries.
Vitacress Real firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vitacress Real
- Legal name
- Vitacress Real BV
- Website
- https://vitacressreal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Vitacress Real is a Dutch joint venture between Vitacress Ltd and Gipmans Groep that grows, packages, and distributes fresh herbs and natural seasonings across Europe. It serves retailers, meal-kit companies, and foodservice wholesalers through potted, cut, and bunched herb formats produced from its five-region European cultivation network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vitacress Real industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fresh Herbs
- NAICS
- Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (31142)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fresh Herbs & Microgreens Wholesale (AFAIACAC)
Keywords
Where Vitacress Real is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Venlo
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices9 records
Markets served
Vitacress Real business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Potted herbs sales: Sale of live potted herbs (potkruiden) including basil, mint, and other varieties, primarily to retail supermarkets
- Cut/sliced fresh herbs sales: Sale of pre-cut fresh herbs in various packaging formats (10g-200g) to retail, meal kit companies, and foodservice
- Bunched herbs sales: Sale of bundled herbs like parsley sold in bunches with sleeve packaging, targeting German supermarket market
- Foodservice/Vitalicious: Supply of fresh herbs and herbal tea concepts to foodservice/hospitality sector including restaurants, caterers, and wholesale distributors
- By-product utilization: Processing of residual herbs into pestos and other products, with remaining waste used in cosmetics, perfumes, or animal feed
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Vitacress Real product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vitacress Real cultivates, packages, and markets fresh culinary herbs and natural seasonings for European retail, meal kit, and foodservice customers. Its assortment covers potted herbs, pre-cut herbs in 10g–200g packs, bunched herbs, fresh seasonings such as lemongrass and samphire, and tea herbs, with the Vitalicious sub-brand adding foodservice-specific concepts, a five-flavor herbal tea range, and chef inspiration offerings.
Product overview
Vitacress Real is a fresh herb company operating as a joint venture between the UK-based Vitacress Ltd and Dutch Gipmans Groep (Camino Real BV), growing, packaging, and marketing fresh herbs and natural seasonings across Europe with year-round availability. Its core product portfolio spans three main herb formats: Pot Herbs (potkruiden) sold in pots for extended shelf life and ornamental value; Cut Herbs (snijkruiden) pre-cut and pre-packed in bags ranging from 10g to 200g; and Bunched Herbs sold as bundled bunches in sleeves, targeting value-conscious consumers who cook frequently with fresh herbs. Beyond herbs, the company offers Fresh Seasonings including lemongrass, samphire, and fresh garlic. The Vitalicious sub-brand extends the portfolio into the foodservice market with restaurant herb experiences, a five-flavor herbal tea range, chef inspiration boxes, and an emerging Asian herb line, all rolled out in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Packaging innovations include perforated film for delicate herbs and automated portion packs for meal kits. Operations are anchored at Venlo, with cultivation across five geographically diversified European regions spanning the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, ensuring year-round supply. Nearly 90% of production comes from owned cultivation or contracted long-term grower agreements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vitalicious: Herbal brand for foodservice market, providing fresh herbs and market-driven concepts for professional customers including wholesale, hospitality, and catering sectors.
Products and services
- Pot Herbs (Potkruiden) Fresh culinary herbs (including organic lines) grown and sold in pots with retained roots and soil, offering longer shelf life and ornamental shelf appeal for retail consumers.
- Cut Herbs (Snijkruiden) Pre-cut, pre-packed fresh herbs sold in sealed bags for consumer convenience, available in 10g (meal kits), 20g (Netherlands), 40g (Germany), and 100–200g packs for intensive users.
- Bunched Herbs Long-stemmed fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, mint, and coriander sold as bundled bunches in sleeve packaging, typically in a 200g format for the German retail market.
- Fresh Seasonings Natural fresh seasonings beyond core herbs, including lemongrass, samphire, and fresh garlic, sold to retail and foodservice customers as complete fresh flavor solutions.
- Tea Herbs (Theekruiden) Fresh herbs positioned specifically for tea applications, including mint, lemon thyme, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, and lemongrass, supplied through the Vitalicious brand for foodservice and retail.
- Portion Packs Automated small-portion herb packs of 5–20 grams supplied primarily to meal kit companies and used in unrefrigerated last-mile delivery chains.
- Vitalicious foodservice sub-brand Vitalicious is the foodservice sub-brand of Vitacress Real targeting hospitality, wholesale, and catering segments across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. It bundles herb experience concepts (herb greenhouses, fresh tea gardens), a five-flavor herbal tea range, chef inspiration boxes, and an emerging Asian herb line.
- Vitalicious Tea Range Five-flavor herbal tea range under the Vitalicious brand: Healing Thyme (lemon thyme and ginger), Lemon Calm (lemon balm and mint), Mint to Be (mint), Rosemory (rosemary and lemongrass), and Super Sage (sage and lemon thyme), sold via a tea menu with health benefits for hospitality operators.
- La Place Herb Experience concept Restaurant herb greenhouse and fresh tea garden concept developed with Leaf, deployed at La Place restaurants in Hema. Combines basil and mint plants from Dutch soil with Leaf's grow-light hardware, used by chefs for fresh pesto and by baristas for herbal teas.
Quantifiable outcome
- Cut herbs maintain 10 days shelf life in chilled chain, 5-6 days in unrefrigerated chain
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Vitacress Real
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Vitacress Real technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Vitacress Real partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LeafcorePartnership with Leaf to develop herb greenhouse and fresh tea garden concepts for La Place restaurants in Hema. Leaf provides the hardware (herb trays with water basins and grow lights) while Vitacress Real supplies the software (herb plants). This enables longer shelf life of living herb plants in restaurant settings.
- Kokkerelli & Stichting Kids University for CookingminorCollaboration with kid's panel to develop educational children's book 'Roos and Marijn and the giant herb adventure' aimed at making fresh herbs accessible to children.
- Vitacress Ltd (UK)coreJoint venture partner providing UK-based international scale and market access. Originally a watercress grower, Vitacress Ltd is the British parent company that partnered with Gipmans Group to form Vitacress Real.
- Gipmans Groep (Gipmans Group)coreJoint venture partner providing deep Dutch cultivation expertise. The Limburg-based family business brought agricultural knowledge that complements Vitacress Ltd's international reach.
- SligrocoreMajor Dutch foodservice wholesale partner for Vitalicious brand. Collaboration on events and knowledge sharing to help customers with inspiration and education about fresh herbs.
- MakrocoreFoodservice wholesale partner for Vitalicious brand in events and customer education initiatives.
- Covebo VenlominorRecruitment agency partner for logistics and production staffing at the Venlo facility. Applications for production and logistics positions are processed through Covebo.
- Fossa EugeniacoreGrower association that Vitacress Real is part of, providing network of specialized herb growers across Europe for year-round supply.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Vitacress Real competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Eosta: Netherlands-based specialist distributor of organic and fair-trade fresh fruit and vegetables across Europe, with a strong sustainability and traceability story. Comparable to Vitacress Real as a Dutch fresh-produce specialist emphasising sustainability, retailer partnerships and transparent sourcing.
- Special Fresh: Netherlands-based fresh-produce company focused on specialty herbs and fresh flavour ingredients, supplying foodservice and retail. Direct comparable to Vitacress Real in category (fresh culinary herbs and seasonings), geography (Benelux/Germany) and channel mix.
- Nature's Pride: Netherlands-based specialist in fresh, exotic and specialty fruit and vegetables, supplying European retailers year-round. Comparable to Vitacress Real as a Dutch fresh-produce specialist with multi-country sourcing, retailer-led GTM, and a focus on year-round, category-specific supply.
- Koppert Cress: Dutch specialist grower and marketer of microgreens, cresses and edible flowers/herbs, supplying restaurants and retail across Europe. Highly comparable to Vitacress Real in product category, customer base (chefs, retailers) and horticultural-specialist positioning, though differentiated by a stronger micro-cress focus.
Broad incumbents
- Dole plc: Global fresh-produce major with extensive European operations across fruit, vegetables and fresh convenience. Comparable as a broad incumbent in European fresh produce with overlapping retail customer relationships to Vitacress Real.
- Greenyard: Belgian-headquartered, vertically integrated European fresh, frozen and prepared fruit & vegetable group with significant retail and foodservice exposure. Comparable as a much larger, broader fresh-produce incumbent overlapping with Vitacress Real's retail and foodservice channels.
- Ardo: Belgian family-owned processor of frozen vegetables, herbs and fruit supplying European retail and foodservice. Comparable as a large European herb and vegetable processor overlapping with Vitacress Real in the foodservice channel, particularly frozen and processed herb applications.
- Bonduelle: France-based global leader in fresh and processed vegetables, with a strong European retail and foodservice presence and a growing fresh-cut and convenience portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent in fresh and processed vegetables, including culinary herb-adjacent categories.
- Total Produce / Dole (legacy): Irish-headquartered global fresh-produce group (now part of Dole plc) with strong European retail and foodservice exposure. Comparable as a broad incumbent in European fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, competing for the same supermarket and foodservice accounts.
- The Greenery: Dutch cooperative of fruit and vegetable growers supplying European retail and foodservice with a broad fresh assortment. Comparable as a domestic Dutch fresh-produce incumbent with overlapping grower-network structure and supermarket customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vitacress Real social profiles
Digital presenceVitacress Real financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vitacress Real leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Vitacress Real funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vitacress Real 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 Vitacress Real
What does Vitacress Real do?
Vitacress Real cultivates, packages, and markets fresh culinary herbs and natural seasonings for European retail, meal kit, and foodservice customers. Its assortment covers potted herbs, pre-cut herbs in 10g–200g packs, bunched herbs, fresh seasonings such as lemongrass and samphire, and tea herbs, with the Vitalicious sub-brand adding foodservice-specific concepts, a five-flavor herbal tea range, and chef inspiration offerings.
Is Vitacress Real a public or private company?
Vitacress Real is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Vitacress Real founded?
Vitacress Real was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Vitacress Real based?
Vitacress Real is headquartered in Venlo, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Vitacress Real make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Potted herbs sales are the primary driver. The others are cut/sliced fresh herbs sales, bunched herbs sales, foodservice/Vitalicious and by-product utilization.
Who are Vitacress Real's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Eosta, Special Fresh, Nature's Pride and Koppert Cress. Broad incumbents are Dole plc, Greenyard, Ardo, Bonduelle, Total Produce / Dole (legacy) and The Greenery.
Does Vitacress Real have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vitacress Real.
What industry is Vitacress Real in?
Vitacress Real's product category is Fresh Herbs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIACAC, Fresh Herbs & Microgreens Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 1114 and its SIC code is 2090.