A-ware Cheese Solutions

What A-ware Cheese Solutions does

A-ware Food Solutions B.V. is the B2B-focused division of Royal A-ware, a Dutch family-owned food company founded in 1894 and now led by the third generation of the Klein family. The division specializes in cheese and dairy solutions for food service professionals (chefs, bakeries, pizza operators) and food industry manufacturers across Europe. Its core product portfolio includes naturally ripened and foil-ripened Dutch cheeses (Gouda, Edam, Maasdam), mozzarella, processed and smoked cheese, and a range of creams (cooking, whipping, sugared) plus specialty dairy items such as liquid ice cream mix and milkshake mixes. The ANKLY sub-brand serves as the premium foodservice line, positioned around additive-free, fully traceable products.

The company operates as a fully integrated chain partner with own dairy farms supplying raw milk to production facilities located in the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. Technical capabilities include custom recipe development through a dedicated NPD team, expertise in cheese melting behavior, ripening, cutting, grating, and packaging, and production of tailored industrial-format cheese and cream products for food manufacturers.

The business model is B2B direct sales with relationship-based pricing; channel mix targets both enterprise food manufacturers (primary segment, via industrial packaging products) and a fragmented base of mid-market foodservice operators. GTM motion is direct outreach supported by a multi-language website (Dutch, French, German, English), content marketing through a whitepaper library, email newsletter, and LinkedIn presence. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, no public listing, and no recorded funding rounds. Revenue, headcount, and pricing are not publicly disclosed.

Name

A-ware Cheese Solutions

Legal name

A-ware Food Solutions B.V.

Website

https://aware-foodsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A-ware Food Solutions B.V. is the B2B division of Royal A-ware providing cheese and dairy solutions to food service professionals (chefs, bakeries, pizza operators) and food industry manufacturers across Europe, with fully integrated production from own dairy farms through packaging.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese and Dairy Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Dairy Products (2020), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Powder, Sauce & Flavor Systems Manufacturing (AFAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Cheese manufacturing
• Dairy products
• Foodservice supplies
• B2B dairy solutions
• Processed cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Bodegraven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cheese and Dairy Product Sales: B2B sales of cheese and dairy products to food service professionals and food industry manufacturers. Products include naturally ripened and foil-ripened cheeses (Gouda, Edam, Maasdam), smoked and processed cheese, available in slices, grated, cubes, powders, or blocks. Dairy products include cooking, whipping, and multi-purpose creams, as well as specialty products like ice cream and milkshare mixes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A-ware Food Solutions is a specialised B2B division of Royal A-ware that produces and sells cheese and dairy products to food service professionals and food industry manufacturers. The portfolio includes naturally ripened and foil-ripened cheeses (Gouda, Edam, Maasdam, Mozzarella, processed cheese) and a cream and dairy range (cooking cream, whipping cream, sugared cream, liquid ice mix, milkshake mixes), supplied in slices, grated, cubes, powders, blocks, and sticks, with tailor-made recipe development.

Product overview

A-ware Food Solutions is a specialized division of Royal A-ware providing B2B cheese and dairy solutions for food professionals. The portfolio centers on the ANKLY® sub-brand for foodservice professionals alongside a comprehensive range of cheese varieties (Gouda, Edam, Maasdam, Mozzarella) and dairy products (cooking cream, whipping cream, sugared cream, ice mix, milkshake mixes). Products are available in multiple formats including slices, grated, cubes, powders, blocks, and sticks. The company operates as a total chain partner with own production facilities controlling every step from raw materials to packaging and distribution across Europe (Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Belgium).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ANKLY: A brand crafted specifically for foodservice professionals, offering a versatile range of premium cheese and cream products sourced straight from the farm for exceptional quality. All ANKLY products are free from artificial additives, offer 100% pure natural flavour, are optimized for processing and ensure consistent quality with full traceability year-round.

Products and services

• ANKLY® Premium Cheese and Cream Brand Premium cheese and cream sub-brand crafted specifically for foodservice professionals. Products are free from artificial additives, offer 100% pure natural flavour, are optimized for processing, and ensure consistent quality with full traceability year-round. Offered in convenient sizes for optimal kitchen efficiency.
• Gouda Cheese Versatile Dutch Gouda cheese, available in slices, grated, cubes, powders, or blocks as both naturally ripened and foil-ripened varieties. Suited for sandwiches, burgers, gratins, and pizza applications in foodservice and industrial use.
• Edam Cheese Mild, semi-firm Dutch Edam cheese offered in slice format, ideal for sandwiches and snacks in foodservice operations.
• Maasdam Cheese Naturally ripened Maasdam cheese variety offered alongside Gouda and Edam in the A-ware Food Solutions product portfolio.
• Mozzarella Products Mozzarella available in sticks (4-5mm thick cut for high-temperature melting), cubes (4x4mm diced), and grated varieties at 40% fat content. Designed for pizza and foodservice applications requiring stretchy, creamy texture when heated.
• Processed Cheese Processed cheese varieties including smoked cheese, available in slices, grated, cubes, powders, or blocks for industrial and foodservice applications.
• Cooking Cream 20% Multi-purpose 20% cooking cream providing rich, creamy texture for both cold and hot dishes including sauces, soups, dressings, and sour sauces. Does not curdle and offers good binding properties.
• Cream 40% (Whipping Cream) Rich and creamy 40% whipping cream suitable for desserts, cakes, and pastries, with full and pure natural taste without sugar, offering good consistency and firmness.
• Sugared Cream 32% 32% sugared cream with exceptional peak performance and high overrun, designed for culinary uses including desserts and pastries in bakery and foodservice settings.
• Liquid Ice Mix 10% Ready-to-use 10% liquid ice cream mix designed for time-saving preparation in professional kitchens.
• Milkshake Mixes Specialty dairy mixes for preparing milkshakes, part of the A-ware specialty products range alongside ice cream mixes.
• Industrial Cheese Blocks Industrial-format cheese products supplied in block form, designed for integration into food industry manufacturing applications as a customizable ingredient.
• Custom Cheese and Cream Development (Tailor-Made Solutions) Bespoke product and recipe development service covering processed cheese, grated cheese, cheese blocks, and cream in industrial packaging. Solutions are tailored for optimal melting properties, consistency, dimensional stability, and flavor profiles to integrate into customer manufacturing processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Constant quality with every batch
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hochwald: German dairy cooperative with cheese, cream, and dairy ingredient manufacturing supplying European foodservice and B2B customers. Closely comparable mid-to-large European dairy cooperative model with similar B2B sales channels.
• Arla Foods: Scandinavian dairy cooperative producing a broad portfolio of cheeses, creams, and dairy ingredients for retail and foodservice across Europe. Direct competitor in B2B industrial cheese and cream categories and in multi-country European supply.
• Leprino Foods: Global mozzarella leader supplying pizza chains and foodservice operators worldwide. Direct competitor for pizza-application mozzarella sticks, cubes, and grated formats — A-ware's core pizza segment offering.
• Bel Group: French processed cheese specialist (Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri) with strong foodservice and B2B processed cheese offerings. Direct overlap on processed and portioned cheese formats targeting similar industrial and foodservice buyers.
• DMK Group: German dairy cooperative producing mozzarella, processed cheese, cream, and dairy ingredients for foodservice and food industry. Comparable product mix and customer overlap, particularly in mozzarella sticks and grated industrial cheese.
• Savencia Fromage & Dairy: French specialty cheese and dairy group focused on B2B and foodservice cheese solutions. Highly comparable on specialty/specialty-ingredient cheese positioning and European foodservice customer overlap.
• FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative and one of the world's largest dairy processors, with deep overlap in cheese (Gouda, Edam), creams, and B2B foodservice/industrial ingredients. Closest geographic and product-set comparator to A-ware Food Solutions' cheese and cream portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Lactalis: Global privately-held dairy leader with massive cheese, cream, and butter portfolio across retail and industrial channels. Competes broadly with A-ware in natural cheese, processed cheese, and cream categories across European foodservice and food industry customers.
• Müller: German dairy processor with a broad portfolio across dairy, cream, and frozen desserts (including ice cream mix-adjacent products). Overlaps with A-ware on whipping cream, sugared cream, and liquid ice mix to foodservice and bakery customers.

Regional players

• Granarolo: Italian dairy group producing cheese, mozzarella, and cream primarily for the Italian and Mediterranean foodservice and food industry markets. Comparable on mozzarella/cream formats and serves as a reference point for A-ware's Italian production footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aware-foodsolutions

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 A-ware Cheese Solutions