HACO Group

What HACO Group does

HACO Group is a privately held Swiss family-owned B2B contract manufacturer and private label supplier of custom-made food products, founded in 1922 in Gümligen, Switzerland. The group operates 12 production sites across 7 countries on 3 continents (Europe, Asia, North America), employing approximately 1,600 people and serving roughly 2,500 customers in over 60 countries with a portfolio of more than 4,000 finished products. The company is financially independent and unlisted, with around 250 shareholders holding 100% of share capital.

The business is organized around five strategic product groups: Custom-Made Snacks (cereal bars, bites, muesli), Custom-Made Culinary Art (bouillons, soups, sauces, dips, mustards, dressings), Custom-Made Spices, Custom-Made Coffee (spray-dried, freeze-dried, cold brew, microgrind), and Custom-Made Taste (seasonings, reaction flavors, food and pet food flavor ingredients). Manufacturing relies on proprietary process technologies spanning extraction (since 1945), spray drying, freeze drying, vacuum belt drying, wet and dry mixing, liquid/viscous processing, and snacks production — backed by ISO 9001, BRC, IFS, and EcoVadis Silver (2025) certifications.

Revenue is generated through transaction-fee contract manufacturing (Lohnherstellung) and private label supply for food manufacturers, retailers, and foodservice operators. GTM is enterprise field sales with dedicated international sales teams across Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Canada, and Malaysia, supported by participation in PLMA, World of Coffee, and Gulfood trade shows. A small direct-to-consumer channel was added in 2022 via a Swiss webshop (~50 SKUs). Disclosed annual sales revenue is CHF 500 million.

Name

HACO Group

Legal name

HACO Holding AG

Website

https://hacogroup.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HACO Group is a Swiss family-owned B2B contract manufacturer and private label supplier operating 12 production sites in 7 countries, producing custom-made snacks, culinary products, spices, coffee, and taste ingredients for 2,500 customers across 60+ countries, with CHF 500 million in annual revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Soups, Broths & Meal Starters (CRADAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG), Frozen Entrées & Complete Meals (CRADADAA)

Keywords

• Contract food manufacturing
• Private label foods
• Custom-made snacks
• Private label coffee
• Spice seasonings manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Gümligen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing: Manufacturing products for other brands under contract (Lohnherstellung). HACO manufactures on behalf of customers who then sell under their own brands.
2. Private Label: Complete custom-made foods solutions sold under retailer/store brands. HACO develops and produces snacks, culinary products, spices, coffee, and taste ingredients for private label customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HACO Group is a Swiss-based contract food manufacturer providing custom-made and private-label food solutions across five strategic product groups: Snacks (bars, bites, muesli), Culinary Art (bouillons, soups, sauces, dips, dressings, mustards), Spices & Seasonings, Coffee (spray-dried, freeze-dried, cold brew, microgrind), and Taste (seasonings, reaction flavors, pet food flavors). The group manufactures on behalf of retailers, brand owners, and foodservice operators across 12 production sites in 7 countries on 3 continents.

Product overview

HACO Group is a Swiss-based food manufacturing company offering Custom-Made Foods solutions through five strategic product groups: Custom-Made Snacks (bars, bites, muesli), Custom-Made Culinary Art (bouillons, soups, sauces, dressings), Custom-Made Spices, Custom-Made Coffee (spray-dried, freeze-dried, cold brew), and Custom-Made Taste (seasonings, reaction flavors, pet food flavors). The company operates 12 production sites in 7 countries across 3 continents (Europe, Asia, North America) with approximately 1,600 employees serving over 60 countries and 2,500 customers. The portfolio includes both B2B contract manufacturing and private label solutions with additional sub-brands like HacoNatural for savory flavor intensification and RePlus sustainable packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HACO Custom-Made Snacks

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• no normal coffeeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Zurich-based food startup that developed innovative coffee product in a tube (drinkable and edible). HACO AG and Gautschi Spezialitäten AG developed and produced the product which won two awards at the Outdoormesse in Munich.
• Hochschule Luzern (HSLU)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences for PINCH analysis to improve energy efficiency. PINCH methodology used to identify optimization opportunities in HACO AG's energy consumption.
• MigroscoreOthers · 1 January 1929Long-standing customer partnership since 1929. Migros is one of Switzerland's largest retailers and HACO has manufactured products for them continuously for nearly 100 years.
• EcoVadisminorOthersHACO Group companies are assessed according to EcoVadis sustainability code covering environment, labor practices, human rights, and sustainable procurement.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hilton Food Group: UK-listed B2B protein and specialty food supplier with multinational co-manufacturing partnerships. Comparable to HACO in contract manufacturing model, multi-country production footprint, and long-dated retailer partnerships.
• Bakkavor Group: UK-listed private label fresh prepared food manufacturer supplying major retailers with products including soups, sauces, dressings, and ready meals. Closest pure-play private label model comparable to HACO's Culinary Art division in Europe.
• ARYZTA: Swiss-headquartered bakery and frozen B2B food manufacturer with global production footprint. Like HACO, ARYZTA serves private label and foodservice customers across multiple product categories, making it a direct functional comparable for HACO's snacks and bakery business lines.
• Bell Food Group: Swiss-listed packaged food and convenience producer with operations across Europe. Closest Swiss-headquartered country peer with overlapping categories in sausages, meat, and convenience culinary products for retail and foodservice.
• TreeHouse Foods: US-listed private label food manufacturer with categories spanning snacks, meal solutions, beverages, and dressings. Direct comparator for HACO's multi-category private label model with North American distribution via GFF, Plochman's, and Altius.

Broad incumbents

• Premier Foods: UK-listed branded and private label packaged food manufacturer with categories spanning ambient culinary, desserts, and snacks. Comparable to HACO in soups, sauces, and ambient culinary format manufacturing serving UK and European retailers.
• McCain Foods: Canadian family-owned global frozen food manufacturer with leading B2B foodservice and retail relationships. Comparable to HACO in private label capability, multi-continental production, and family-controlled ownership philosophy.
• Glanbia plc: Ireland-listed global nutrition and ingredients group with significant B2B and private label exposure across snacks, dairy, and taste solutions. Comparable to HACO as a multi-category ingredient and finished product supplier with global manufacturing and a strong private label/snack bar portfolio.
• Oetker Group: German family-owned diversified food group with branded and private label exposure across multiple categories including frozen foods, snacks, and culinary. Comparable to HACO in family-owned structure, multi-category breadth, and European private label strength.
• AAK (AarhusKarlshamn): Sweden-listed specialty oils and fats supplier serving B2B food manufacturers. Adjacent comparable to HACO's Taste/flavoring ingredients business and its broad food manufacturer customer base across bakery, dairy, and confectionery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hacogroup

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries11 records

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 HACO Group