VBZ

What VBZ does

VBZ (Vereniging voor de Bakkerij- en Zoetwarenindustrie) is the Dutch trade association representing approximately 110 member companies in the cookies, candy, chocolate, savory snacks, and nuts (koek, snoep, chocolade, zoutjes en noten) sector. Founded in 2000 through the merger of three predecessor bodies (Nevesuco 1917, Verbisko 1966, NSC 1993), the association is structured as a vereniging under Dutch law and is headquartered at Schenkkade 50 in The Hague. VBZ's membership spans the full spectrum from sole proprietors and family businesses to large multinationals (including Nestlé, Mars, Mondelez, Ferrero, Haribo, Cloetta, and Lindt & Sprüngli), with 97% of members classified as SMEs, and together members account for over 90% of Dutch sector sales.

VBZ's core product and service offering is a membership-based suite of representational, informational, and compliance services rather than commercial technology products. Deliverables include the Ledenportaal member portal, Kennisbijeenkomsten (knowledge meetings), Meetinstrumenten (measurement instruments), Handleidingen en factsheets on legislation and industry topics, RI&E / CompacteRI&E workplace risk assessment tools, the Vignet Arbeidsveiligheid workplace safety certification, and the annual Branchecijfersboekje sector statistics publication. Member engagement is structured through working groups covering Voeding & Gezondheid, Mens, Milieu, and Ondernemerschap, supported by biannual ALV General Meetings and member excursions. A weekly Thursday newsletter, press releases, and consumer research via Peil.nl form the marketing and intelligence surface.

The revenue model is a subscription-style annual membership contribution calculated per member based on ex-factory domestic turnover, ex-factory export turnover, and SV-loonsom (social insurance wage sum), with differentiated treatment for chips, snacks, and nuts producers. VBZ is governed by a board of directors elected at the ALV, chaired by Thijmen Peter de With, and led operationally by Director Theo Heere with a Deputy Director responsible for Public Affairs & Sustainability. The association operates with approximately 9 full-time staff at its The Hague office and participates in EU-level bodies (CAOBISCO, ESA, FoodDrinkEurope), Dutch federations (FNLI, VNO-NCW, MKB-Nederland, CBL), and labor relations via AWVN.

Name

VBZ

Legal name

Vereniging voor de Bakkerij- en Zoetwarenindustrie

Website

https://vbz.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

VBZ is the Dutch trade association for the cookies, candy, chocolate, savory snacks, and nuts sector, representing approximately 110 member companies that collectively cover over 90% of Dutch sector sales. It delivers advocacy, compliance tools, industry data, and networking to members ranging from SMEs to multinationals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions: VBZ generates revenue through annual membership fees from approximately 110 member companies. Contribution is calculated based on ex factory domestic turnover, ex factory export turnover, and SV-loonsom (social insurance wage sum).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VBZ (Vereniging voor de Bakkerij- en Zoetwarenindustrie) is a Dutch trade association representing approximately 110 member companies active in cookies, candy, chocolate, savory snacks, and nuts. It provides collective industry representation, sector data and market intelligence, networking via working groups and general member meetings, and compliance guidance on food safety, labeling, sustainability, and sector CAO (collective labor agreement) negotiations.

Product overview

VBZ functions as a trade association offering membership-based services rather than commercial products. Its core service portfolio includes the Ledenportaal (member portal) for exclusive digital access, knowledge meetings (online and physical), measurement instruments, manuals and factsheets on legislation and industry topics (workplace safety, allergens, labeling, sustainability), RI&E and CompacteRI&E risk assessment tools, the Vignet Arbeidsveiligheid workplace safety certification, and the annual Branchecijfersboekje sector report. Members also participate in working groups on topics including Voeding & Gezondheid, Arbeidsveiligheid, Vitaal & Vaardig, Pensioen, Gezonde Roosters, and Duurzaamheid & Energie.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ledenportaal (Member Portal)
• Kennisbijeenkomsten (Knowledge Meetings)
• Branchecijfersboekje (Annual Industry Figures Publication)
• Vignet Arbeidsveiligheid (Workplace Safety Vignette Certification)

Quantifiable outcome

• Sector represents €4 billion in Dutch sales
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dutch Sweets Export Association (DSEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2021On December 22, 2021, VBZ and DSEA signed a 5-year cooperation agreement. DSEA took over all export activities of VBZ for cookies, candy, and chocolate from January 1, 2022. DSEA also took over organization of the VBZ pavilion for the annual ISM trade fair in Cologne.
• CAOBISCOcoreOthersAssociation of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of Europe. VBZ is a member and participates in General Assemblies.
• European Snacks Association (ESA)coreOthersEuropean Snacks Association. VBZ is a member representing Dutch savory snacks industry interests.
• FNLI (Federation of the Dutch Food Industry)coreOthersFederation of the Dutch Food Industry. VBZ collaborates on national food industry policy.
• VNO-NCWcoreOthersConfederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers. VBZ collaborates on employer and industry policy matters.
• FoodDrinkEuropecoreOthersEuropean food and drink industry association. VBZ participates in policy discussions at EU level.
• DISCO (Dutch Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBZ is co-signatory of DISCO, focusing on living income for farming families, ending cocoa-related deforestation, and measures to end child labor in cocoa-producing regions.
• Samen Tegen VoedselverspillingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBZ collaborates with Stichting Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling on food waste monitoring for the confectionery sector. WUR and Ministry of LVVN also participate in this monitoring initiative.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWUR developed the food waste monitoring tool for VBZ members and provides expertise on monitoring. VBZ visited WUR Food & Biobased Research in 2025.
• DEB (Duurzaamheid, Energie en Biobased)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDEB is an initiative of MKB-Nederland helping entrepreneurs implement energy-saving measures. Several VBZ members are linked to this initiative.
• Samen Digitaal VeiligminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBZ partners with Samen Digitaal Veilig on NIS2 compliance and cybersecurity webinars for members. Members receive discounts on certification trajectories.
• Peil.nlcoreOthersVBZ conducts annual consumer research through Peil.nl on confectionery preferences during holidays (Easter, Sinterklaas, Halloween) and other topics.
• CHOPRABISCOminorOthersBelgian confectionery industry association. VBZ collaborates on cross-border industry matters.
• BDSIminorOthersGerman Confectionery Manufacturers Association. VBZ maintains relations with German counterpart.
• MKB-NederlandcoreOthersAssociation of Dutch SMEs. VBZ collaborates on SME policy and DEB sustainability initiatives.
• CBL (Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel)coreOthersDutch food retailers association. VBZ collaborates on retail-related policy matters.
• AWVNcoreOthersDutch employment relations association. VBZ collaborates on CAO negotiations and labor relations.
• RVO (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland)minorOthersNetherlands Enterprise Agency. VBZ collaborates on government support schemes for food industry.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Snacks Association (ESA): European trade association for the savory snacks industry. ESA and VBZ overlap directly in representing the savory snacks (zoutjes) subsegment, with VBZ sitting as a Dutch member and ESA coordinating EU-level advocacy.
• SNAC International: International trade association for the snack industry. SNAC represents savory snack manufacturers globally and is directly analogous to VBZ's zoutjes and snacks representation mandate.
• CAOBISCO: Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of Europe. CAOBISCO is the EU-level trade association of which VBZ is a member, making it the direct functional counterpart at the supranational layer for the same confectionery constituency.
• FNLI (Federatie Nederlandse Levensmiddelen Industrie): Federation of the Dutch Food Industry. FNLI is the broader Dutch food-industry umbrella of which VBZ is a member, making it a directly comparable national trade body serving an overlapping but wider Dutch constituency.

Broad incumbents

• FoodDrinkEurope: European food and drink industry federation. FoodDrinkEurope is the wider Brussels-based umbrella in which VBZ participates, representing the broader food and beverage industry rather than specializing in confectionery.
• VNO-NCW: Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers. VNO-NCW is the broad Dutch employer and industry confederation of which VBZ is an affiliate member, providing wider employer-policy representation beyond the confectionery vertical.
• CBL (Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel): Dutch food retailers association. CBL represents the retailer side of the Dutch food value chain and partners with VBZ on retail-related policy, making it a structurally adjacent trade body with overlapping policy agenda.

Regional players

• CHOPRABISCO: Belgian confectionery industry association. CHOPRABISCO is the direct cross-border counterpart to VBZ, serving Belgian koek, snoep, and chocolate manufacturers on essentially the same remit.
• National Confectioners Association (NCA): US trade association for the chocolate, candy, and gum industry. NCA is the closest international functional equivalent of VBZ in the world's largest confectionery market, with an analogous advocacy, data, and member-services mandate.
• BDSI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Süßwarenindustrie): German confectionery manufacturers association. BDSI is the German counterpart to VBZ, representing sweets, chocolate, and biscuits manufacturers in the largest EU confectionery market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=qfpPVBdA1vA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vbz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 VBZ