Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven

What Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven does

Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven is a Trappist monastery founded in 1881 in Berkel-Enschot, east of Tilburg in the Dutch province of Brabant. It is a living religious community of monks governed under Abbot Isaac, operating under the Benedictine/Cistercian principles of silence, sobriety, and solidarity. The abbey functions simultaneously as a spiritual community, a multi-unit artisan production enterprise, and a heritage/cultural landmark; a portion of commercial proceeds is directed to charitable causes.

The abbey's commercial operations are organized into seven on-site production units — Brouwerij (producing the La Trappe range of Trappist beers), Kaasmakerij (artisan cheese dairy, recipient of a Platina Award for cow cheese and a quality certification), Bakkerij & Chocolaterie (bakery and chocolate workshop), Biomakerij (organic products), Imkerij (apiary/honey), Jammakerij (jam kitchen), and the Gastenhuis (guesthouse for retreatants and visitors). Outputs are sold through the on-site Benedictusheem retail store (renovated and reopened May 2026), the online monastery shop (kloosterwinkelonline.nl), and wholesale distribution channels that take La Trappe beer to international markets. Adjacent ecological assets (Puurbos planted 2011, Nillis-bos planted 2025 with 130 oaks) support biodiversity and the apiary.

The business model is a hybrid of direct-to-consumer product sales (cheese, beer, bakery, chocolate, jam, honey, bio products via physical and online retail), wholesale beer distribution, hospitality revenue from the guesthouse, and donations/charitable giving flows. Pricing is per-unit and not publicly tiered. Marketing channels include the official website (koningshoeven.nl), a periodic email newsletter (Abdijnieuws, distributed via Mailchimp since December 2017), the online webshop, and the physical store. The abbey also runs a five-phase monastic formation process for aspiring monks, hosts interfaith formation activities through the VONK network, and conducts outreach including daily peace prayers, public commemorations (Struikelstenen for the Löb brothers, 2022), and media appearances.

Name

Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven

Legal name

Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven

Website

https://koningshoeven.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven is a Trappist monastery in Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands (founded 1881) operating a brewery (La Trappe beer), cheese dairy, bakery, chocolate workshop, bio facility, apiary, jam kitchen, and guesthouse, selling to consumers through an on-site shop (Benedictusheem), online store, and international beer distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Food & Beverage Production

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033)

akta.pro primary industry

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Patisseries & Dessert Boutiques (CRAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Trappist beer production
• Artisan cheese production
• Monastery bakery products
• Organic monastery goods
• Monastic retreat hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkel

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales (La Trappe): The abbey's brewery produces and sells La Trappe Trappist beers, one of the world's authentic Trappist beers. Sales occur through the abbey's own shop, online store, and distribution to retail.
2. Cheese Sales: The abbey's Kaasmakerij produces artisan cheese from the community's own dairy operations. The cheese has won awards including a Platina Award and quality certifications.
3. Bakery, Chocolate, and Confectionery: The abbey operates Bakkerij & Chocolaterie producing artisan bakery products and chocolates sold through the monastery shop.
4. Guesthouse (Gastenhuis): The abbey operates a guesthouse offering accommodation and retreat experiences for visitors seeking quiet, contemplation, and spiritual inspiration. This is a key hospitality offering.
5. Retail Shop (Benedictusheem): The monastery operates the Benedictusheem (formerly Kloosterwinkel) selling all abbey-produced goods directly to visitors and online customers. A portion of proceeds goes to charitable causes.
6. Charitable Giving: A portion of the abbey's product revenue is directed to charitable causes and good causes supported by the monastic community, including peace prayers and community support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven operates a Trappist monastery that produces and sells authentic La Trappe Trappist beer, artisan cheese, breads, chocolates, organic bio products, honey, and jams through its on-site workshops, the Benedictusheem monastery shop, and an online webshop. The abbey also runs a guesthouse offering spiritual retreat accommodations for visitors seeking silence, reflection, and spiritual inspiration. A portion of product sales proceeds is directed to charitable causes supported by the monastic community.

Product overview

Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven is a Trappist monastery operating as both a spiritual community and a diversified production enterprise. The abbey's commercial operations span multiple food and beverage production units — a cheese dairy (Kaasmakerij), a Trappist brewery producing La Trappe beer (Brouwerij), a bakery and chocolate workshop (Bakkerij & Chocolaterie), a bio food workshop (Biomakerij), an apiary (Imkerij), and a jam kitchen (Jammakerij). These products are sold through the monastery shop Benedictusheem (formerly Kloosterwinkel, renamed and renovated in 2026) and an online webshop. The abbey also operates a guesthouse (Gastenhuis) for retreats and spiritual hospitality. The community follows the principles of silence, simplicity, and solidarity, with a portion of sales proceeds directed to charitable causes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La Trappe Trappist Beer (Brouwerij)

Quantifiable outcome

• Platina Award for cow cheese from La Trappe
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VONK (Vorming Novicen en Klein-geprofesten)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026VONK is a collaborative formation network for novices and junior-professed members of Dutch and Flemish Benedictine and Cistercian communities. It organizes three formation weeks per year at different abbeys. Abdij Koningshoeven participates in VONK activities; the May 2026 VONK week was hosted at Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van het Heilig Hart in Westmalle, Belgium. Since 2024, VONK also welcomes religious from other faith communities, strengthening interfaith dialogue.
• KRO/NCRV (Geloofsgesprekken)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Abt Isaac appeared on the KRO/NCRV television program 'Geloofsgesprekken' (Faith Conversations) hosted by Stijn Fens on May 3, 2026, discussing the story of the Löb family with presenter Stijn Fens. The program explored the tragic fate of the three Löb brothers and their sisters who were murdered in Auschwitz.
• Diamant-groepminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Diamant-groep contributed to the maintenance of the Nillis-bos (planted in 2025) along with the abbey's monks and brewery staff. The forest consists of 65 red oaks and 65 pedunculate oaks.
• Maria van MierlominorOthers · 1 August 2022Storyteller Maria van Mierlo narrated the story of the Löb family at the July 2022 remembrance ceremony in the abbey church, organized by the Koningshoeven community.
• Gemeente Tilburg (Municipality of Tilburg)minorOthers · 1 July 2022The municipality of Tilburg is placing stumbling stones (struikelstenen) for the Löb sisters at the site of the former Trappistine monastery Koningsoord in Berkel-Enschot. The abbey coordinates remembrance activities with the municipality.
• Koninklijk Tilburgs Mannenkoor St. CaeciliaminorOthers · 1 July 2022The Royal Tilburg Male Choir performed at the July 2022 remembrance ceremony for the Löb family in the abbey church, providing musical accompaniment with a repertoire of fitting songs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy (Rochefort): Belgian Trappist abbey brewing the Rochefort range of authentic Trappist ales. Direct peer to La Trappe as a Trappist beer producer under the same monastic and certification framework, with international specialty distribution.
• Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle: Belgian Trappist abbey brewery producing the Westmalle Trappist beer range. Direct peer to La Trappe as one of only a handful of authentic Trappist breweries worldwide, sharing the same monastic production model, certification constraints, and global specialty beer distribution.
• Brouwerij Chimay (Scourmont Abbey): Trappist brewery operated by the monks of Scourmont Abbey in Belgium. Closest direct peer to La Trappe in terms of scale, international distribution, diversified product range (beer plus cheese), and authentic Trappist designation.
• Sint-Sixtusabdij Westvleteren: Belgian Trappist abbey producing the famously scarce Westvleteren beers. Direct peer to La Trappe as an authentic Trappist brewery, comparable in monastic production model though differentiated by deliberate supply restriction.
• Brasserie d'Orval (Orval Abbey): Authentic Trappist brewery at Orval Abbey in Belgium, producing a single specialty Trappist ale. Direct peer to La Trappe within the global Trappist beer category, sharing the same monastic governance and certification rules.
• Engelszell Abbey (Stift Engelszell): Austrian Trappist monastery operating the Gregor Trappist brewery. Direct peer to La Trappe as one of only a handful of non-Belgian authentic Trappist beer producers, comparable in monastic heritage-led branding.

Broad incumbents

• Abdij Maria Toevlucht (Zundert): Dutch Trappist monastery producing Zundert Trappist beer. Direct geographic and operational peer to Koningshoeven, both being Dutch Trappist abbey breweries, with the former abbot Dom Korneel Vermeiren having transferred from Zundert to Koningshoeven.
• Heineken N.V. Major Dutch-headquartered global brewer. Broad incumbent comparable to La Trappe through its distribution scale and presence in the Dutch and Belgian specialty beer market that La Trappe also competes in; relevant for benchmarking distribution reach and competitive pressure on specialty beer shelf space.

Regional players

• Tre Fontane Abbey (Italy): Italian Trappist monastery producing Tre Fontane Trappist beer, notable for using eucalyptus. Regional peer to La Trappe within the small global community of authentic Trappist breweries, sharing the same certification framework but serving a different geographic market.
• Saint Joseph's Abbey (Spencer Brewery): American Trappist monastery operating Spencer Brewery, the only authentic Trappist brewery in the Americas. Comparable to La Trappe in monastic Trappist beer production, but operating in a different geography (United States).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/wtJC2e46DZ4
• Facebookfacebook.com/Abdijkoningshoeven
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koningshoeven

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven