Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care

What Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care does

Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Veghel, Netherlands, is a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Sligro Food Group that supplies food, beverages, non-food items, and meal concepts to Dutch healthcare institutions. The company operates two specialized webshops: Shop Van Hoeckel for large-scale institutions such as hospitals and rehabilitation centers, offering more than 75,000 products with diet and allergen filtering, custom menu lists, and a meal module with 300+ meals, and Aan Tafel for small-scale residential care groups, with daily menu suggestions, budget modules, and meal cycle planning. Van Hoeckel is both a grossier (wholesaler) and a meal producer via Culivers, an in-house culinary production kitchen employing 15 chefs, 3 product developers, and 2 nutritionists that produces approximately 150,000 meals, meal components, soups, and sauces per week under ISO FSSC 22000 certification.

The company monetizes primarily through wholesale product margins on its 75,000+ SKU assortment and through the sale of prepared meals and meal components from Culivers, with logistics costs absorbed into product pricing rather than charged separately. Customers are reached through a hybrid go-to-market combining field account managers, an inbound customer service team, and 24/7 self-serve online ordering, with delivery six days per week via an owned zero-emission fleet of 72 electric trucks and 18 electric vans. Pricing is negotiated per customer, minimum order amounts are set in consultation, and free delivery is standard across the customer base.

Van Hoeckel serves more than 50% of Dutch healthcare institutions, both directly and via caterers, and operates exclusively in the Netherlands. Its offering is wrapped in an ecosystem of strategic partners including SYNDLE (consulting), Superunie (collective purchasing), Bouter (kitchen equipment), FLINK (energy advisory), Reith Power and TANX (charging infrastructure), Bazz (Zorg E-bikes), and Renewi (waste management), supported by ISO 14001, CSRD, and Milieuthermometer sustainability certifications. Around 50 employees serve the business from Veghel, and the headcount spans account managers, customer service, chefs, dietitians, marketers, and project managers.

Name

Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care

Legal name

Van Hoeckel

Website

https://vanhoeckel.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care, a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Sligro Food Group, supplies food, beverages, non-food items, and prepared meals via Shop Van Hoeckel and Aan Tafel webshops to more than 50% of Dutch healthcare institutions, supported by its own Culivers production kitchen and zero-emission delivery fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Foodservice Distribution

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Dining & Meal Plan Coordination (In-Hall/Adjacent) (EDAEAFAK), Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Institutional food distribution
• Healthcare meal services
• Food wholesale
• Central meal production
• Care facility catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Veghel

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale/Product Sales (Grossier): Van Hoeckel acts as a grossier (wholesaler) selling 75,000+ food and non-food products to healthcare institutions. Products include fresh ingredients, frozen, ambient, convenience foods, meal components, and non-food items. Revenue is generated through product margins on the sale of these articles.
2. Meal Production & Sales (Culivers): Culivers, the culinary production kitchen of Van Hoeckel, prepares approximately 150,000 meals, meal components, soups, and sauces weekly for healthcare and hospitality institutions. Revenue generated through sale of prepared meals and components to healthcare clients.
3. Delivery/Logistics Services: Delivery services to healthcare facilities (Monday through Saturday). No separate delivery costs are charged to customers per FAQ: 'Nee, we hanteren geen bezorgkosten.' Logistics costs are absorbed into product margins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care is a Netherlands-based wholesaler and meal producer specializing in the healthcare sector. The company delivers an assortment of more than 75,000 food and beverage items, runs dedicated webshops (Shop Van Hoeckel for large institutions and Aan Tafel for small-scale residential care), and operates the Culivers central production kitchen that prepares fresh, diet-specific, IDDSI-ground and ready-to-serve meals for hospitals, rehabilitation centers and care homes. It also bundles logistics, dietary advice, kitchen design and chef services as part of its institutional foodservice offering.

Product overview

Van Hoeckel is a grossier (wholesale distributor) and maaltijdproducent (meal producer) offering a unified platform-plus-modules product architecture. The core offerings consist of two webshop platforms: Shop Van Hoeckel for grootschalige zorginstellingen (large-scale healthcare institutions) and Aan Tafel for kleinschalige zorginstellingen (small-scale residential care). Supporting these platforms is Culivers, the company's artisanal production kitchen preparing approximately 150,000 meals weekly. The product portfolio is augmented by numerous specialized modules including Versbox (fresh meal solution), Slim Vitaal (healthy dining), Smaakchef (on-location chef service), MVI tools (CO2 impact measurement), and various diet-specific solutions (IDDSI ground food, dieetvoeding). The platforms integrate with multiple smart solutions and knowledge resources including menu cycle tools, podcasts, and sustainability assessment tools to serve the complete food care needs of healthcare institutions from small residential groups to large hospitals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Culivers: The company's own culinary production kitchen preparing fresh meals, meal components, soups, and sauces for healthcare and hospitality institutions. Produces approximately 150,000 meals weekly.
• Aan Tafel
• Shop Van Hoeckel

Products and services

• Shop Van Hoeckel B2B webshop for large Dutch healthcare institutions (hospitals, rehabilitation centers and large care groups) giving them online access to the full Van Hoeckel assortment of more than 75,000 food, beverage and non-food items, with built-in diet, IDDSI, sustainability and budget tools.
• Aan Tafel B2B webshop tailored to small-scale residential care locations (kleinste keukens), offering a curated assortment, recipe-based ordering, portion guidance and budget tools designed for locations with limited kitchen capacity.
• Culivers central production kitchen ISO/FSSC 22000 certified central production kitchen that prepares fresh, diet-specific, IDDSI-ground and ready-to-serve meals for healthcare clients, delivered on a contract basis to institutions that prefer to outsource meal preparation.
• Versbox fresh meal solution Pre-portioned fresh meal box solution supplied via Culivers to healthcare locations that want a turnkey fresh meal offering without an in-house cook.
• Slim Vitaal healthy dining concept Health-focused dining concept offering menus, recipes and supporting assortment aimed at promoting healthy eating in healthcare settings.
• Smaakchef on-location chef service On-location chef service where Van Hoeckel places professional chefs in healthcare kitchens to deliver freshly cooked meals and culinary expertise on a contracted basis.
• Apprendo care app Care-sector mobile application provided to institutional clients to support resident engagement, activities and information sharing around meals and care.
• SiR Goodwill satisfaction dashboard Subscription-based dashboard for healthcare clients that measures resident and guest satisfaction with meals and food service and turns it into management information.
• MVI CO2 impact tooling CO2 impact measurement tooling, co-developed with SYNDLE, that lets institutional clients quantify and report the environmental footprint of their food purchases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Caters to over 50% of Dutch healthcare institutions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SYNDLEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSYNDLE and Van Hoeckel have formed a strategic partnership to offer healthcare organizations a comprehensive solution from vision to execution. SYNDLE advises and guides healthcare organizations through complex food, drink, and hospitality decisions, while Van Hoeckel provides products, meals, nutritional advice, and logistics. The partnership covers five angles: Insight & Direction, Concept & Exploitation, Training & Team Development, Implementation & Change, and Sustainability. SYNDLE's services complement Van Hoeckel's product and delivery capabilities for an integrated approach to institutional food care.
• SuperuniecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVan Hoeckel, as part of Sligro Food Group, is a member of Superunie (Collectieve Inkoopvereniging Superunie). Superunie represents 10 independent retail organizations in the Netherlands with 1,500 stores and 26% market share. Through collective purchasing, Superunie enables members to buy at the sharpest prices. Van Hoeckel customers directly benefit from this collective buying power, resulting in very competitive pricing on groceries.
• CuliverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulivers is the culinary production kitchen of Van Hoeckel. 15 professional chefs, 3 product developers, and 2 nutritionists prepare approximately 150,000 meals, meal components, soups, and sauces weekly using fresh ingredients. Culivers is ISO FSSC 22000 certified. Van Hoeckel leverages Culivers' production capacity to supply prepared meals and components to healthcare institutions.
• BouterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBouter is a sister company of Van Hoeckel, also part of Sligro Food Group. Bouter specializes in professional kitchen installation, renovation, and equipment. Services include replacement of individual equipment, complete 3D design for new builds or renovations, custom cooling and freezing solutions, delivery and installation by own technicians, and maintenance contracts. Van Hoeckel refers healthcare clients to Bouter for kitchen infrastructure needs.
• FLINK NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLINK Nederland is a network of independent energy advisors. Van Hoeckel refers healthcare clients to FLINK for finding optimal sustainable energy contracts (green electricity) and for advice on energy-saving building measures. FLINK helps clients achieve Milieuthermometer certification requirements for green energy. Van Hoeckel customers receive exclusive discounts through this partnership (up to €950 savings on energy costs, 15% discount on advisory services).
• Reith PowerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReith Power supplies charging stations for electric vehicles. Van Hoeckel offers Reith Power charging stations to healthcare clients as part of sustainable transport solutions. Van Hoeckel customers receive over €350 benefit when purchasing or leasing charging stations through this partnership.
• Bazz E-bikesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBazz E-bikes supplies the Zorg E-bike, a robust electric cargo bike designed for healthcare staff transport. Van Hoeckel offers Zorg E-bikes to healthcare clients for sustainable staff transport, care visits, and commute. Leasing starts from €25 per week, and after 3 years the bike becomes property of the healthcare organization.
• TANXminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTANX provides a business charging pass for electric vehicles. Van Hoeckel offers TANX charging passes to healthcare clients for access to virtually all (fast)charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Van Hoeckel customers receive the first 3 months of subscription fees free.
• RenewiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenewi provides sustainable waste collection and recycling services. Mentioned in the context of waste management solutions for the Milieuthermometer certification, helping healthcare organizations meet strict waste separation requirements (paper, electrical, swill food waste, plastic, textile, mattresses, furniture, incontinence materials, hazardous waste).
• VerspartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVerspartners are carefully selected specialized fresh food companies covering meat, fresh produce (AGF), and game and poultry. Sligro Food Group works closely with these partners. SFG and Verspartners share sales information to improve service, product offerings, and relevant offers to customers. Van Hoeckel uses Verspartners for fresh product supply.
• Nestlé Health ScienceminorOthersVan Hoeckel supplies enteral feeding (sondevoeding) from Nestlé Health Science as part of its medical/diet nutrition offering. Nestlé Health Science is one of the specialized suppliers Van Hoeckel works with to meet specific nutritional needs of healthcare clients.
• Danone NutriciaminorOthersVan Hoeckel supplies enteral feeding (sondevoeding) from Danone Nutricia as part of its medical/diet nutrition offering. Danone Nutricia products are suitable for various medical and/or dietary needs, and Van Hoeckel supports healthcare institutions with high-quality enteral nutrition solutions.
• Sligro Food GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Hoeckel is a wholly-owned operating company of Sligro Food Group. Sligro Food Group is the market leader in foodservice across all segments in the Netherlands. Van Hoeckel benefits from Sligro's brand, purchasing power, logistics infrastructure, and cross-selling opportunities. Sligro Food Group also includes ZiN Inspiratielab, Bouter, Culivers, Tintelingen, and JAVA (Belgium operations).
• HeinekenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSligro Food Group has a strategic collaboration with Heineken regarding distribution of beer and cider in the Dutch foodservice delivery market. Certain data is shared between Sligro and Heineken for this collaboration. Heineken and Sligro are jointly responsible for this data processing. This is an SFG-level partnership that may benefit Van Hoeckel customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hutten: Hutten is a leading Dutch contract foodservice and hospitality company providing meals, hospitality, and facility services across healthcare, workplace, and education segments. It overlaps directly with Van Hoeckel's hospital and small-scale residential care propositions through on-site catering and meal delivery.
• Vermaat Groep: Vermaat is a Dutch contract caterer focused on hospitality, healthcare, and workplace food services, including hospital patient and visitor restaurants. It competes directly with Van Hoeckel's staff/visitor restaurant and patient-catering propositions for institutional contracts.
• Albron: Albron is a major Dutch contract caterer and foodservice provider, part of the Compass Group, operating staff restaurants and patient/resident meal services for healthcare institutions. It competes with Van Hoeckel both as a meal-service provider and indirectly as a procurement consolidator for healthcare food budgets.
• Bidfood Netherlands: Bidfood is one of the largest foodservice wholesalers in the Netherlands, serving healthcare, hospitality and foodservice customers. It is the most direct competitor to Van Hoeckel in institutional food distribution and competes head-to-head for the same hospital and care home accounts.
• Appèl: Appèl is a Dutch contract caterer and foodservice provider operating across healthcare, business, and education segments with its own central kitchen and meal concepts. It overlaps with Van Hoeckel's meal production (Culivers) and hospital/employee restaurant services.

Regional players

• Metro Cash & Carry Netherlands: Metro is an international self-service wholesale brand operating in the Netherlands that serves hospitality and small foodservice businesses with groceries and non-food. It is a regional/wholesale adjacency to Van Hoeckel's Shop Van Hoeckel platform rather than a direct healthcare specialist.

Broad incumbents

• ISS Catering (ISS Nederland): ISS is a global facility services provider with a Dutch foodservice practice serving healthcare, corporate, and institutional clients. Comparable to Van Hoeckel in delivering combined soft services including meal provisioning to Dutch healthcare institutions.
• Compass Group / Eurest Healthcare: Compass Group operates multiple Dutch healthcare-facing brands (including Albron and Eurest) delivering patient and staff catering to hospitals and care homes. Comparable to Van Hoeckel in serving institutional Dutch healthcare with managed foodservice and procurement.
• Sodexo Healthcare Netherlands: Sodexo is a global facilities services and contract caterer with a Dutch healthcare practice providing patient nutrition, retail dining, and environmental services to hospitals. It competes with Van Hoeckel on the integrated food-service-for-healthcare proposition and benefits from multinational procurement scale.

Emerging players

• Catering Covalent (Driessen Catering): Driessen Catering / Catering Covalent is a Dutch caterer providing foodservices including in workplace and healthcare-adjacent segments. It is an emerging foodservice contractor comparable in mission and customer type (institutional / care-adjacent) to Van Hoeckel's healthcare vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Van Hoeckel Partner in Food Care