Vion NV
Encyclopedia
Vion Food Group are a Netherlands
-based meat processing and food production company, headquartered in Eindhoven, that produces ingredients and foodstuffs and ingredients for people and animals. Measured by volume of meat processed, Vion is the largest meat processor in Europe
.
VION was originally formed by the Southern Agricultural and Horticultural Association (Zuidelijke Land-en Tuinbouworganisatie, ZLTO), a Netherlands based co-operative that is made up of 18,000 farmers based in North Brabant
, Zeeland
and southern Gelderland
. In order to expand the company, the co-operative formed NCB Ontwikkeling, which owns the majority of shares in VION Holding N.V., registered in Best. This public limited company, which is not listed, holds the single share in VION Food Group. The company is managed by an Executive Board, which is supervised by an independent Supervisory Board.
In 2009, Vion employed 35,000 people worldwide, including 4,200 in the Netherlands, across two core divisions:
Measured by volume of meat processed, Vion is the largest meat producing company in Europe, ahead of Danish
producer Danish Crown AmbA
. It has quickly grown into this position through pan-European acquisition, including in 2008 the purchase of Scottish
family owned Grampian Country Foods
, primarily focused on the UK retail market but also includes foodservice and wholesale services.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-based meat processing and food production company, headquartered in Eindhoven, that produces ingredients and foodstuffs and ingredients for people and animals. Measured by volume of meat processed, Vion is the largest meat processor in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
VION was originally formed by the Southern Agricultural and Horticultural Association (Zuidelijke Land-en Tuinbouworganisatie, ZLTO), a Netherlands based co-operative that is made up of 18,000 farmers based in North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
and southern Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
. In order to expand the company, the co-operative formed NCB Ontwikkeling, which owns the majority of shares in VION Holding N.V., registered in Best. This public limited company, which is not listed, holds the single share in VION Food Group. The company is managed by an Executive Board, which is supervised by an independent Supervisory Board.
In 2009, Vion employed 35,000 people worldwide, including 4,200 in the Netherlands, across two core divisions:
- VION Ingredients: which renderers Sonac and Rendac, a gelatinGelatinGelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
factory in Rousselot, and Banner, a medicinal plant. It produces over 750 different ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical markets - VION Food Group: founded in 2003 by a merger of Dumeco, Hendrix Meat Group, Moksel and NFZ. These include export abattoirs and meat processing. It produces fresh meat, processed meat, frozen vegetables and vegetarian products, as well as ready-to-cook meals and convenience food
Measured by volume of meat processed, Vion is the largest meat producing company in Europe, ahead of Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
producer Danish Crown AmbA
Danish Crown AmbA
Danish Crown AmbA is a Danish food processing company, dealing primarily in meat processing of pork and beef. It is Europe's largest pork producer. Through its subsidiaries, known as the Danish Crown Group, it is also involved in a long list of other food products...
. It has quickly grown into this position through pan-European acquisition, including in 2008 the purchase of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
family owned Grampian Country Foods
Grampian Country Foods
Grampian Country Foods was a Scottish-based meat processing company, now part of the UK division of Netherlands-cooperative, Vion NV.Established in 1980 by a Scottish farming family, Grampian expanded quickly through pan-UK acquisition. Moving its headquarters to Edinburgh and then Leeds, it became...
, primarily focused on the UK retail market but also includes foodservice and wholesale services.