Keeping a constant look-out for new market opportunities isn’t a new activity for Bieze Food Group. It was already doing it back in 1954 when Frank Eduard Bieze decided to start his own business. He certainly had an entrepreneur’s nose for market opportunities and customer needs. Plus the ability to make other people equally enthusiastic about his ideas. From batteries to stomach pills and from tea and biscuits to the salads which ultimately set Bieze on the growth path it is still travelling today.
FOUNDING OF BIEZE (THEN F.E. BIEZE IMPORT)
In 1956 Frank Eduard Bieze buys J.L. Bakkers Agenturen NV – a trading company supplying the many delicatessen shops in the Netherlands with a wide range of delicacies including luxury and more everyday biscuits, tea, nuts and mustard.
CARAVAN TOUR
Frank Eduard Bieze wants to widen his circle of customers and comes up with an innovative sales strategy: He packs a caravan full of his products (including plenty of sherry, beer and coffee) and drives round the delicatessens. At every shop he parks and invites the shop owner into the caravan for a quiet and relaxed sales chat over a drink.
BIEZE STARTS SELLING SALADS
The Docter Hammer salads are not just the first salads sold by Bieze, they are the first fresh products in the Bieze range.
FIRST PREMISES IN HILVERSUM
Business is going well. The time has come for Bieze to have a ‘proper’ office building and to employ staff for the first time. F.E. Bieze Import is now selling the Stixi cocktail nibbles.
RELOCATION TO LOOSDRECHT
Bieze Import has already outgrown its first office building. The Company moves to Loosdrecht.
RELOCATION TO ALMERE
In 1979 Bieze BV, which now employs 25 people, moves to Almere. Bieze Import BV’s annual revenue from imported salads, sauces, kwark (cottage cheese) and pretzels from Germany, tea, spices and biscuits from England and savoury nibbles from France has increased to nearly 10 million guilders.
FROM FATHER TO SON, FRANK BIEZE BECOMES GENERAL MANAGER / CEO
Frank Bieze jr., aged 28, takes over as General Manager because his parents emigrate to Canada.
F.E. BIEZE IMPORT ACQUIRED BY WERNSING FEINKOST
BIEZE INTRODUCES (MINI) POTATOES
To make retailers enthusiastic about Bieze’s innovative potato specialities, a campervan tour is organised. The campervan is parked in front of the large purchasing organisations so all the new Bieze products can be tasted on the spot.
RELOCATION FROM ALMERE TO THE NEW FACILITY IN NIJKERK
Bieze Import’s new office and production hall is officially opened on 4 November 1989. Bieze Import now employs 44 people.
F.E. BIEZE IMPORT BV BECOMES BIEZE BV AND FINALISES ITS FIRST ACQUISITION: UNIS-PEC (UNIQUE IN SPICES)
DE ZUIVELMAATSCHAPPIJ (THE DAIRY COMPANY)
Biscuits, salads and dairy are Bieze’s most important products. Bieze BV decides to put more focus on dairy and De Zuivelmaatschappij (The Dairy Company) is established.
FOUNDING OF VERS LOGISTIEK (FRESH LOGISTICS)
The rapid growth of Bieze makes it necessary to separate its various channels into separate companies. In 1998 Vers Logistiek (Fresh Logistics) is founded and all the employees in the Transport and Planning departments are given a new job in the new company.
EPOS MERGES WITH UNISPEC
In 2000 Epos merges with Unispec, which means that from 2000 Epos is part of Bieze Food Group. In 2002 Epos relocates to Nijkerk.
ACQUISITION OF NEPTUNUS VISHANDEL (FISH SUPPLIER) AND CÊLAVÍTA (CHILLED POTATO PRODUCTS)
ACQUISITION OF LA CUISINE CULINAIRE
NIKITA AND DUTCH SPICES JOIN THE GROUP
Nikita is the first Belgian company to join Bieze Food Group. At the end of 2011 Eros differentiates itself in the market by establishing Dutch Spices and producing allergen-free spices.
SALE OF CÊLAVÍTA
”Sell a company? We don’t do that!” is the initial reaction when McCain wants to acquire CêlaVíta. But McCain has the arguments needed to convince Bieze to let go of CêlaVíta.
ACQUISITION OF STARMEAL, JEBO AND TWENTE FOODS
The group of Belgian companies expands with the acquisition of Jebo and Starmeal. By offering a wide (fresh) range Bieze Food Group ensures that together they can serve the market even better and answer the need for healthy and tasty products. The acquisition of Twente Foods strengthens the Group’s position in the dairy market and, together, Twente Foods and De Zuivelmaatschappij form the Dutch Dairy Group.
STARMEAL ACQUIRES FOODMAKER
In December 2014 Starmeal becomes the 100% owner of the Foodmaker restaurant chain and the Foodmaker concept is totally renewed. Everything now revolves around the 'Salad Farm', where customers can select their own salad ingredients. The Foodmaker philosophy is: fresh and healthy food with lots of vegetables and without added taste enhancers, preservatives and mayonnaise.
DE FLIER IS FINISHED! LOGISTIEK RELOCATES TO DE FLIER UNDER THE NAME BFG WAREHOUSING
2016 is the time of expansion and growth. Bieze Food Group’s distribution centre relocates to Riddererf 2 and the logistics activities are brought together under one roof. BFG Warehousing is born! A floor area of around 15,000 m2 makes it is one of the largest sustainably-cooled distribution centres in the Netherlands.
FOODMAKER CROSSES THE BORDER TO THE NETHERLANDS
On 8 December 2016 Foodmaker opens a new restaurant in Den Haag. This is the first Foodmaker outside of Belgium.
40 YEARS JUBILEE OF FRANK OSCAR BIEZE
In recognition of his 40 years with Bieze Food Group, Frank Bieze is presented with the Nijkerk municipality silver medal of honour by the Mayor of Nijkerk, Gerard Renkema.
EPOS ACQUIRES EXTRACT
Extract BV adds fresh pesto and tapenade to Bieze Food Group’s range.
BFG AWARDED BREEAM EXCELLENT CERTIFICATION
At the beginning of the year Bieze Food Group receives the BREEAM 4-star certificate. That means Excellent!
LA CUISINE CULINAIRE MERGES WITH BIEZE BV
LCC BV merges with Bieze BV as of 1 January 2018 and all the LCC activities start trading under the name Bieze Specialties.
JEBO & NIKITA BECOME BE FOOD! NV
In March 2018 the Belgian companies Jebo and Nikita begin a very close collaboration and even start using the same name – Be Food! nv. The new single company does still have two separate production facilities.
BRABANTSCHE WAL B.V. JOINS THE GROUP
In 2019 Brabantsche Wal B.V. joins Bieze Food Group. Brabantsche Wal is known for growing asparagus with a slightly salty taste as well as for producing and distributing specialities in small take-away packaging, such as yoghurt with various blue fruits, hummus with vegetables, and fresh red fruit.
