Plukon Food Group is an innovative player in the European market for poultry, fresh meals, salads, meal components, and alternative proteins. The company operates 40 sites across seven European countries and achieved a turnover of €3.4 billion in 2024, employing 11,000 people. Plukon has acquired the activities of Vega Insiders, an innovative producer of vegetarian and vegan products based in Udenhout. This acquisition marks the next step in Plukon’s growth strategy in the field of alternative proteins.
Vega Insiders develops and produces a wide range of vegetarian and vegan products – including plant-based minced meat, falafel, cheese bites, and bacon strips – for retail, foodservice, and QSR clients. The company operates a modern factory suitable for a broad variety of fresh and frozen products. Vega Insiders is part of the Zilverwerf Group.
The acquisition stems from the desire to transfer the company to a partner that shares the same values, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit – a match found in Plukon. Vega Insiders will continue to operate under its own name as part of the Plukon Food Group. The company has built a strong reputation in the market. All employees will remain with the company. With this acquisition, Plukon strengthens its organization with an experienced team and accelerates the integration of plant-based product development knowledge and expertise within the group.
Kees Kraijenoord, CEO of Plukon Food Group: “We are proud to welcome Vega Insiders to the Plukon family. This acquisition fits perfectly within our strategy. Plukon has been working on alternative protein concepts for years. This strengthens both our product diversity and our innovation capacity in the field of complementary proteins. For some time, Plukon has aspired to have a dedicated vegetarian/vegan production site. With this acquisition, that ambition becomes reality, and we can now scale up in a fully plant-based environment.”
Mart Beniers, founder of Vega Insiders and owner of Zilverwerf Group: “After years of building Vega Insiders, I was looking for a sustainable future for the company. In Plukon, I found a partner with the same mindset: entrepreneurial, pragmatic, and knowledgeable about the market. We had an immediate connection, which gives me full confidence that Vega Insiders is in good hands.”
