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About Royal A-ware

Royal A-ware is a family-run business with over 130 years of experience in food. With almost 5,000 colleagues, we make the best fresh dairy, cream, tapas, milk powder and all kinds of cheese. Cheese which we customise in pieces, slices, cubes, powder or grate for our customers in the Netherlands and the rest of the world.

As an active chain partner in agri-food, we enjoy working with dairy farmers, customers and suppliers on surprising innovations and tasty products. In doing so, we work from consumer to cow and use the experience we have gained in our more than 130 years of existence. With our craftsmanship, smart use of technology and knowledge of consumer trends, we always look for the best and most sustainable solution.

'Our family business consists of driven entrepreneurs: down-to-earth doers who are flexible and quick to adapt.'

Jan Anker, CEO Royal A-ware

History

Royal A-ware was created in 2010 from the merger between the family-run businesses Bouter Kaas and Anker Kaas. The history of Anker Kaas goes back to 1963 and that of Bouter Kaas to as far back as 1890, when Peter Bouter started his own grain and cheese business. Click on the timeline below and discover our milestones.

Peter Bouter starts trading in animal feed and cheese in Streefkerk, Zuid Holland. Soon after, the first cheese warehouse was built in Groot Ammers.

In the 1930s, sons Huig, Wim, Bart and Jan join the company.
1890

Peet Bouter, one of Bart's sons, joins the family business.

The cheese business develops rapidly and Peet responds to customer demands such as pre-packed (vacuum) and sliced pieces of cheese.
1956

Arie Anker moves into the first cheese warehouse in Bodegraven and starts selling cheese at the market in 1963. The business is booming and a second and third warehouse are built to store all the cheese.

It also ripens cheese for other companies: a golden move.
1963

Bouter Kaas starts supplying cheese to Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn.

In the decades that follow, Bouter becomes Albert Heijn's exclusive cheese partner.
1983

In the 1990s, two daughters of Arie Anker and son Jan join Anker Kaas.

In 2001, Jan Anker became co-owner and under his leadership, Anker Kaas steadily grew into a company that trades cheese and ripens and transports it in-house.
2001

Peet Bouter and Jan Anker decide to merge the two historic family businesses Anker Kaas and Bouter Kaas: A-ware Food Group becomes a reality.

In the following years, it invests in expanding its product portfolio and creating an efficient supply chain.
A-ware Food Group becomes a reality.
2010

Logistics service provider AB Texel Group becomes part of A-ware Food Group.

AB Texel Group specialises in the transport of potatoes and other bulk agricultural products, chilled food products, animal feed, flour and (liquid) dairy products.
2012

Katshaar Fresh Dairy becomes part of A-ware Food Group.

With this, we further expand our product portfolio: in Coevorden, we produce fresh dairy daily, such as buttermilk, (drinking) yoghurt and cream for Dutch retail customers.
2013

We open a new Bouter branch in Woerden at the end of 2013. This venue is specially equipped to produce tapas and appetisers.

With this new product category, we further expand our cooperation with Albert Heijn.
2013

We are open a modern packaging location in Almere.

Here, we cut, grate and pack cheese entirely according to the wishes of our customers in the Netherlands and abroad.
2014

King Willem-Alexander opens our cheese factory in Heerenveen, and we start collecting milk from dairy farmers.

The entire chain is now in-house: from milk to sales of cheese and dairy through wholesalers and retailers.
2015

We celebrate 125 years and receive the designation 'Royal'.

Henceforth, we are called Royal A-ware. A milestone we are very proud of!
We are called Royal A-ware from now.
2015

Belgian cream manufacturer La Concorde becomes part of A-ware Food Group.

Founded in 1929, family-run La Concorde has a modern factory in Merchtem. Fresh cream, whipped cream, culinary (cooking) cream, plant-based cream, ice cream and milkshake mixes are produced here for professional end-users such as chocolatiers and industrial processors.
2015

We expand our range to include tapas: in our own test kitchen, we develop and produce innovative tapas concepts. for (inter)national retail customers.

We also partner with a cheese factory in Italy and are now able to offer customers cheese such as Grana Padano.
2015

Cheese ingredients producer Prika becomes part of Royal A-ware.

This further expands our range of services and allows us to produce cheese raw materials such as cheese powder in-house.
2017

Together with Albert Heijn, we develop the Better for Cow, Nature & Farmer programme to make dairy and cheese more sustainable through a closed production chain.

For the extra effort that dairy farmers put into this, Albert Heijn pays the dairy farmers a premium. This offers dairy farmers security and continuity.
2018

Together with Tirlán, Ireland's largest dairy cooperative, we are building a state-of-the-art cheese factory in Kilkenny, Ireland. From 2024, we will produce 50,000 tonnes of cheese such as Gouda, Edam and Emmentaler here.

Tirlán dairy farmers supply 450 million litres of milk annually for this purpose. The cheese will be sold globally by Royal A-ware.
2019

In addition to our cheese factory, we open a mozzarella and cream factory. Here we produce mozzarella from cow's milk.

We process the cream released in the production process into cream products.

The released whey goes directly to Fonterra's adjacent production facility.
2020

Together with Estonian dairy cooperative SCE E-Piim and Interfood Group, we are launching the development of Estonia's most modern and sustainable dairy.

This will improve the capacity of the Estonian dairy industry and allow us to add cheddar cheese to our range. Production is expected to start in 2023.
2021

We expand our operations in Belgium and start milk powder production in Aalter.

With this, we open a second production site in Belgium and add milk powder to our range. To produce the milk powder, we collect milk from Flemish dairy farmers.
2021

By acquiring the Hollebeekhoeve dairy facilities in Kruibeke, we accelerate our growth ambition in Belgium and open another processing site in Belgium.

Among other things, we produce milk, yoghurt and quark here under the Hollebeekhoeve brand and under private label.
2022

Belgian family-owned Olympia becomes part of Royal A-ware. This acquisition strengthens our base in Belgium, which now has four branches.

Olympia produces a wide range of products: milk, milk concentrate, fresh and long-life cream, butter, desserts and ice cream base products.
2022

Noordhoek Grated Cheese becomes part of Royal A-ware.

Noordhoek's product range is complementary to ours. In addition, both organisations operate in other markets. This allows us to meet our customers' demand even better.
2022

In March 2023, we are acquiring the dairy factory in Salas, Spain, from the dairy producer Danone. The factory, formerly used by Danone for the production of products such as quark and desserts, will be made more sustainable and future-proof by Royal A-ware. From 2025 onwards, the factory will produce cow's milk mozzarella pearls.
2023

After years of planning, designing, building and installing, the time has come: the very first cheddar cheese has been produced in the new dairy factory in Estonia. In 2021, E-Piim, Royal A-ware and Interfood Group joined forces to establish this ultra-modern dairy factory. Royal A-ware is responsible for the sale of cheese from this factory.
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Facts & Figures

  • Almost 5,000 employees
  • 51 branches worldwide
  • 1,500+ own dairy farmers
  • Process more than 2.8 billion litres of milk
  • 19 production locations
  • Cheese dairies in the Netherlands, Italy, Estonia, Ireland and Spain (2025)  
  • Sales offices in Spain, France, USA and Singapore
  • Sales of 270 million kilos of cheese per year
  • € 3.8 billion turnover (2024)