The Vegetarian Butcher
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The Vegetarian Butcher is a Dutch food manufacturer that produces meat substitute products and plant-based meat alternatives.[1] The company, headquartered in Utrecht, was founded in 2010 by Niko Koffeman and Jaap Korteweg. It also operates a concept store and restaurant in The Hague.[2][3]
History
[edit]After graduating the Secondary Agricultural School in Goes, Jaap Korteweg (a ninth-generation farmer) started working at his parents’ farm. He transitioned from conventional mixed farming (arable and livestock) to exclusively organic arable farming. When the swine fever outbreak occurred in 1997, he became a vegetarian and contacted scientists, including Wageningen professor Atze Jan van der Goot, and chefs to develop meat substitutes. On October 4, 2010 (World Animal Day), The Vegetarian Butcher was founded in The Hague. In 2015, the company got a bond loan supported by Natuur & Milieu raised €2.5 million to build a factory in Breda, which became operational at the end of 2017.[4][5][6]
At the end of 2018, The Vegetarian Butcher was acquired by Unilever.[7] In 2019, the Plant-Based Whopper was introduced by Burger King outlets in China with a patty made by The Vegetarian Butcher.[8][9] In March 2025, JBS S.A. bought The Vegetarian Butcher via its subsidiary Vivera.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Is this the end of meat?". The Independent.
- ^ "Restaurant | De Vegetarische Slager". 2018-08-30. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "The meat workers who became vegan entrepreneurs". www.bbc.com. 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Nominatie Wageningse hoogleraar als Groene Techpionier". WUR (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Vegetarische Fabriek - Inschrijving gesloten | Natuur & Milieu". Natuur & Milieu. 2017-10-07. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ www.devegetarischeslager.nl http://web.archive.org/web/20180830073755/https://www.devegetarischeslager.nl/serverspecific/dvs/images/Onsverhaal/AlleswatjealtijdalwildewetenoverDeVegetarischeSlager-Informatievoorjespreekbeurt.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Wood, Zoe (2018-12-19). "Unilever buys meat-free food company The Vegetarian Butcher". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Ho, Sally (2021-01-14). "Burger King Launches Plant-Based Whoppers Across Asia With v2food & The Vegetarian Butcher". Green Queen. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Smith, Steven (2022-12-27). "Burger King is bringing back the Bacon King - and this time there's a vegan one". Wales Online. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Devlin2025-03-20T14:14:00+00:00, Ed. "Unilever to sell The Vegetarian Butcher brand to Vivera". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
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