De Vegetarische Slager
- Type
- Food & Ingredient Manufacturer
- Location
- Breda, Netherlands
- Industries
- Alternative proteins, Food ingredients & products, Food reformulation
- Domains
- Processed food products, Meat alternatives, Plant based primary products, Ingredients, Feed, Proteins, Beans
About De Vegetarische Slager
The Vegetarian Butcher is a Dutch plant-based food brand founded in 2010 by Jaap Korteweg, a former livestock farmer who wanted to create meat without animals. The brand presents itself as an artisanal butcher for the modern era: products made for meat lovers, with the taste and texture of meat, but using only vegetarian ingredients.
Its mission is to remove animals from the food chain and help drive a broader shift toward more plant-based eating. The company serves consumers looking for familiar meat experiences in a plant-based form, and it positions its products as a way to keep culinary traditions intact while reducing the impact on animals and the planet.
Core Values
- Taste first: The company repeatedly emphasizes that flavor is the key to adoption, and it develops products with chefs and product developers to achieve meat-like taste and structure.
- Animal welfare: A central value is removing animals from the food chain, with the brand framing plant-based meat as a way to enjoy familiar foods without animal slaughter.
- Sustainability: The brand links plant-based eating to lower environmental impact and a more sustainable food system, presenting its products as part of the food transition.
- Tradition with innovation: The company combines nostalgic butcher-style branding and familiar meat formats with modern plant-based ingredients and processing techniques.
Unique Aspects
- Founded by a meat lover turned plant-based pioneer: Jaap Korteweg’s personal story is central to the brand identity and helped shape its “butcher of the future” positioning.
- Strong international footprint: Known news indicates the brand is sold in more than 55,000 points of sale across 45 countries, with a presence in retail and foodservice.
- Part of The Vegetarian Butcher Collective: Recent company information says the brand now sits within The Vegetarian Butcher Collective, alongside Vivera, with group-level reporting and governance.
- Ownership changes over time: The brand was acquired by Unilever in 2018 and later sold to Vivera in 2025, according to known news; this is relevant to its current corporate context.
- Notable brand and retail partnerships: The timeline highlights collaborations with Unox, New York Pizza, Burger King, Tesco, HEMA, and Wageningen University & Research, showing the brand’s ability to scale through partnerships and mainstream channels.