Lunenburg Vlees in a nutshell

1930s – Cees and Jaap Lunenburg open a pork slaughterhouse on the Utrechtse Straatweg in Woerden.

Early 1950s – The slaughterhouse is relocated to Driebergen.

Early 1970s – Lunenburgs’ grandsons open a pork slaughterhouse in Oudewater. This slaughterhouse is a roaring success and develops into one of the largest, most modern slaughterhouses in Europe during the 1980s. In 1989 the slaughterhouse is sold to the company formerly known as Encebe.

1990s – The Lunenburgs feel the urge to expand again. In 1995, the highly specialised meat processing company Lunenburg Vlees is established. The company is now run by the 3rd and 4th generations of the family. Connections with a slaughterhouse are essential. In 2003 Slachterij Westfort in Gorinchem commences these activities in collaboration with Egbert Kruiswijk in IJsselstein.

Lunenburg Vlees

• A family business in Oudewater.
• Successful medium-sized player in the pork market; annual growth of approximately 20%.
• Sales: approximately 50,000 tonnes per annum.
• A third of sales are concentrated in the Netherlands, while two thirds are concentrated in export markets (United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, but also Belgium, France, Spain, Greece, the Balkans, Poland and other former Eastern bloc countries).
• Approximately 180 staff.
• HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), BRC (British Retail Consortium) and IKB (Integral Chain Management)-certified.

Seamless cooperation

Lunenburg Vlees distinguishes itself through production in accordance with specific customer requirements, which usually deviate from the general common bulk product. In order for this to be achieved in a chain-orientated market such as the pork sector, simply having one’s own affairs in order is not sufficient. Quality, safety and a constant supply of the requested products can only be guaranteed in the event of seamless cooperation within the chain as a whole.

Lunenburg Vlees has organised the supply, production and distribution in such a manner that it is actively involved in the chain as a whole and participates in its decision-making processes.

Direct contact

Lunenburg Vlees requires that the source of each animal be known. In order for this traceability to be sufficiently guaranteed, only animals born and fattened in the Netherlands are processed. Lunenburg Vlees performs these activities in conjunction with Inkoop Oudewater, which supplies all of the stock for slaughter. Together with this company, Lunenburg Vlees has direct contact with its suppliers and influence on the production methods. This enables rapid and sufficient response to changing customer requirements.

The company runs the slaughterhouse autonomously and organises its own transport and distribution

The slaughtering process is a major factor in the quality and shelf life of the meat. Consequently, in 2002 the company decided to build its own slaughterhouse, Slachterij Westfort in Gorinchem. The slaughtering process at Westfort has one fundamental goal: guaranteeing the highest possible product quality.