Unilever sells Unox and Zwan

Food manufacturer Unilever sells food brands Unox and Zwan. Both brands, known for meat products and Unox also for soup, will become part of food manufacturer Zwanenberg Food Group. The brands were part of Unilever for almost 100 years; the originally Belgian Zwan since 1928.

Yesterday Unilever also announced a sale: Conimex, known for its Asian dishes. That part has been sold to a Finnish food company.

Heike Schipper, CEO of Unilever, calls it a “difficult decision” to say goodbye to Unox. “The association with Dutch winter activities, such as the New Year’s dive in Scheveningen and skating events, has cemented Unox’s place in Dutch culture.”

The manufacturer wants to focus on fewer and larger brands. Unilever also wants to develop mainly in the field of kitchen supplies, small meals and sauces. Unox’s noodles and Cup-a-soup fit well into the second category and will remain part of Unilever, the company said.

A specific supply chain is required for the meat and soup products from Unox and Zwan, according to Unilever. This would make it more difficult to quickly adjust production to demand.

Unilever has had a long history with the Zwanenberg Food Group. In 2017, Unilever sold a factory in Oss to the group, which produced the Unox smoked sausage and pea soup in the years that followed.

Last week, the Reuters news agency reported that Unilever was investigating whether it could sell the brands. Unilever has also been looking for a buyer for its ice cream brands for some time, including Magnum, Ola and Ben & Jerry’s. No buyer has yet been found for this.

Four years ago, the former British-Dutch group moved to London. With the sale of Unox, Zwan and Conimex, Unilever is disappearing even further from the Netherlands.

The companies expect to complete the sale next year.