Cornelis Vrolijk acquires North Sea shrimp peeler and packager

IJmuiden, The Netherlands-based seafood firm Cornelis Vrolijk has acquired Kegge Garnalenhandel BV, a fisher, peeler, and packager of North Sea shrimp, according to Dutch newspaper de Jutter/de Hofgeest.

Kegge was bought out of bankruptcy by shrimp importer Vishandel Tel in 2012, and after moving its operations to Ijmuiden, the company upgraded Kegge’s peeling machines and successfully pursued certifications from the Marine Stewardship Council, GlobalG.A.P., and Friend of the Sea. According to Food Holland, Vishandel Tel is leaving the North Sea shrimp trade to focus on shrimp imports from Suriname and its fish importing business.

Cornelis Vrolijk Director Annerieke Vrolijk told de Jutter that the state-of-the-art peeling technology at Kegge’s factory was a major draw in the purchase.

“The mechanically peeled shrimps from Kegge are a high-quality product. The shrimp are sustainable and also caught with their own fleet,” Vrolijk said. “This is a nice extension of our ship-to-shelf strategy. "

Kegge’s sales operation will be transferred to Cornelis Vrolijk subsidiary Seafood Parlevliet, which itself was acquired by Cornelis Vrolijk in 2016. Mike Parlevliet, director of Seafood Parlevliet, said the takeover of Kegge represented an “opportunity to add a North Sea shrimp to our range.”

“For us, [it is] a valuable addition of a sustainably caught and healthy shrimp,” he said, according to de Jutter.

Previously in 2018, Cornelis Vrolijk purchased Bertus-Dekker Seafood BV, a fish processing company also based in IJmuiden. The acquisition was first announced in February 2018 and the deal closed on 19 March. The company processes and sells demersal fish such as plaice, sole, gurnard, mullet, and squid. In a press release, Annerieke Vrolijk said Bertus-Dekker will continue its activities as an independently operated company.