A dairy company with international allure
Milcobel is a reference on the international dairy market. We stand for quality, safety and customer focus.
We employ about 1,800 employees at our production sites in Belgium and France. People who passionately and expertly produce premium quality dairy products for our customers in more than 100 countries.
Milcobel stands for dialogue, transparency, reliability and sustainability. We strive for all the links of the dairy chain to be involved, from milk collection at the farm, through production to on-site commercialisation for the customer. We believe in solid partnerships and long-term customer relations.
Our structure
Operating as a cooperative means we are a special form of company, and not just driven by profit. We want to connect farmers with each other and with society at large.
Our dairy farmers are united and represented in the Cooperative Council, which, in addition to a Board and General Assembly, consists of nine member circles. Every member circle represents a geographical region. Our young farmers are united in the member circle for young farmers. The Board of Directors runs its decisions by the Cooperative Council first.
A dairy cooperative that connects farmers and civilians
As a cooperative, Milcobel pledges a solid and long-term commitment to both its co-operators and society. Milcobel groups together about 2,000 family-run dairy farms. Our dairy farmers have a genuine passion for their trade and supply us with premium quality, delicious milk. And you can taste the difference.
Our members are also shareholders of the cooperative. They have a say in the company and are involved in its choices. The added value we create flows back to our farmers in the form of milk prices, premiums, post payments or dividends. Milcobel, as a cooperative, stands for dialogue, transparency, reliability and sustainability.
By choosing Milcobel as your supplier, you, the customer, choose authentic dairy, with a direct link to the farmer.
Our Business Units
Consumer Products
"We aim to be the undisputed leader in Belgian cheese, and further expand its reputation at home and abroad. With our cheese service, we are the perfect cheese partner for our customers and the reference on the Belgian market. We believe in solid partnerships and long-term customer relations.”
Premium Ingredients
"With our premium quality and reliable dairy ingredients we meet the needs of our customers. Our collaboration with these customers is an ongoing effort, as we are continuously looking into ways of improving."
YSCO
“By striving for continuous innovation and offering tailor-made customer solutions, we have managed to maintain our position as Europe's second biggest private label ice cream producer. Customer focus, teamwork and thinking ahead are the keywords that drive the entire YSCO team."
Our sites
We process the milk from our dairy farmers in our own state-of-the-art factories, according to strict quality standards. We manufacture cheese, powder, butter, cream, whey and ice cream in accordance with the most recent scientific and technological insights in terms of nutritional, sensory and functional properties, both in Belgium and in France.
Milcobel Board of Directors
Betty Eeckhaut
Vanessa Van Eynde
Luc Van Laer
Mark Matthys - De Zutter
Heidi Willem
Tom Leenaerts
Carl Peeters
Dirk Poelman
Group Executive Committee
Pierre Stevens
Francis Relaes
Tom Schiettecat
Edith Hamelryckx
Bert Van Nieuwenborgh
Eric Derie
Our resource, the cornerstone of our values
From the very outset, our core business stands for the values we want to live by and impart. Valorising milk is what we do. MILK is what we are and how we behave ourselves.
M
Make it happen
Striving to improve is what we want to do. Showing ambition, pushing boundaries, overcoming setbacks and learning lessons from them, and maintaining our own set course. Achieving an ambition requires commitment and determination. To be courageous is to lead.
I
Integrity
We are honest with ourselves and others. We stand for clarity and open communication: everything can and may be said, even if it sounds less pleasant. We uphold the principle that you do what you say, and say what you do. That makes everything transparent, clear and ready. It requires courage, of course, but also ethics, integrity and fairness.
L
Loyalty
We are loyal to our organization’s policy, standards, values, protocols and agreements. The collective interest takes precedence over self-interest. Loyalty is consistent with togetherness, collegiality and teamwork. A cooperative is the explicit expression of loyalty. To tackle challenges, to realize dreams and ambitions and to achieve results. Together, transparently and honestly.
K
Knowledge and know-how
Quality is about more than just products. Quality also applies to our service, our communication, our openness, internally and externally. Quality expresses itself in our professionalism, our competence, our performance and our customer focus.
Milcobel in numbers
1.700
Dairy farmers
1.800
Staff
1.4 Billion litres
milk processed in 2022
€1.36 Billion
turnover in 2022
Our history
1900
At the turn of the century, just about every village had its own dairy. These were often cooperative dairies, associations of farmers who brought the milk to one central location, to process it there and then sell it together. When these dairies start working together, they establish the first Cooperatives. As time passes, various smaller cooperatives merge into larger ones.
1906
“Helpt Malkaar” (Help each other), a farmers’ guild, founds the cooperative society “Melkerij St-Paulus” in Langemark. Their motto: "For and by farmers." This will become the foundation for our future activities in Langemark.
1936
The ‘Sint-Jacobus’ dairy is founded to collect milk around most of the Waasland region. It will become the cornerstone of our Kallo operations.
1939
Right before the outbreak of WWII, Moorslede’s first dairy factory is baptized 'Sint-Martinus', after the parish’s patron saint. In 1948, following its WWII bankruptcy, the dairy is taken over by Roeselare’s farmers’ guild, who turn it into a cooperative dairy, “De Toekomst” ("The future"). The dairy will grow to become Flanders’ most well-known cheese factory.
1940 - 1946
During the war, the sector becomes increasingly professionalized, and the first steps towards automation are taken. Smaller cooperatives start running into difficulties, resulting in several mergers. About 10 smaller dairies join forces in the Limburg Lilac cv merger, founded in 1946. Another one, in the Antwerp region, is INZA (INtercoöperatieve Dairy Factory Antwerp), which is a merger of 15 cooperatives.
1948
Diary cooperative “De Toekomst” (The Future) in Moorslede initially produces milk, butter and milk powder. It starts producing cheese from 1959 onwards. A success story from the very start. The factory makes a name for itself with the excellent quality of its flavourful cheeses, which take home awards time and again.
1949
Ice cream manufacturer Ysco starts its operations in Zarren, in West Flanders. In 1975, a production hall is built in Langemark, where a dairy had been operational since 1906.
1951
Five cooperative dairy factories from East Flanders found S.V. De Melkweg (The Milky Way) - the former ‘Sint-Jacobus’ - in Kallo. The dairy becomes a household name fairly quickly. Within a 10-year span, all of the East Flemish cooperative dairy factories join The Milky Way.
1990 - 1992
The mergers continue over the years. 1991 sees the birth of the Belgian Dairy Union (BZU) (Antwerp, Limburg), a merger between INZA, Lilac, Kempico, and the Kalmthout/Achterbroek dairy. Still in 1991, eight East and West Flemish cooperatives merge into Belgomilk. In 1992, YSCO joins the Belgomilk group. There are now effectively two big dairy groups in Belgium: BZU and Belgomilk.
1998
In order to promote and sell the cheeses it produces even better, Belgomilk takes over DUPONT cheese traders. Thus becoming the largest independent cheese wholesaler. The company now has a presence in all elements of the chain. Founded in Bruges, Kaasimport Jan Dupont nv have been importing, trading, cutting and packaging cheeses since 1929. Cheeseline, their in-house transport company, handles customer distribution.
2001
By taking over the Ségès-Frigécrème ice cream factory in Argentan, YSCO stakes a solid claim in France, as well.
2004
Belgomilk takes over cheese wholesaler AVOLAC, owners of well-known cheese brands Nazareth, Corsendonk and Postel and De Stroobloem butter. In doing so, they strengthen their position as the Belgian cheese specialists.
2005
BZU and Belgomilk join forces to become Milcobel on 1 January 2005. In the years that follow, Milcobel invests in innovation and automation in its factories of the future. The company becomes a household name in the market for cheese, milk powder, cheddar, mozzarella and private label ice cream. There are expansions here and there, with the company also making a name for itself on the international stage, and increasing exports across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Milcobel confirms its worth as an established player in the dairy landscape.
Documents and Annual Reports
Information Note 2023 (Dutch)
Information Note 2023 (Dutch)
Complement to the Information Note 2023 (in Dutch)
Would you like to help us build our milky way?
To make a milky way, you need a lot of stars and we are looking for them constantly. At Milcobel, you are the captain of your own galaxy, you can push your boundaries to infinity and beyond. Are you someone who looks towards the future with an open mind? Prepared to take on any challenge? Who wants to become a shining star in our firmament? So go and boost your career and apply for a job now.
Are you a passionate dairy farmer?
Milcobel is a warm cooperative with respect for its members’ diversity. Our dairy farmers are the heart of our cooperative. Through dialogue and cooperation, we are building a sustainable future for dairy farming together. A future you can be part of. Are you a dairy farmer working in Belgium, the Netherlands of Northern France and are you interested? Get in touch with us now.
An appetite for our products?
Milcobel is your partner for premium quality dairy products. We deliver B-to-B to retailers, hotels, restaurants, cafés, food services and food producers. Are you interested in consumer cheeses, ingredient cheese, butter, cream, milk powder, whey, or ice cream? Our teams would love to hear from you.