Our members
At Milcobel, our 2,000 dairy farmers are the core of our business. They supply the premium milk from which we make delicious products such as cheese, butter, cream, whey, high-quality milk powders and ice cream.
Together, we produce and process about 1.4 billion litres of milk yearly.
Betty Eeckhaut
"As chairman, I want to work with the board and all members to continue building a cooperative that is both flexible and agile in order to deliver solid results. In doing so, we are making Milcobel ‘future proof,’ for us and for future generations. What drives and unites us is our expertise and passion for the most beautiful job there is, that of being a dairy farmer. That is our profession, and should remain our future."
What we have to offer you as a cooperation
2,000 member cooperators and 1,800 employees; every day, we are making a difference, together. Because our company is owned by our dairy farmers. Our profits flow back to our members.
Whoever buys our products, directly supports our farmers.
Not only do you opt for a guaranteed outlet, but you co-invest in the international growth of our finished products such as mozzarella. Local, joint entrepreneurship provides a foothold and foundation for this and future generations. In short, choosing Milcobel is choosing to build a long-term future.
As Milcobel, we offer a strong value chain, from farmer to store. Our dairy farmers and employees build the future of our cooperative, together.
That chain begins at the farm. Our dairy farmers are an essential part of the production process. Day by day, they attach great importance to the well-being and health of their cows. Indeed, the healthier the cow, the better the milk it gives. Cows convert the grass that is indigestible to humans into milk, which is then used to make other dairy products.
Our employees convert quality milk into premium dairy products, responding to customer and market expectations with customer-oriented innovations, both at the national and international levels. Our sites are state-of-the-art.
And that is how our premium products find their way to our clients, and all the way to the consumer.
Choosing Milcobel means…
A market-based milk price committed to quality and sustainability
Reaping the benefits of sustainability efforts
Committing to quality
Pasture milk as a major feature of our consumer products
An important quantity premium that supports growth
A market-based milk price committed to quality and sustainability
Milcobel's board and management are resolutely committed to a solid standard milk price, supplemented by various premiums for quality, sustainability, pasture milk and volume.
Every month, our drivers-dairy farmers, together with management, determine the standard milk price for the running month. As local dairy farmers, they understand the wants and needs of our members. In doing so, Milcobel's market performance is reflected in the milk price for the dairy farmer on a monthly basis
Reaping the benefits of sustainability efforts
Sustainability has become an integral part of the way we run our business, and the operations of our dairy farmers. Every year our dairy farmers complete our sustainability survey. They are then paid a monthly sustainability bonus, based on their individual score. In doing so, we encourage our members - each at their level and according to their ability - to commit to making the sector more sustainable.
The score is calculated from a range of possible sustainability initiatives, based on a number of modules. As a Milcobel supplier, you yourself choose which ones you commit to. The more modules you commit to, the higher your individual sustainability premium becomes (up to a maximum of 1 euro per 100 litres).
Committing to quality
Premium milk is the foundation for positioning our strong brands and international growth. That is why quality is additionally rewarded with a quality premium as high as 0.75 EUR/100 litres.
Pasture milk as a major feature of our consumer products
The demand for products with pasture milk keeps growing! Milcobel gives its dairy farmers the free choice to participate in this. Opting to produce pasture milk will net you, as a farming business, an additional bonus fee of 0.25 euro per 100 litres.
An important quantity premium that supports growth
Milcobel has been implementing a new quantity premium since mid-2022, with a 50% increase over the previous system. By leveraging this, Milcobel wants to motivate and appropriately reward growth companies. In this way, the logistical efficiency gains realized by the collection of larger volumes directly benefit the suppliers, as well.
Working together as a key to success
Milcobel believes in the power of cooperation and building bridges: between dairy farmers and the company; and between dairy farmers and society. Our members are vitally important to the success of our organization. We want to be their lifelong partner, today and for future generations.
“I got to know Milcobel as a particularly fascinating company. Driven and carried by our member cooperators who give their best to deliver premium quality milk, day in and day out. In the meantime, I have met quite a few suppliers personally and what struck me each time was their enormous passion for dairy farming. Even in these far from easy times, with a farming industry under pressure. But it is precisely at these pivotal moments that we can make a difference with our cooperative approach. Together. That is why we are fully committed to reactivating our cooperative operation. To bring people and ideas together again and, in doing so, breathing oxygen into our structures. In addition to that, we are investing in swift, smooth, and transparent communication. Good communication is thé lever for creating engagement and involvement.“
Tom Schiettecat
We also organize thematic working groups in which our members actively participate. One of these is our cooperative sustainability working group.
Our young farmers are united in the member Circle for Young Farmers.
Each member is invited to run for and become actively involved in the management bodies as they see fit.
“I’ve always been very cooperatively-minded. My father and grandfather also supplied to the cooperative for years on end. Some local farmers suggested I should become a member of the management. I saw it as my chance to help tackle things. So, I applied and became elected. Today I’m part of the board."
Tom Leenaerts
“ As farmers, we should become marketeers a bit more. We should be proud of what we are doing ourselves, and proud of our cooperative, Milcobel. Take our Brugge Kaas, for example, a household name. We have been making mozzarella for 25 years. We offer Powder+, a premium milk powder, we run an incredible ice cream factory, YSCO,… We really are far too modest. A cooperation is more relevant than ever! We have to join forces. As a farmer in a cooperative, you are much closer to the management and more involved with the decisions made through the member structures. Our approach is vital for future generations, as well: if we continue to anchor our production in Belgium, there will be a future for our children! “
Heidi Willem
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.