History of a Family Business
In 1910, Jacob de Koning founded a butcher shop in Rijsoord. A true entrepreneur at heart, Jacob grew the business into a thriving operation. He began offering delivery services in the region, which quickly outpaced the revenue of the shop itself. In the 1920s, he opened the first branch in Heerjansdam.
In 1939, Jacob handed over the leadership of the business to his sons, Jos and Piet de Koning. After the war, the company continued to grow steadily. A major development in the following years was the rise of supermarkets. De Koning saw this not as a threat, but as an opportunity. With its own sausage and meat processing facility, the company could supply not only its own butcher shops but also supermarket chains. It successfully secured clients such as Simon de Wit and P. de Gruyter & Zn.
Around 1960, the third generation stepped in—cousins Jaap and Jan de Koning. In the 1970s, they discontinued home deliveries, but the number of branches and franchise stores continued to grow. At its peak, De Koning operated 16 butcher shops across the region.
After 1985, the market changed rapidly. The management decided on a radical shift in strategy: to specialise in large-scale catering supply—serving restaurants, meal producers, and canning factories. The retail branches no longer fit this new direction and were gradually transferred to their store managers. The company fully committed to professional kitchens—a golden move. The Rijsoord location became too small to keep up with demand.
In 2005, Jan de Koning relocated the company to its current site in Zwijndrecht. The facility was outfitted with automated systems to precisely control smoking and cooking times. In the kitchen at De Koning, dedicated professionals continue to develop surprising and flavourful new products. Today, the fourth generation is at the helm. In 2010, during the company’s 100th anniversary, Jan handed over leadership to his son, Arjan de Koning. In over a century, the company has transformed significantly.
What has remained unchanged? The craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation.
And we’re not standing still. Today, we continue to invest in digitalisation, automation, and the expansion and optimisation of our facilities. Even as technology evolves rapidly, our focus remains on delivering genuine craftsmanship—to you, our customer.
Because at De Koning, the customer is Royalty.
