23 september 2020
10:00
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The Limburg bottler and beverage producer Konings wants to expand. To meet the growing demand, 10,000 square meters of extra capacity is needed.
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‘Every year, 1 billion bottles, bricks and cans pass through our factories. These flow to both supermarkets and catering establishments. If you put them all next to each other, you would arrive at 60,000 kilometers, which is one and a half times the equator. ‘ The Limburg Konings is unknown to the general public. Nevertheless, the Zonhoven bottling company is an indispensable link in the beverage industry. It bottles and produces drinks for numerous global players, such as the tonic brand Fever-Tree or the spirits maker Bacardi. 20 percent of the drink is destined for the Belgian market, the rest is exported to some 50 countries.
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© Debby Termonia
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Konings is on a steady advance. In the past twelve years, turnover has climbed from 45 to 240 million euros. ‘We have continuously reinvested the profit in extra production capacity,’ says CEO Joris Brams. ‘This allowed us to grow enormously, but that was at the expense of warehouse space.’ That is why there is a need for extra logistics storage space and new production lines.
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‘In each of our six locations – three in Belgium and three abroad – activities are increasing, especially in Zonhoven and Breda,’ says Brams. Corona put another turbo on it. ‘We need at least 10,000 square meters of extra capacity in the region.’ Konings has two options in mind: a site near Breda and a site on the old industrial site of Ford Genk.
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‘We want to double it again in the next five years,’ says Brams. That is why, in addition to additional logistics storage space, in time, new production lines must also be built. Konings is aiming for an additional 100,000 square meters for this. How much will that cost? ‘We invest 20 million euros annually, that will not be less now,’ says Brams.
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Fruit juices
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75 years ago Konings was nevertheless destined as a local player. After its creation in 1946, the Konings family made genever, cider and fruit juices for a long time. But when the company was taken over in 2007 by the four Jos Rutten, Dirk Maris, Luc Nulens and Jef Moors, Konings changed course. The beverage producer sold its Smeets (gin) and Trudo (fruit juice) brands in 2011 and became a bottler working exclusively on behalf of other companies.
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The number of customers was reduced from more than a thousand to less than a hundred, but the volumes increased. Simultaneously, Konings did one takeover after another in Europe with factories in Borgloon, Breda, Boxford and Beaucaire. It not only expanded the capacity, but also the portfolio: Konings now processes drinks in glass, cans, brig and PET bottle.
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Kombucha
Yet Konings did not completely renounce the production of drinks. ‘We have a large research and development department that we also work with on behalf of third parties,’ says Brams. ‘The company’s background in the fruit juice sector comes in handy here. We mainly create ‘functional drinks’, such as protein and vitamin shakes or kombucha soft drink. Our own drink brands may be a thing of the past, but we are still in every refrigerator. ‘
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Profile Konings
> Founded by the Konings family from Limburg in 1946 as a producer of gin, cider and fruit juice.
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> Acquired in 2007, after which the company turned into a bottler for other beverage companies.
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> Six branches in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom.
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> Turnover (2019): 240 million euros.
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> Finalist for the ‘Company of the Year 2020’ award.
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