History

In 1947, a new kid on the block arrived in the vinegar industry. That year, Cees Bakker acquired the vinegar plant Groenland en Zn, and changed the name to De Burg. Now known as Burg Group.

History

In 1947, a new kid on the block arrived in the vinegar industry. That year, Cees Bakker acquired the vinegar plant Groenland en Zn, and changed the name to De Burg. Now known as Burg Group.

In the subsequent decades, the company experienced turbulent growth, partly due to its hunger to expand and the extension of the product portfolio. In 1948, Bakker launched its syrup production. The natural vinegar production was added in 1979 under the inspiring leadership of Piet Hein Bakker, Cees’ son, who took over at the helm in 1969. While he was director, the company continued to grow autonomously and there were more acquisitions. These acquisitions resulted in expansion abroad and the extension of the range and brand portfolio. Burg now has production locations in Belgium, Germany, France and the Czech Republic, besides the site where it all began in Heerhugowaard. The syrup factory is in Ter Aar in the Netherlands. All the locations are now known under the flag of the Burg Group, i.e. Burg Azijn, Burg Siroop, Burg Vinegar Belgium, Burg Vinaigre France, Burg Ocet and Burg Essig. Since 2024 Burg Vinegar Jefferson (Georgia, USA) opened his doors.

Piet Hein Bakker

Patricia Surendonk

In 2012, Piet Hein Bakker’s wife, Patricia Surendonk, became CEO of the international family business. With her unbridled passion and entrepreneurship, she moved developments in the company up another gear. Burg embarked on a large-scale refurbishment of the Heerhugowaard site where the head office is based. The tank park with its 47 shiny tanks was opened in 2017. The world’s biggest fermenter is a prominent feature in the glass brewery and that was just the start of an impressive process. The factory on Marconistraat is hypermodern, future-proof and sustainable. Connected to the Waerdse Energy Circuit, Burg is a supplier of heat to surrounding businesses and households. The production site in Heerhugowaard no longer uses gas and gets cooling from the ground from this same energy circuit. This contributes to the sustainable goals for 2035.

Work is also ongoing at other production sites to extend and improve processes and the machine park.

Burg Group is thus making sure that it is ready for the future, a future for this and the next generations. As a result of all these developments, we have strengthened our position as market leader in Europe in natural vinegar as well as the leading role of the wide range of syrup products, particularly for the Dutch and Scandinavian markets.