Telegraph, November 4, 2025

Everyone knows bacon nibbles, but almost no one knows who makes them. In Tholen, Zeeland, the Wilthagen family business has been baking the snack that's stocked at Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and Lidl for fifty years. What started with a pan of bacon on the stove has grown into an international company now run by the second and third generations.

"My father was always working, so I definitely didn't want to go into the butcher shop," laughs Frank Wilthagen. But as often happens with family businesses, things turned out differently. In 1972, parents Adrie and Paulien started a butcher shop in Krabbendijke. As residents of the dike, they had to carve out a niche for themselves among three other butchers and two supermarkets. "After two years, my father panicked; it wasn't working."

Mother Paulien decided to take a different approach. She went to farms with a notebook to take orders, while her husband delivered liverwurst and roast beef to a supermarket. That worked, but the real turning point came when an older customer walked into the shop and said, "You can fry that bacon, it's delicious in a stew." "Dad tried it at home, put the gravy pan on the counter, and by noon, everything was gone. The next day he did the same," laughs Frank. "No other butcher fried bacon for customers; people did that at home. That was the first convenience food."

Challenges
Things moved quickly from then on. In 1982, Adrie and Paulien sold the butcher shop to focus entirely on liverwurst and bacon nibbles. "They worked day and night in the business." Their children didn't appreciate that hard life. Frank took a bread and pastry course, Marcel studied maritime engineering, and their sister went into teaching. After a few years, the brothers returned. "I didn't want to spend the rest of my life working nights in the bakery," says Frank. And Marcel, a technician, suddenly saw all sorts of technical possibilities.
challenges in larger installations, hygiene systems and mechanization.

The move to Tholen in 1996 marked a turning point: the first large factory. "We were already supplying supermarkets and had to professionalize to comply with European regulations," says Frank. "Dad got himself deeply into debt again, but it worked." In 2000, the brothers took over the company.

The transfer did not go smoothly. “My father cut back until he was 63. That was an emotional struggle,
"Hear." An intermediary had to arrange everything properly to keep the whole family informed. Marcel wanted to mechanize: large kettles and a conveyor belt for fries. "Dad didn't see the point, but in the end, it worked out."

Truth
Yet the bond remained strong. “Dad is a people person, not a hard-nosed businessman. Neither are we. Staff
"I've been working here for 25 years. It's a lot of hard work and sometimes we have to be honest, but family and employees are the most important." Since 2008, Wilthagen has expanded the range with new flavors and snacks. And with the third generation, a new direction has emerged. "Sons Arthur and Koen are focusing on digitization, quality systems, and sustainability. They want to record, measure, and improve everything. We did a lot by instinct."

The third generation also thinks differently in terms of content. “People don't eat huge chunks of meat anymore.” The focus is now entirely on snacks made from residual flows, such as salmon and vegetable crackers. “Yes, we can
"We're riding the protein wave." Frank isn't thinking about quitting yet, and Marcel is slowly scaling back. "If the guys want to quit in ten years, I won't blame them. It's not an easy business: too big for the napkin, too small for the tablecloth. But as long as we remain independent and people enjoy our snacks, we're doing something right."