About Steenland Chocolate

Founded in 1899 as a bakery, Steenland Chocolate has a long history of delivering high quality products to various types of customers. These days we focus on chocolate and in our chocolate factory in Gouda, The Netherlands, we use many types of chocolate to create the perfect chocolate blend for a wide variety of products under the strictest chocolate quality control systems.

Since August 2017 Steenland Chocolate is owned by SINO-PACIFIC TRADING CO.,LTD., one of Steenland’ largest customers! Our team of enthousiastic employees work hard to provide 100% satisfaction.

Timeline

Steenland’s Chocoladefabriek (‘Steenland’s Chocolate Factory’) owes its origin to the energy and vision of Gerard Theodore Steenland who in 1899 returned to his native town of Gouda to set up a retail bakery shop. He had, during the 1880's and 1890's, been Manager of Verkade Bakery in Zaandam during which period he learned the art of bakery management techniques. In those days bread, pastries, biscuits and sugar candies were made on the premises and sold in the shop front of the bakery. The affluence of the post-Great War period saw the introduction of chocolate into such retail bakeries.

1927Steenland Chocolate after the great depressionThe depression starting in 1927 brought huge unemployment, poverty and shortage of raw materials. Nevertheless, thanks to the family's sound vision, hard work and good quality products, Steenland’s Chocoladefabriek managed to survive and grow.../images/about-timeline-01.jpg
1945Growth after the warGerard's sons Theo and Henk assumed responsibility for the running of the company in the mid 1940’s and, through their enterprise and the upholding of their father's firm belief in delivering quality products, the operation quickly expanded. By the end of the 1940s a flourishing export business in Europe, USA and Japan had been built up.../images/about-timeline-02.jpg
1968Chocolate coin productionThe production of quality chocolate coins started in 1968 and within a few years new premises had to be found as business continued to grow and increased production facilities were needed. From the late 1980s Gerard Theodore’s grandson Gerard took over the management of the company. ../images/about-timeline-03.jpg
1995Concentrate on chocolateIn the mid-1990s Steenland abandoned the bakery side of the business to concentrate fully on chocolate products.../images/about-timeline-04.jpg
2003Plain Vanilla Investments GroupIn 2003 Steenland’s Chocoladefabriek B.V. became part of the Plain Vanilla Investments group of companies and was renamed Steenland Chocolate B.V.../images/about-timeline-05.jpg
2004Disney licenseIn 2004 Steenland Chocolate acquired the license to produce and distribute chocolate coins with Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and Princess. Later licenses for Disney CARS, Planes, Minnie Mouse and Frozen where added.../images/about-timeline-06.jpg
2007Georg Woltersdorf GmbHIn 2007 Steenland Chocolate extended its product range by taking over the activities of Georg Woltersdorf GmbH in Erkelenz, Germany. Later on all activities where moved from Erkelenz to the central location in Gouda.../images/about-timeline-07.jpg
2011Halloren Schokoladenfabrik AGIn 2011 Steenland was acquired by Halloren Schokoladenfabrik AG, a chocolate manufacturer located in Germany.../images/about-timeline-08.jpg
2017SINO-PACIFIC TRADING CO., LTD.After 6 successful years within The Halloren Chocolate Group, Steenland was sold to SINO-PACIFIC TRADING CO., LTD., a large import/distribution company in Thailand. SINO imports and sells Steenland products in Thailand for over 30 years and has built a very strong distribution position with the Steenland branded chocolate items. Steenland will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary. For more information about SINO, please visit www.sino.co.th../images/about-timeline-09.jpg

Plain Vanilla Investments group

In December of 2011 Halloren Schokoladenfabrik AG, Germany's oldest chocolate factory, has acquired full ownership of Steenland Chocolate B.V. Since then Steenland has operated as an independent subsidiary of Halloren Schokaldenfabrik. For more information about Halloren, please visit www.halloren.de

Mission

Steenland wishes its nice and fun products to be enjoyed by a worldwide audience. To that end we design and produce high quality, individual and tasty ‘fun’ products (for example chocolate coins) which are ultimately offered via our clients/distributors to the consumers.

Our client’s interests are paramount. Their market knowledge, wishes and requirements are for us instrumental in creating the relevant products for their markets. The basis for our trading is commitment, integrity and a strong focus on service.

We offer all our co-workers an enjoyable, safe and responsible work environment with space for own initiatives and development.

We value it when they take their own initiatives and responsibility within this frame work.

For good suppliers we wish to be a trustworthy partner and endeavour, together with them, to have as little as possible negative impact on our environment caused by our manufacturing processes.

Our trading activities must be profitable. We must continue to innovate and invest in our co-workers and clients as well as in our production facilities.

For as long as we follow these principles our shareholders will receive a fair return on their investments.

Vision

In a turbulent and ever more complex world the consumer becomes more aware of its eating habits, emphasised by pressure groups and governments, and therefore more critical about the consumption of food and drinks.

Despite this consumers worldwide enjoy treats on many special occasions!

Steenland has access to unique production technologies such coin and solid shapes enabling them to produce outstanding products.

By constantly improving these technologies through innovation and investment,

taking into account changing consumer patterns, we are able long term to let many consumers enjoy our ‘fun’ products.

Additionally in the specialised field of coin production we can retain our leadership role.

For Steenland to maintain this position in the future we must invest in our organisation as well as in our co-workers. Only with our own people can we achieve this goal.

Only good and enjoyable working relationships, sharing the same values, ensure that we, the ‘everyday people’ of Steenland can achieve challenging goals long into the future.