Our company

Foppen, a former family company, has a rich and colourful history. In 1918, Jan Foppen (the first generation) was first granted a ‘permit to vend fish’ – as they used to say in those days. Their smoked eel was sold from a cargo bike, as well as from the company smokehouse in the center of Harderwijk. The company grew rapidly and, before long, we began selling several more types of smoked fish, smoked salmon in particular. In 2000, a new factory was built in Greece to meet the increase in demand. As well as smoked fish, we also specialize in shellfish. This means that we can offer a full range of products worldwide for retail, food service and industry.

Tradition in taste

Foppen has a long tradition of skilled craftsmen, all of whom were born into the fish industry. They knew from day one how to make smoked eel with the best flavor. It’s an age-old formula based on natural methods, and it forms the basis of our current range of smoked fish.

And because the company has stayed in the Foppen family down the generations, we have stayed true to this tradition until this day. Foppen has grown to become an international company, and we now have around 400 colleagues working in Harderwijk in the Netherlands and Preveza in Greece.

Future of taste

Our vision for the future is simple, clear and powerful. We are constantly working on this vision, while still remaining faithful to our company’s rich history and our artisan tradition. This history forms the basis for every innovation and, in combination with smart new processes, it also offers us the best opportunities for growth and allows us to provide a wide and unique assortment of smoked fish and shrimps. Each product is of the highest quality, and each has its own specific flavor.

Foppen aims to create true value in every product that it develops. And true value can only be achieved by focusing on quality – in raw ingredients, processes, end products, customer relations and animal welfare. In other words: respect throughout the entire product chain. We aim to make a difference every day, by making the tastiest fish products available to everyone.

Our focus

On this solid foundation, Foppen aims to play a leading role in processing smoked fish and shrimps, and provide solutions that always put the customer first.

Foppen makes the difference. Because anyone can buy the basic raw ingredients, but nobody makes products as delicious as ours! It’s always one specific process (such as smoking or grilling) that demonstrates this difference. Our ambition is to continue expanding our strong position in Europe and the United States and to gain market share in Asia, the Middle East and South America.

Experience in smoking fish

Our many years of experience in smoking fish mean that our knowledge is second to none. Our smokers take many different factors into account: the size of the fish, daily changes in the weather conditions and the passing of the seasons. At Foppen, we use only the very best wood to smoke our fish – Foppen’s unique blend of oak and beech. That’s what gives our products their characteristic smoky flavor and wonderful texture.

For  cold smoking, whole sides of fresh salmon go into the smoking chamber. They are dried and smoked for eight hours at a temperature of between 70°F and 85°F. One advantage of this method is that the fillets retain their firm texture.

We also smoke salmon at warmer temperatures. Over the course of several hours, the temperature in the smoking chamber slowly rises from 150°F to 185ºF. The result is salmon that is smoked to perfection with an intense smoky flavor, which can be enjoyed bot warm or cold.