8504099 hdr | Sofindev
Business partners
Kris Hillewaert & Patrick Hillewaere
Equity stake
Entry
2024

Hillewaert was founded in 1997 by Kris Hillewaert, Patrick Hillewaere and their respective wives. Under the leadership of Kris Hillewaert and Patrick Hillewaere, the activities in sales and maintenance of professional coffee machines were set up.

Including the headquarters in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, Hillewaert has 4 branches: Knokke, Hasselt and Antwerp in Belgium and Zeewolde in the Netherlands. In total there are about 75 employees, including more than 40 technical people who offer daily interventions including installations, checks or repairs. Hillewaert realized a turnover of 30 million euros in 2023.

Hillewaert nl DSC6393 hdr | Sofindev
8504133 | Sofindev

For years Hillewaert has been the Benelux distributor of the leading brand Franke, which is a renowned manufacturer of high quality and smart fully automatic coffee machines. In addition, Hillewaert also distributes Faema manual espresso machines. Faema is Italian-made and the ideal machine for the sophisticated barista who wants to add a personal touch to his coffee creations.

For several years, Hillewaert has also been marketing its own fully automatic espresso machine under the Yunio brand, ideal for smaller offices, catering establishments or at home. This complete range of high-quality machines allows Hillewaert to quickly serve its customers a total offering. In terms of technology, reliability, capabilities and appearance, these brands are among the absolute best in the world.

Hillewaert nl DSC6338 hdr | Sofindev
8504120 | Sofindev

The strong focus on quality, innovation, service, delivery speed and reliability and offering additional added value is part of the basis of Hillewaert's success and rapid growth. Among other things, the company is committed to providing remote monitoring systems (IoT - Internet of Things) so that customer needs can be monitored even better and maintenance can be planned preventively. The majority of customers opt for a maintenance contract. This gives them the guarantee that a technician will arrive within 24 hours in case of failure and allows them to calculate their annual costs in advance.

Focus on innovation, technical service and reliability

Through its partnership with Sofindev, Hillewaert wants to strengthen itself to continue and further accelerate its strong growth trajectory of the past years. This partnership underlines Hillewaert’s ambition to further strengthen its position as market leader in the sale and maintenance of professional coffee machines in the Benelux, by focusing even more on innovation, technical service and reliability. This way, Hillewaert wants to continue to offer its clients in the out-of-home coffee market, such as gas stations, small and large offices, airports, retailers, coffee shops, canteens and hospitals, an outstanding service in order to deliver an optimal coffee experience.

Franke nl DSC6472 hdr | Sofindev

“With Sofindev we are bringing on board a complementary partner that shares the same values as our family business and has a mentality and vision for the future that perfectly matches the current needs and ambitions of our company. We also wish to thank all the employees in the office and on the road. It is thanks to their daily commitment that Hillewaert can remain a family company.”

Kris Hillewaert & Patrick Hillewaere
Managing directors - Hillewaert

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