The Vegetarian Butcher Collective has appointed Rutger Rozendaal as Chief Executive Officer, completing a planned leadership transition less than a year after the integration of plant-based brands The Vegetarian Butcher and Vivera.
Rozendaal succeeds Willem van Weede, who oversaw the combination of the two businesses following Vivera’s acquisition of The Vegetarian Butcher from Unilever in 2025. Van Weede will remain involved as an advisor through the end of the year and will continue serving on the company’s statutory board.
Returning to the top role
Rozendaal previously served as CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher after joining the company in 2019 as Chief Commercial Officer. He remained closely involved in the business during its transition from Unilever ownership and subsequent integration with Vivera.
“I’m honoured to take on this role at such an exciting moment for the Collective. Together, we have built a strong foundation over the past year. My focus is to build on that momentum, strengthen our brands, continue delivering great products and further expand our impact in markets around the world,” said Rozendaal.
According to the company, its commercial direction and long-term priorities will remain unchanged following the leadership transition.
Integration phase concludes
Van Weede led the organization through its first year as a combined business, overseeing the integration of operations, teams, and brand portfolios.
“I am grateful for what we have achieved together over the past year. Bringing together two strong organizations into one collective has required commitment, trust and teamwork from colleagues across the business,” he said.
According to company figures, The Vegetarian Butcher products are sold in more than 55,000 points of sale across 45 countries, while Vivera is available in over 32,000 supermarkets throughout 25 European markets.
“With that foundation now firmly in place, this is the right moment to hand over to Rutger and support the next phase of growth,” Van Weede concluded.
