About us

Since 1993, Pure Ingredients has been producing products from a variety of cuisines that form the basis for delicious dishes drawing on the inspiration of culinary traditions from all over the globe. The company - that started under the name Mekkafood - rapidly became market leader in the halal segment. Today the range offered by Pure Ingredients has evolved into a unique portfolio of brands with a broad-appeal range for everyone who wants to ring the culinary changes occasionally.

Our mission

“Carefree enjoyment together”

Carefree: our products are free of unnecessary or artificial additives and are halal certified. Carefree also represents convenience. Our products can be prepared in various ways - quickly and easily.

Enjoyment: take your taste buds on a culinary journey and enjoy flavour from cultures around the globe. Only the highest quality ingredients are used in products from Pure Ingredients. You can taste the difference!

Together: the best way to enjoy delicious food is together. Sharing the enjoyment of pure products! Our products are suitable for every consumer group and readily available to all.

Our Vision

“With our products we continually respond to the changing eating habits and wishes of a dynamic and fluid society. A world where the convenience of delicious food is synonymous with responsible, flavoursome and varied.”

Our key to success

The quality of our products is determined by the ingredients we use. The flavour is defined by balancing, blending and dosing those ingredients. This creates a result that is greater than the sum of its parts. Our core values are embedded in everything we do. All the details have to be just right for the consumers at the central focus of our efforts.

1960
Market trader and entertainer
In the 1960s, Wout van Eeuwijk, a young entrepreneur from Venlo, the Netherlands, could be admired at work selling the fresh fruit and vegetables on his market stall. It was the era when people didn't just visit the market to buy fresh food, they also came to be entertained. With his top hat and unique personality, Wout attracted crowds shoppers and soon established a wide base of loyal customers.
1970
Hooked on the taste
Wout van Eeuwijk quickly acquired a reputation as a market trader with a talent of persuading people to sample new tastes and products. Fruit such as bananas and pineapples were still relatively unknown to the general public, but by getting consumers ‘hooked’ on the taste they started to gain ground and became more popular and familiar flavours. The ability to sell new products has always been a vital component of the business DNA of Wout van Eeuwijk.
1980
From market to supermarket
Supermarkets started to make a serious impact on the retail landscape in the 1980s. In response to the trend, Wout van Eeuwijk and a business partner opened their own supermarket: Ludwig aus Venlo. Just like many shops in towns along the Dutch-German border, this supermarket targeted German consumers. With his specialised and carefully considered mix of products, Wout answered the needs of varied categories of consumers on both sides of the border.
1990
New cultures and new flavours
During this period, Wout van Eeuwijk also got to know another target group. It was the time when many groups of newcomers were being welcomed to the Netherlands, first from South Europe followed later by migrants from North Africa. Wout quickly realised that the ‘New Dutch’ residents had different dietary and other requirements due to their faith. He made a study of this, then still unfamiliar religion, spoke with imams, visited mosques and soon discovered that the standards and values upheld by this community showed many parallels with his own convictions.
1993
Mekkafood was born
After selling Ludwig aus Venlo, Wout van Eeuwijk founded Mekkafood in 1993. The primary aim of the company was to make typical Dutch snacks available to a wider target group. The Mekkafood range, consisting of three products back then, was just a shadow of the portfolio offered today.
1994
A unique market
It did not take long before the new Islamic consumer group realised that the foods and products they were looking for were not available in regular supermarkets. This prompted the emergence of many small-scale Turkish and Moroccan supermarkets. With a coordinated range to suit the needs of this consumer group, Van Eeuwijk knew that he had found the ideal sales channel to make Mekkafood a major player in the segment. There was just one problem: these shops didn't have freezers. In order to promote his products, Wout van Eeuwijk had to create his own point of sale: witness the arrival of the first Mekkafood freezer. Customised by hand, the freezer was delivered to the first Mekkafood customer. It was the first example of many to follow. Built on this business model and with his own logistics network, it took no time at all before Wout van Eeuwijk grew into the market leader in halal frozen snacks in the Benelux region and Germany.
2004
The first food truck in the Netherlands
During his years as a market trader, a supermarket owner and in the initial phase of Mekkafood, Wout van Eeuwijk developed a passion for direct sales. Particularly the appeal of direct contact with consumers. In 1996 this predilection prompted another unique milestone. It heralded the first food truck used purely for promotional purposes. It was the ideal way for Wout to offer even more consumers a taste of his specialities.
2006
Expansion of production facilities
The company's explosive growth, and the introduction of a new product category (dough products), led to the opening of the Mekkafood bakery in Venlo in 2006. This gave the company its own production facility in its two ‘domestic markets’ in addition to its distribution centres in various countries.
2007
A new distribution channel
More and more supermarkets are recognising the value of responding to the needs and wishes of halal consumers. As a result, retail chains such as Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Rewe and Edeka have decided that Mekkafood is the ideal brand to represent this proposition in the full service retail segment. Consumers were already familiar with the brand through its presence in traditional points of sale. Today the Mekkafood brand forms an integral and essential part of the supermarket landscape.
2014
Expanding the proposition: Pure Ingredients
Despite the successful operation of Mekkafood via various distribution channels, a new direction created new opportunities. At Mekkafood people had become accustomed to typical Dutch products being available and accessible to halal consumers. But over the years, a wealth of experience and knowledge had also been gained in the eating habits and culinary arts of Arabic, North African and Turkish cuisines. The aim became an exchange of flavours from various world cuisines, as a way of bringing cultures closer together. After all: food unites. This was personified by the completely new brand image 'Lekker&Anders' whereby Pure Ingredients took on an umbrella role above the new brand portfolio.
2015
Launch of A-brand Lekker&Anders
The Lekker&Anders brand is how Pure Ingredients can bring flavours from all over the world to the frozen foods aisle. Unique variations on pizzas, wraps and snacks allow this young brand to respond to the ever-growing trend for international cuisine. Popular products in the range include the Turkish Pizza, Döner Pizza and the Chicken Kebap. The range is now available in practically all supermarket chains in the Netherlands.
2016
Another food truck innovation
In 2016, Wout van Eeuwijk came up with yet another innovative idea for the Lekker&Anders brand: the first fully electric food truck in the Netherlands. Inspired from a sustainability perspective. This compact, electrically driven food truck can whiz from street food event to trendy food festival with a zero CO2 footprint. Enhancing the responsible and sustainable credentials of the company. This eye-catcher is equipped with all the necessary facilities including a kitchen and a fridge.
2018
Mekkafood 25 years
Mekkafood existed for 25 years and it was celebrated big!
2019
Local entrepreneur award
Our director Wout van Eeuwijk has won the Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize, which is a local entrepreneur's prize in the region!