Justin Buitenhuis succeeds Ruud Zanders as CEO of Kipster

Venlo, 1 June 2026 – Kipster is announcing a change in its management. Founder Ruud Zanders will hand over the role of CEO to Justin Buitenhuis on 1 July. Justin has been active as co-CEO since 1 May 2025. With this step, Kipster is preparing for a new phase of growth, professionalisation and international scaling.

Since its founding, Kipster has grown from a pioneer into an internationally recognised concept within the food chain. Under Ruud’s leadership, the company developed an innovative approach to animal welfare, sustainability and transparency in the food chain.

A new phase for Kipster
As Kipster enters a new phase of growth, this calls for a different approach to leadership, with a greater focus on scalability and international expansion. When Justin joined, it was agreed that he would in time take on the role of CEO in full. That moment has now arrived.

In line with this agreement, Justin will take over day-to-day leadership in full on 1 July. Together with Kipster’s team and partners, he will focus on the further development and scaling of the concept.

Ruud will remain involved with Kipster as a strategic advisor and ambassador of the mission. He will fulfil this role from OTA Food BV, the parent holding company under which Kipster operates. From that position within OTA Food, he will focus, among other things, on new initiatives within the broader food transition.

Ruud Zanders: “Kipster is my baby. In Justin, we have found someone who can help it grow and scale even further. After a year of working closely together, we share the confidence that this is the right moment for this step. I personally enjoy working on new initiatives within the food transition, and I will now have more room to do so. At the same time, I will stay involved with Kipster and look forward to sparring with Justin about the further development of the food system.”

Justin Buitenhuis: “I am impressed by Kipster’s vision and by what has been built up over the past years. I am grateful for the trust placed in me to take this to the next phase. My focus is on further expanding Kipster both nationally and internationally, so that we can increase our impact.”

Continuity of course
Kipster’s mission and direction remain unchanged. The change in management reflects Kipster’s development from a founder-driven initiative into an organisation that is ready for further growth and professionalisation.
In doing so, Kipster remains true to its own identity: open, transparent and focused on a food system that fits within the boundaries of the planet.

About Kipster
Kipster is working towards a food system that is feasible within the ecological boundaries of the planet. The company has developed an innovative concept for the production of eggs and shows that sustainable food production is possible in practice.