Before 1950
In the early 1950s, it all began. Leen van Gelder and his wife M. van Gelder-Schumacher returned from a brief adventure as emigrants in Canada. The Dutch soil seemed to have an irresistible attraction. In addition to his work with a local grower, Leen started growing Brussels sprouts on his own small plot of land in the evenings. The sprouts thrived, and it was time for the next step.
1953 - Independent grower
"Hard work is fine, but only for myself." This must have been Leen's thought when he started as an independent gardener in 1953. And don't tell a gardener anything about growing—he and his wife were blessed with five wonderful sons. All of them worked in the business, before and after school.
1972 - Vegetable store Rotterdamse Pijnackerstraat
The wholesale business was rock solid. Time for something extra. Leen Senior took over a vegetable store and settled in the Pijnackerstraat in Rotterdam. His son Wim took the helm, and the store performed just as well as the sprouts. His other son Gerrit, who had been helping out in the business since the age of fourteen, became a permanent member of the team.
1975 - Second store at the Pieter de Hoochstraat in Ridderkerk
A second store was taken over on Pieter de Hoochstraat in Ridderkerk. Gerrit became the store manager with, to start, just one shop assistant. It's a well-known story by now, but the store thrived, and brother Jan joined the same year. This location turned out to be a golden move, as the municipality of Ridderkerk developed the local shopping center around the vegetable shop!
1985 - Kiosk in the center of Ridderkerk
In line with the 1980s, the next expansion was a kiosk in the center of Ridderkerk. It quickly became too small, with more than half of the goods displayed outside the shop.
1991 - The Versmarkt was born
Time for renewal, and beautiful plans were developed for the center of Ridderkerk. In this modernization, there was no longer a place for the kiosk. It was also time for something new for L. Van Gelder—the idea for a true fresh market was born. Various fresh food retailers from the center were approached, and as a vegetable specialist, L. Van Gelder sat down with other shopkeepers. The Versmarkt (Fresh Market) was born.
1992 - Production company and wholesale business
More new ideas emerged, and the first steps were taken with the production company and the wholesale business. The building on Koopliedenweg in Barendrecht functioned as an interim storage facility, production site, and handled procurement for the stores and business clients.
2002 - Modern production facility Veren Ambacht
Once again, everything was growing rapidly: the building on Koopliedenweg had become too small. On the new industrial site Veren Ambacht, L. Van Gelder developed a modern production facility with ten business units intended for rental. The production facility itself was used by Van Gelder. In 2002, the doors opened. With an eye on the future, significant investments were made in modern production methods and deliveries to the hospitality and institutional markets.
2008 - Logistics center
In 2008, Van Gelder expanded by developing a new logistics center on 3,500 m² of land next to its existing building at Handelsweg 70. The two buildings are connected: number 70 houses the production facility, while number 60 is dedicated to logistics. The logistics center boasts nine docks for incoming and outgoing goods, enabling the company to efficiently handle its distribution processes. This strategic move allowed Van Gelder to streamline operations and improve its ability to meet growing customer demands across the Netherlands.
2011 - Acquisitions ensure nationwide coverage
With the acquisition of Verhaaren Tilburg and Venlo, and a majority stake in Stavasius from Groningen, Van Gelder ensures nationwide coverage. Concentrated in two locations—Ridderkerk and Groningen—and with a strong market position, the company is ready to grow further into what the future has to offer.
2016 - Building plans
Under the leadership of Leen van Gelder’s sons, Van Gelder has grown rapidly—like cabbage—and the growth continues. To ensure that all activities can continue to run smoothly, plans are being developed to move to a new location. The new building is set to form the entrance to the newly developed business park Nieuw-Reijerwaard, the most sustainable industrial area in Europe. This brings the story full circle, as the new facility is being built on the very site where Leen van Gelder Sr. once grew his Brussels sprouts.
2017 - Driving of the first pile
On October 9, 2017, during a festive gathering, the first pile of the brand-new, state-of-the-art building was driven by the management (Leen, Gerrit, Jan, and Anton van Gelder) and the mayors of Ridderkerk (Anny Attema) and Barendrecht (Jan van Belzen). Thanks to the aftermovie, it is possible to relive this momentous event.
2018 - Van Gelder builds
Van Gelder has big ambitions with the new building. In addition to two large halls for packaging, processing, storing, and transporting vegetables and fruits, a true Experience Center is being created at the front. To involve all stakeholders in the process and plans, the entire construction is documented through the online series Van Gelder builds.
2019 - First delivery from automated warehouse
Van Gelder joined forces with Vanderlande to fully automate the warehouse—an unprecedented solution within the foodservice industry. With over 2 kilometers of conveyor belts, 92 shuttles, and robots, Van Gelder can guarantee the highest turnover rate in the market. After many months of testing, the first customers were supplied from the new warehouse in 2019.
2020 - Van Gelder wins Shopping Award for the category B2B
Van Gelder Groente & Fruit has won the coveted award for ‘Best B2B Webshop in the Netherlands’. The company from Ridderkerk was chosen as the winner in the B2B category from the final three nominated companies. The award was received by operations manager Demis van Kouwen during a private ceremony at Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk aan Zee.
2019 - First delivery from automated warehouse
Van Gelder joined forces with Vanderlande to fully automate the warehouse—an unprecedented solution within the foodservice industry. With over 2 kilometers of conveyor belts, 92 shuttles, and robots, Van Gelder can guarantee the highest turnover rate in the market. After many months of testing, the first customers were supplied from the new warehouse in 2019.
