History:

The creation of the Vandamme group dates back to 1903 when Louis Vandamme purchased an oil and flour mill in Zulte. Louis himself was a third-generation miller. Located at the heart of the flax region along the Leie, linseed was at the time processed from the local flax culture.

When in the 60s and 70s the flax industry in Flanders gradually disappeared, there was a switch to other oil seeds. With the emergence of the starch industry, which experienced major growth as a result of the launch of sweeteners based on corn (glucose - and subsequently fructose - syrups) an increasing number of corngerms became available on the market and the specialisation in the processing of said seeds was developed.

Gilbert Vandamme started a new crushing plant in 1980 in Deinze, along the canalised Leie. It was subsequently expanded with a refinery and vegetable oil packing plant. In 2002 a pacakaging unit was opened in southern Tunisia to serve the North African market.

Today the group is market leader and the only specialised integrator in the production and refining of corn oil in Europe.