The story of the Belgian frozen vegetable sector started in 1965 with the first company to start producing frozen vegetables. Since then the number of frozen vegetable companies in the Belgian vegetable-growing region of South and West Flanders has grown to twelve. Together they account for more than a quarter of the European production of frozen vegetables, which makes them the European market leader today, with exports of high quality products representing more than 90% of the total production.
All these companies are special in that they are structured as family-run companies and all have a strong bond with farming. Today several different companies have also spread their wings throughout the whole of Europe. Subsidiaries of West-Flemish frozen vegetable companies have been set up in Portugal, Spain, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Austria.