"I am a Merchant"

The Fentener van Vlissingen family has a long history of trading and doing business in the Netherlands. In the early Dutch Golden Age, around 1600, its members were active as blacksmiths and masons. Over time, they began trading in limestone, wine, spices, and various other goods. In the late eighteenth century they made their first move into the coal business, culminating in 1881 in the creation of the Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging, the SHV. At the dawn of the twentieth century, the Fentener van Vlissingens had become key players in the Dutch economy and were to participate in the establishment of a number of major enterprises like KLM, Hoogovens (now Tata Steel), and the AKU (now Akzo Nobel).

After the calamities of World War II, Jan van Vlissingen succesfully raised the SHV from its ruins, transforming it into a strong and influential multinational with activities in oil, gas, transport, and retailing. To this very day, the SHV remains the largest family-owned company in the Netherlands.