Diepvries Urk celebrates 35 years

This year, Diepvries Urk is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Since 1986, Diepvries Urk has operated as an independent service provider, processing fish and food products. In the 1980s, Riekelt van Veen started making plans for a new construction, which finally became reality in 1986: Diepvries Urk was born.

Although Diepvries Urk is 35 years old, the Van Veen family has been active in the fish industry for almost 100 years. Great-grandfather Albert van Veen started with a cafeteria on the erstwhile island in 1928. Soon after, he opened the first ice factory in Urk: Gebroeders van Veen. This is where we produced and distributed ice for various fishing vessels in different ports in the Netherlands and Germany. The Van Veen Brothers did this until 1960.

Ships became more modern and now had their own refrigeration systems. Gebroeders van Veen had to respond and started freezing fresh fish. In the beginning, they did this on metal plates and later, on one of the first belt freezers in Urk. Capacity became too limited and innovation was needed: the very beginnings of Diepvries Urk.