Family Van Hauteghem

Vitaetom is a company with extensive experience spanning several generations. Founded in the 1950s by Maurice Van Hauteghem, father of Walter Van Hauteghem, the horticultural business originally grew strawberries in open soil. Walter joined the company in ’73, and in ’89 they made the switch to tomato cultivation. His son Koen stepped into the business in ’97, followed by daughter Annelies, who has been active in the family company since 2007.

At the end of 2016, Walter and Koen made the bold decision to transition the company to organic cultivation. They faced a choice: invest, modernise and expand to continue serving the conventional market, or head in a new direction.

Convinced that mass production and market dumping weren’t the right path forward, they opted for sustainable and organic cultivation. Looking ahead, they’d like to expand by another hectare, as they’ve noticed a significant increase in consumer demand for organic products.