Veurne (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Meli, a honey company from Veurne, celebrates its 100th anniversary with new packaging, golden honey pot giveaways, and a party at Plopsaland De Panne. CEO Koen Steurbaut plans growth with a €3M investment.
Meli, a famous honey company from Veurne, province of West Flanders, Belgium, is turning 100 years old this year and celebrating its 100th anniversary. They’re giving themselves a new look with updated packaging and logo. They’re also having special events to celebrate, like giving away golden honey pots.
How is Meli marking its 100th anniversary in Veurne?
Meli is the biggest honey producer in the Benelux region. They handle 20 million kilograms of honey each year. While honey is still their main product, they also make waffles, cookies, and skincare products.
Officials mentioned that Meli has been successful because they make high-quality products, are always trying new things, and know what people want to buy. This has made them a top honey company in Europe.
Meli is investing 3 million euros in their factory in Veurne. This investment will focus on automating production, which their CEO, Koen Steurbaut, believes will help them make things faster and more efficiently. Their goal is to increase their output, especially of jars and bottles. By 2030, Meli plans to double their current sales of these products.
According to the officials, Meli is making changes to its factory, but no one will lose their job. They are automating the packaging department, which means machines will do some of the work. This won’t affect the people who work there.
“We are organizing a competition for those golden pots, but I can’t reveal too much about it yet,”
Says Steurbaut.
“Throughout the year, people can win those pots via our social media. We will certainly also put the employees in the spotlight, and in September, the apotheosis will follow with a big party in Plopsaland De Panne.”
Meli, a honey company, started in 1925 in Veurne. It was founded by Alberic Florizoone, who made honey in his garden and sold it locally. Over time, the company grew and became a large-scale production facility. Eventually, the company changed its name to Meli, which is an anagram of the French word for honey, “miel.”
The factory in Verne still operates today and employs about 50 people. Meli has expanded into new markets, including the Netherlands, and now employs a total of 97 people across its operations. Officials mentioned that the company is an important part of the local economy.
Plopsaland De Panne is located where Meli’s story began. The land was once home to Meli-Park, an amusement park created by Alberic Florizoone, the founder of Meli. Florizoone wanted to teach people about honey. He had a special glass beehive so people could see how honey is made.
In the 1980s, he bought land near the Belgian coast and started Meli-Park. The park had a playground, a maze, a zoo, and a place to learn about honey. Florizoone wanted to create a place where families could have fun and learn about honey.
Meli-Park grew and added new things like a water ride and a fairy tale forest. It became one of Belgium’s first big amusement parks. After Florizoone died in 1992, his family sold the park to Studio 100, a company that makes shows for kids.
Studio 100 changed Meli-Park to Plopsaland De Panne. They added characters from their TV shows, like Plop the Gnome. Even though it changed, the story of Meli-Park and Florizoone’s idea of a honey-themed park is still part of its history.
