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How the Van der Waals Family Built a Global Edible Oils Empire
Description
In episode 99 of Family Business Stories, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable story of the Van der Waals family, who built a global edible oils empire from a single windmill in the Netherlands in 1865. Now in its seventh generation, the company controls 15% of the global palm oil market and processes over 50 million tons of vegetable oils annually. The hosts focus on the leap from fifth to sixth generation in the 1990s, when the family faced a critical decision: go public to fund expansion, or find another way. They chose to issue non-voting shares, keeping control within the family while raising capital. Lucas breaks down how that structure allowed the sixth generation to pivot into sustainable palm oil certification, a move that increased margins by 8 percentage points and protected the business from consumer backlash. The episode also touches on the current seventh-generation succession plan, where four cousins run different regional divisions, and how the family has avoided the infighting that destroyed other dynasties.