From Flemish delicatessen to international brand
The history of Belberry begins in Kortrijk, a city in West Flanders, Belgium. 1956, André Vandererfven took over a small delicatessen from the late 19th century and began producing fruit preserves for the local market. What distinguished the business from ordinary merchants: Vandererfven did not just buy finished goods, but produced his own jams and preserves — according to traditional recipes that he guarded as a family treasure.
In 1990, his son Thierry Vandererfven took over the company and consistently expanded the artisanal in-house production. Under his leadership, the products were exported for the first time. In March 2001, Belberry faced a global audience for the first time at an international trade fair in London — demand exceeded all expectations. The brand name Belberry replaced the family name as a sales label because it was more accessible internationally. Today, the products are represented in upscale delicatessens, hotels, and department stores in more than 60 countries.
Small batches, open copper kettle, no compromises
The production philosophy at Belberry has been the same for decades: cooking in small batches, short heating times, exclusively natural ingredients. The fruits are selected worldwide based on taste and quality — not price or availability. Processing is done without artificial colors or preservatives, with controlled use of sugar. The heart of production is the open red copper kettle, over which an experienced confectioner personally monitors the batches. This artisanal approach, reminiscent of traditional confectionery kitchens, is not a nostalgic concept, but a method: gentle processing preserves aromas that industrial high-temperature processes would destroy.
The fact that this way of working is convincing is proven by a special award: Belberry is an official supplier to the Belgian Royal Household — a Royal Warrant that is only awarded to companies that have demonstrated consistent quality over years.
Fruit vinegars, preserves, and delicacies for the kitchen
The Belberry range today includes several product families: jams and marmalades based on classic as well as unusual recipes, fruit and vegetable vinegars, ketchups, fruit coulis, and cheese accompaniments. In the Vinoscout range, the focus is primarily on the fruit vinegars — including the Cameroon Mango Vinegar, the Japanese Yuzu Vinegar, the Sicilian Lemon and the Sicilian Mandarin Vinegar, as well as the Sweet Raspberry and the Sweet Tomato Vinegar. The basis of these vinegars is wine vinegar, refined with pureed fresh fruits or vegetables from all over the world. The result is aromatically dense, slightly acidic condiments that work as a salad dressing with good olive oil, as a base for marinades, as a finishing touch over grilled fish or seafood, or as an accompaniment to cheese. The product line bears the name Royal Selection — a reference to the royal supplier status, but also to the standard that Thierry Vandererfven has put into every batch since 1990.
