Royal Smit & Zoon: 7 Generations, more than 200 years of entrepreneurship and innovation Albert Smit – Captain of the vessel “De Koornzaaijer” – founded the company in 1821. Originally, he needed a way to trade his dried codfish, salted herring and medicinal cod liver oil. But the former captain showed himself a great entrepreneur as well: it didn’t take him long to expand his activities to trading animal oils, vegetable oils and proteins. Through a series of innovations and adaptations, Royal Smit & Zoon developed into a company producing chemicals for the leather industry. In addition, functional oils and animal fats for the food, feed and pharmaceutical industry were produced and traded.