History

At Cleve & Zonen, we pride ourselves on our rich history as a logistics company going back to 1934. Until Gerard van Pelt joined Cleve & Zonen in 1975, the company was merely a small freight forwarding company, but his decision to set up a container groupage service was a catalyst for the company’s development.

Ambition and work ethic

Thanks to Gerard’s vision, impeccable work ethic and ambition, supported by his wife Thea, and the dedication and hard work of all those involved, Cleve & Zonen soon became the large, all-round family-owned business it is today. Whereas during the mid-seventies it could take the organisation up to three weeks before a shipping container was filled, our company has transformed into a dynamic business which runs many hundreds of services, of both import and export groupage, on a monthly basis.

Relocation

Due to the company’s rapid expansion it soon outgrew the small residential home its office was located in, after which the business was relocated to a larger building. As the company grew, Gerard’s daughters Samantha and Mireille grew up along with it; as children, they played tag at the office located at the Van Weerden Poelmanweg after office hours. And as they grew up they earned their pocket money by folding departure lists and ordering documents by postcode; these turned out to be the first small steps of their careers within our family-run business.