Royal Smit & Zoon

The Smit & Zoon story began in 1821 when Albert Smit, former captain of the merchant vessel the Koornzaayer, founded the company in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. As a captain he was all too well aware that teamwork and collaboration are essential to success. Long-term partnerships have made us successful and distinguished us for near-on two centuries and we plan to continue in the same way in the centuries to come.

When ‘A. Smit & Zoon’ was founded, Albert Smit was looking for a way to trade dried cod, salted herring and cod liver. The logo from those days, just as in a realistic painting, clearly shows what the company stood for. In the middle of the picture a true to life cod. Above that and for the sake of clarity in full: `A. Smit & Zoon`. In order to leave nothing in the dark about the places where the company is active, the bottom edge of the oval shape states along its entire width: `Amsterdam and Bergen, Norway`. The company logo is also a `Registered Trademark`, something the logo also wants to expressly let the viewer know about.

An enigmatic symbolism has crept into the logo, an exciting mystery. Because what is the significance of the beautiful coronet that sits enthroned above the cod in the middle? The coronet gives the almost 200-year-old logo a royal touch. Looking with the eyes of today, it is hard to imagine that the designers of the logo at the time showed a foresight and even predictive vision. Perhaps the coronet was no more than a friendly gesture towards the royal family. A picture, in a literal sense, of patriotism and respect for a monarch who did much to promote trade and industry in tough economic times. Anyway: now, two hundred years later, the coronet is still relevant.

In 1990 a new logo was introduced, incorporating the symbol of an Erlenmeyer flask (laboratory glassware). Smit & Zoon has placed a strong emphasis on sustainable entrepreneurship in its business strategy. It wants to make its mark from raw materials to end product. The company believes that `a drop` can make the earth fertile. The drop in the new logo expresses the symbolism of group solidarity. The feeling of being able to get a job done together. That feeling is widely shared in the company.

Corporate social responsibility appears to have become a binding characteristic in the company, because employees also want to play a role in making the use of leather more sustainable. They are rightly proud of the drop in the company logo that wants to make the earth green, prosperous and attractive. The drop in the Smit & Zoon logo is symbolic of the company`s belief that every drop counts and is valuable.

By means of collaborations with third parties, Smit & Zoon is contributing to the improvement of working conditions in the chain, making the end products more sustainable and the image of leather as a sustainable material.

The logo, launched in 2019, is a symbolic drop. This drop is a tribute to the company`s rich heritage. Over the years, the drop has always been a part of the company logo in various ways. The separate parts of the logo also symbolize hands reaching out and helping each other.

After officially receiving the predicate “Royal” in September we are proud to present our new Royal Smit & Zoon logo. Also, we will carry the name Royal Smit & Zoon in our communication.

A long-term focus is at the heart of our business and a sustainable future for the next generation is constantly at the forefront of our minds.

Thank you for your dedication to our employees, our customers, our partners to help us grow as a strong innovative business and to support our mission: to create a environmentally and socially sustainable leather value chain by 2025.

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