Vlam

What Vlam does

VLAM (Vlaams Centrum voor Agro- en Visserijmarketing) is a Flemish government agency structured as an externally autonomous agency (Extern Verzelfstandigd Agentschap) and non-profit association (vzw) operating within the policy domain of Work, Economy, Science, Innovation, Agriculture and Social Economy (WEWILS) of the Flemish government. It functions as the official marketing and promotion organization for the Flemish agricultural, horticultural, fishery, and agrofood sectors, conducting market research and consumer-education activities aimed at increasing awareness and demand for locally produced Flemish agricultural products. Its statutory role includes certifying streekproducten (regional specialties) under an official Flemish recognition program.

The organization operates a portfolio of digital platforms and consumer-facing brands. Its primary consumer properties include lekkervanbijons.be (a food recipe and producer-story platform with hospitality and specialty-retail subsites), groenvanbijons.be (a plants and gardening inspiration platform), and freshfromflanders.com (an export information portal for the Flemish agrofood sector). It conducts sector-specific marketing campaigns across 14 product categories — potatoes, poultry and rabbit, beer, dairy, meat, organic products, vegetables and fruit, short-chain, flowers and plants, eggs, seeds, fish, streekproducten, and wine — and runs an annual national Bioweek organic promotion launched by the Flemish Minister of Agriculture. Free downloadable campaign materials (recipe cards, seasonal folders, educational booklets) are distributed via its webshop, alongside consumer press relations and registered-media engagement.

VLAM is publicly funded through Flemish government budgetary allocations rather than commercial revenue. There are no private investors, no equity instruments, no disclosed operating budget figures, and no disclosed per-sector commercial pricing. Distribution of promotional content occurs indirectly through retail and horeca channels, with consumer traffic directed to producers and resellers via the digital platforms. As a government agency, the entity is not structured as a typical commercial investable target.

Name

Vlam

Legal name

VLAM vzw (Vlaams Centrum voor Agro- en Visserijmarketing)

Website

https://vlam.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VLAM is a Flemish government marketing agency that promotes agricultural, horticultural, fishery, and agrofood products from Flanders through consumer platforms, sector-specific campaigns across 14 product categories, and an official regional product certification program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussel

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VLAM conducts sector-wide marketing and promotion for Flemish agricultural, horticultural, fishery, and agrofood products across 14 product categories. It delivers consumer-facing recipe and plant content platforms, an export information portal for businesses, an official regional product certification program, and a free campaign materials webshop for retailers, producers, and horeca.

Product overview

VLAM (Vlaams Centrum voor Agro- en Visserijmarketing) is a Flemish government marketing agency that promotes agricultural, horticultural, fishery, and agri-food products. The organization operates as a unified marketing platform that combines multiple digital campaigns and information portals, including the Lekker van bij ons culinary platform, Groen van bij ons gardening platform, and Fresh from Flanders export portal. These are complemented by a webshop offering free recipe materials and campaign promotional items. The organization conducts sector-specific marketing campaigns across 14 product categories spanning potatoes, poultry, beer, dairy, meat, organic products, fruits and vegetables, short-chain sales, flowers and plants, eggs, seeds, fish, regional products, and wine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lekker van bij ons: Food inspiration platform featuring recipes using local products, with stories from producers and chefs. Includes companion sites: lekkervanbijons.be, lekkervanbijons-horeca.be, lekkervanbijons-verswinkels.be
• Groen van bij ons
• freshfromflanders.com

Products and services

• Lekker van bij ons A consumer culinary inspiration platform featuring recipes using local Flemish products, with stories from producers and chefs. Includes subsites lekkervanbijons.be (general consumers), lekkervanbijons-horeca.be (hospitality sector), and lekkervanbijons-verswinkels.be (specialty shops). Used by Flemish consumers and horeca professionals for cooking inspiration and local product sourcing.
• Groen van bij ons A consumer-facing platform dedicated to plants and flowers inspiration, providing trends, tips, and garden advice for flowers and plants. Targets Flemish consumers interested in horticulture for home and garden.
• Fresh from Flanders An export information portal providing detailed information about Flemish agri-food sectors for businesses and exporters of Flemish agricultural products. Used by companies and exporters seeking market intelligence and export opportunities in the Flemish agrofood sector.
• VLAM Campaign Materials Webshop A free webshop offering downloadable recipe folders, educational booklets, and seasonal campaign materials (e.g., 'Ei doeboekje' about eggs, seasonal fish recipes, Bioweek recipe folders) for producers, retailers, and horeca establishments to support promotion of local Flemish agricultural products.
• Sector Marketing Campaigns Promotional campaigns across 14 agricultural product sectors: Potatoes (Aardappelen), Poultry & Rabbit, Beer, Dairy, Meat, Organic Products, Vegetables & Fruit, Short Chain, Flowers & Plants, Eggs, Seeds, Fish, Regional Products, and Wine. Each sector has dedicated operations and budget to drive awareness and consumption of Flemish products.
• Streekproducten (Regional Product) Certification Official certification program granting government-recognized 'streekproducten' status to qualifying Flemish regional food specialties. Used by Flemish producers and food manufacturers to obtain official recognition and credibility for regional products. Recent examples include Belgische speculaas and witte speculaas from Bakkerij Bekaert and droogvis from Brugse visrokerij Alloo.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Agence Bio: French national agency dedicated to organic agriculture promotion, running awareness campaigns, market data collection, and producer/consumer education. Comparable to VLAM's Bioweek campaign and organic-sector focus, but narrower (organic-only) and serving France rather than Flanders.
• Bord Bia (Irish Food Board): Irish state agency promoting Irish food, drink, and horticulture exports and domestic consumption. Operates a near-identical model to VLAM as a government-backed marketing organization with multi-sector campaigns, consumer engagement platforms, and B2B export promotion — but serves Ireland rather than Flanders.
• Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB): UK statutory levy board that funds marketing and research across beef, lamb, pork, dairy, cereals, potatoes, and horticulture sectors. Highly comparable sector-spanning, levy/public-funded marketing agency model with consumer-facing campaigns and B2B market intelligence, serving the UK rather than Flanders.
• FranceAgriMer: French national agency for agricultural and marine products, supporting promotion, market intelligence, and sector coordination across crop, livestock, dairy, and fishery categories. Closest large-scale European analog to VLAM's mandate; differs in being national-scale rather than regional.
• Food Export Association of the Midwest USA: Non-profit organization promoting US Midwest food and agricultural exports to international markets through market research, trade promotion, and buyer connections. Mirrors VLAM's export-promotion pillar and B2B portal model, but is regionally bounded to the US Midwest.

Others

• Visit Flanders: Flemish government agency promoting tourism to the Flanders region, sharing the same Flemish government parent as VLAM and operating with a similar content-marketing and PR-driven engagement model, but focused on tourism rather than agriculture and food.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vlam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vlam