100+ years of transformation

DSM was established in 1902 by the Dutch government to mine coal reserves in the southern province of Limburg. To this day we still use the English translation (Dutch State Mines) of the company's original name, De Nederlandse Staatsmijnen. Now, however, it has a more relevant (albeit less formal) meaning for our people: Doing Something Meaningful.

We’ve always been an ambitious company. Our evolution has continued unabated after the last coal mine closed in the early 70s. In the decades since then we have undertaken several strategic transformations to become the company we are today, as we focus on creating science-based health and nutrition solutions for the world.

At the end of the 20th century, DSM entered biotechnology for the first time with the acquisition of Gist-brocades. This marked the start of a major period of transformation and was followed by the sale of our petrochemical activities to Sabic in 2002 and the acquisition of Roche Vitamins & Fine Chemicals in 2003.?In the following years, DSM further focused and streamlined its portfolio with further acquisitions in human nutrition (Martek, Fortitech); food & beverage (First Choice Ingredients, Vestkorn Milling); and animal nutrition (Tortuga, Biomin) - to name just a few.

Today, our acquisitions are an integral part of DSM, providing additional scientific solutions that solve real problems for people and the planet.

We are proud to be the steward of a legacy of world-changing scientific breakthroughs that dates back to the first ever yeast and enzyme production at scale in the late 19th century, as well as the first chemical synthesis of vitamins in the 1930s.

We continue to make important discoveries to this day. Bovaer?, for example, has been named one of the ten technologies that could help feed the world without destroying it by the World Resources Institute. We have also pioneered the development of the first fully bio-based vitamins to accelerate the transition to a healthier future for everyone.

With the scientific resources and knowledge at our disposal, DSM has a unique opportunity to influence and shape the health of people and the planet. But of course, we cannot do it alone. On our journey of transformation, we’ve been fortunate to work with a vast array of incredible organizations and partners.

We began a global partnership with the UN World Food Programme?in 2007 (the largest provider of food aid to the world’s hungry) and we’ve collaborated with UNICEF and Sight and Life since 2013 to address malnutrition at scale. These partnerships are going stronger than ever.