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About us
About usOver the past century, Callens African Woods has evolved into a leading distributor of African wood in Europe. As a family-owned company, we ensure quality, flexibility, and integrity. You can rely on the knowledge and the experience of a close-knit team that works tirelessly to offer you a complete service. As a professional wholesaler, we are known for the extent of our supply, our flexibility in meeting length specifications and the quality of our imported wood. Our expertise and the craftsmanship of our dedicated team guarantee efficient processing of your request and a swift delivery of your order.
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The story of Callens African Woods
The colorful history of Callens African Woods begins over a century ago, in 1920. Shortly after the First World War, the Callens family established a business in Izegem, Belgium. The company mainly focused on purchasing and reselling wood, and had a simple but productive existence until the Second World War. In 1946, Houthandel Callens was bought by a family of shareholders. A quarter of a century later, around 1970, the business came into the hands of Christian Maelfait.
The company experienced strong growth and was passed on from father to son in 1990. The second generation continued the work of father Christian with similar dedication and equal ambition. Under the reign of son and new manager, Thierry Maelfait, Houthandel Callens set foot on African soil for the first time in 1998.
The expansion into Cameroon introduced numerous changes. The business was no longer just a lumberyard, as the entire production chain was brought in-house. From forest management and planting to importing, processing and distributing various types of African hardwoods. A new name imposed itself and Houthandel Callens was renamed Callens African Woods.
In 2011, the company moved out of Izegem and settled on a new site in Rekkem. But it didn't stop there. To keep up with the increasing growth and demand, about ten years later, in 2022, a second business, Callens Cameroun, was set up to handle activities on the African continent. And the future is assured, as the third generation of Maelfait also decided to step up at the end of 2021. Sam Maelfait is fully focused on further developing the activities of Callens African Woods, looking straight ahead and keeping the story of her father and her grandfather in mind.
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