In 2000, the organ building company Gebr. van Vulpen (Utrecht) celebrated its 60th anniversary. Rijk and Jos van Vulpen built their first instrument in 1939. In 1940 they established a company in Utrecht. Their brother Evert joined them in 1952.

The history of the company can be divided into four periods. In the first one (1940-1950) the company was started up. Between 1950 and 1970, Van Vulpen was successful with instruments that were influenced by the organs of the Danish company Marcussen and the philosophy behind them. Consultant Lambert Erné stimulated this strongly. The main characteristics of the third period are the standardised chamber organs and an increasing interest in historical instruments. Van Vulpen restored for example the Bätz-orgel (1831) in the Dom at Utrecht (1973), the Duyschot-orgel (1696) and the Van Deventer-orgel (1756) in the Grote Kerk at Nijkerk (1976-1988). In 1987, the fourth period began. New organs are built now with a view to historical styles, be it in combination with a modern front (Zuidhorn, 1989) or with a historically oriented one (Ouddorp, 1995).