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| “ | Middelburg embraced the founding of the MCC, since the company would be based in the city – the city council would have had a high estimation of the possible economic advantages to the city. In addition, the lord governors planned to become shareholders themselves, as can be seen from the signatures of the founding charter. The ties between the city and the new company were strong. | „ |
| ~ "Middelburgse Commercie Compagnie". Zeeland Archives. |
The Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie (1720 - 1889), also known as the Commerce Company of the city of Middelburg, or CCM, was the principle Dutch slave trading organization after the monopoly on the Atlantic slave trade by the Dutch West India Company was abolished.
The well-preserved archives of the MCC have proved useful in reconstructing the 18th century Dutch slave trade.
The first slave voyage of the MCC was in 1732. They made millions in funding to trade African slaves, including from the city governors.
However, in 1807 the abolition of the slave trade by the British Empire essentially brought all trading activities across the word to a standstill, and the MCC was forced to build and repair ships for money. Eventually, in 1889 the MCC was disbanded despite their attempts to profit from repairing iron ships.