Douwe Egberts remains a popular choice for those who only enjoy coffee occasionally, as can be reflected in my mother’s kitchen, which contains a wide array of items: various roasts, beans, instant coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and Senseo pods with flavors from all over the world.
Starting out as a small business three hundred years ago, Douwe has expanded its reach to become a well-known universal name under the direction of Sara Lee. They provide a large selection of Douwe Egberts ground coffee, coffee beans, and coffee machines for home and work environments.
Founding
In 1753, Egbert Douwers (1723-1802) and his wife Akke Thijsses opened up a mercantile in Joure selling various commodities from colonies such as coffee, tea, and tobacco. The shop was bought on March 11, 1753, with the deed being finalized.
In 1780, Douwe Egberts (1755-1806) joined the family business, helping his parents with their store. While his parents kept running their shop “De Witte Os,” Douwe Egberts took trips to see his customers located in Joure and beyond. Douwe Egbert was successful in achieving a well-known status for the company and its offerings outside of Joure.
About the same period, Douwe Egberts and his partner Ymke Jacobs assumed control of the firm from Douwe’s father and the business is still known by his name till today.
Following the decease of Douwe in 1806, Lysbeth Mintjes, his second wife, proclaimed in an advertisement in the Leeuwarder Courant that “Operations remain as usual”. It was the very first commercial taken out by the organisation.
“De Witte Os”
Johannes Hessel de Jong acquired the original “De Witte Os” store in 1871 as a commercial enterprise. The moniker of the shop, “The White Ox”, has origins in the butcher shop belonging to Egbert Douwes (1723-1802) and Akke Thijsses. No further details are known.
At that time, it was quite common to see an ox posted outside of a butcher shop. The store was titled “De Witte Os” and was also used to represent a tobacco brand that was established in 1881. On 4 March 1910, the title “De Witte Os” also started to be used to identify coffee, tea, and supplies for domestic use.
Business in the store went well. Hessel Douwes de Jong (1802-1855) had bought a house close to the store in 1831. The house was burnt down in an inferno during 1881, however the shop managed to go unscathed.
The store mainly operated as a seller of goods in large quantities to other merchants and businesses. Prior to the start of the First World War, numerous products were available for purchase directly at the store. The shop stocked coffee, tobacco, and tea as its primary items, but also had candy, sugar, rice, noodles, bluing, chicory, cinnamon, saffron, syrup, vinegar, chocolate, gold pipes, and unusual fruit for sale.
The shop was open from the start of the week through to the end, with the doors open from 7 in the morning until 9 at night during the weekdays and until 10:30 PM on Saturdays. The shop was also available to customers for a short period on Sunday. Beginning in the year 1920, the store exclusively sold tobacco, coffee, and tea.
The store ceased operations during WWII and the proprietor at the time, Mr., was the final one. Schepen was transferred to the office in Joure in 1944. After its initial purpose was fulfilled, the structure was utilized temporarily for other activities, such as housing for workers’ families. “The White Moose” entered a long period of inactivity.
On May 1, 1980, the De Witte Os underwent a complete makeover handled by Ids Riemersma, a mason from Goingarijp. Rather than functioning as a standard shop, it became a component of the Johannes Hessel-Huis museum (known presently as the Joure Museum) when it reopened. The shop still carries on the tradition of selling “De Witte Os” coffee and tea in antique styled packaging, as well as sweet treats from the past.
The Big Fire of Joure
On the evening of October 14, 1881, there was a huge blaze in Joure. The blaze began at a cabinetmaker’s store before spreading and consuming fourteen residences, stores, and businesses. The de Jong family residence was among the places comprised in the list, as well as a newly constructed tobacco plant, a coffee storeroom, a coffee grinder facility, and the de Jongs’ plentiful stock of tobacco, coffee, and sweets. There are no documents that indicate what happened to the stock of tea. Johannes Hessel seized control of the firm in 1858, when he was in his twenties (1833-1883). He determined to reconstruct as soon as he possibly could following the fire.
Expansion to Utrecht
From the time of the company’s founding until 1898, all of its operations took place on Midstraat in Joure. Johannes de Jong (1869-1955) chose to extend the business in 1898 by constructing a new factory on the property of his family household.
This different location was utilized to treat coffee and tobacco. The advantageous expansion of the business and the restricted area of the warehouse encouraged Cornelis Johannes to contemplate extending further. In 1912, He procured structures, area, and four residences located on the Slachtedijk, along the bank of Zijlroede in Snikzwaag. This building used to be a place where oil was pressed as well as where butter and milk were processed. In 1913, the coffee roasting facility, the tobacco processing facility, and the corporate headquarters were all relocated to this building.
In January 1919, Cornelis Johannes obtained “a home with adjoining structures, fixtures, yard, and grounds in Utrecht at 10 Catharijnekade.” The property was employed for roasting, packaging and mailing of coffee, largely throughout the core and southern part of Netherlands.
The records fail to explain why a change to Utrecht was necessary, however the fact that this particular location is in the middle of the Netherlands aided in relation to efficient transportation.
The firm kept increasing in size during the 1920s, which made it necessary to extend even further. In 1931, they started growing the facility in Joure, buying the de Boer oil mill on Slachtedijk. The Catharijnekade locality in Utrecht could not be augmented. The resolution of this issue was achieved in 1929 when a manufacturing facility located on the Merwedekanaal was purchased. All of the Utrecht buildings and services shifted from Catharijnekade to Merwedekade (currently called Keulsekade).
The Catharijnekade structure was kept for storage until it was bought on October 30, 1976. In 1955, the Keulsekade complex was enlarged when the area and buildings adjacent to it that had previously belonged to N.V. were bought. Utrechtse Walswerken. Initially, the Keulsekade extension was created with the aim of offering operational aid for the organization’s activities in the middle of the Netherlands, yet it eventually became the official site of Douwe Egberts.
Family History
Douwe Egberts was delivered into this world on the tenth day of January in the year 1755, the child of Egbert Douwes and Akke Thijsses. Douwe married Ymkje Jacobs Visser in 1775. After her death, he married Lysbeth Mintjes in 1791. Douwe Egberts passed away on February 19, 1806 and his spouse carried on with the business.
In 1811, The Netherlands was proclaimed a kingdom with Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, being declared as its sovereign. On August 18, 1811, a royal mandate necessitated that each Dutch family who had not previously had a surname to decide upon one and register it by the following year. The progeny of Douwe Egberts decided to use de Jong as their family name.
The Douwe Egberts Name
The business which went on to become well-known under the name of Douwe Egberts was not named after Egbert Douwers, the person who established the shop. It is evident that Douwe Egberts accomplished the feat of building a strong reputation for the business in the northern region of Holland, which was something that his father never attempted to do; he was content in managing the shop in Joure.
Growth
Starting in 1919, Douwe Egberts spread its coffee, tea, and tobacco goods all over the Netherlands, rapidly becoming the most popular brand before the start of the Second World War. The sales reps of Douwe Egbert went all over the kingdom providing their goods.
The business experienced a rapid rise in growth after World War II, broadening its reach beyond the boundaries of Utrecht and Joure. Retail stores were established in the Netherlands and in Belgium, France, Spain, and Denmark. In addition to its activities involving the importing and exporting of products and the presence of established international branches, Douwe Egberts was also involved in the process of obtaining possession of other companies. By the end of the 1960s, Douwe Egberts was looking for chances for increase that would extend their business globally.
End of the family company
As the business expanded, more management staff were hired that were not part of the De Jong family. It was nearly inconceivable for the executives of such an extensive organization to just be represented by a select few individuals.
As that generation passed, it became apparent that Douwe Egberts was nearing its conclusion as a company run by the family. In the first month of 1978, American Consolidated Foods Corporation bought the company, which eventually became known as Sara Lee.
What brands does Douwe Egberts sell?
In 1978 the Douwe Egberts family handed over the company to an American firm, Sara Lee. They developed many of Douwe Egberts’ coffee labels, some you may be familiar with, while others may not be. From the realm of coffee, some familiar names can be found in their lineup, including
- Douwe Egberts Instant Pure Coffee
- Senseo Coffee System
- One Cup Filters
- Etienne’s Signature Coffees and
- Good Origins Sustainable Coffee
After joining forces with Sara Lee, they have become one of the top three coffee bean roasting companies in the world. Some of their other coffee brands now include:
- Moccona
- Senseo Coffee Brewing System
- Douwe Egberts Cafitesse Coffee System, and more…
In 2012, JAB, a German business firm, declared a brief period of independence before obtaining Douwe the following year. In 2014, JAB sold the company to Mondelez, formerly known as Kraft and one of the largest coffee distributors world-wide. At the previous sale, some well-known products in the UK and Europe were taken over by Lavazza.
How does the coffee taste?
It is likely that you have had Douwe Egberts coffee if you enjoy dining in restaurants or if your workplace obtains coffee from Sara Lee Food Services. No matter what your preference, there is coffee to make everyone satisfied. Choose from decaf or regular, basic black coffee or from a variety of seasonings and combinations. Examine the range of Douwe’s coffee to discover what can be purchased.
You have the option of purchasing newly-roasted beans (make sure to read the expiration date written on the container) or pre-ground, in single-use capsules or for drip coffee machines. Douwe Egberts offers a selection of roasts for coffee beans and grounds ranging from light to dark, so that everyone can find a coffee that suits their tastes.
Although this coffee does not smell quite as strongly as some other varieties, it does have a soft and pleasant sweetness once brewed into a cup. Coffee connoisseurs are delighted with the steady flavor and invigorating taste of the brew.
Is Douwe Egberts coffee good?
Some individuals are unsatisfied after they sample Douwe Egberts coffee at a restaurant and then obtain the ground coffee or beans to enjoy in their own homes. It’s not the coffee’s fault, but the procedure’s!
Douwe Egberts has a unique combination of coffee that is served in frozen liquid form to restaurants. The factory has strict guidelines when it comes to brewing coffee; any batch that doesn’t pass the quality control is discarded quickly.
The coffee is distilled, frozen, and stored in containers to be used with a special Douwe Egberts unit which can make single cups of java. Every cup has a consistent quality and flavor, and is created instantly.
If the coffee you get for your place of business or residence isn’t as good-tasting as the one you had in the eatery, it is most likely the reason!
How does Senseo work?
Douwe Egberts manufactures the Senseo coffee machine that utilizes pods instead of the traditional method of filters with coffee grounds in them. This machine is really convenient, making it superb for brewing a single cup of coffee or for use in an office setting.
This method of brewing coffee has gained a lot of popularity and it is now a familiar item in many households. Douwe Egberts offers an extensive selection of flavors for their pods. Douwe Egberts Coffee, initially brought to the Netherlands, has earned tremendous admiration across various European nations.
In this way, more features, a container for storing milk in certain models, and various coffee types have been added to the product. Different mixtures of coffees span across many nations, thus it is recommended to see what is available in a nearby grocery store or to check the internet.
No matter what kind of bean or how it is roasted, customers can be certain that fine attention has been paid to all details, the market has been developed, and the quality of Douwe’s Coffee is unbeatable – making it one of the foremost coffee suppliers around the globe.