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| Douwe Egberts |
| Type |
subsidiary |
| Founded |
1753 |
| Founder |
Egbert Douwes |
| Headquarters |
Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Parent |
Sara Lee Corporation |
Coffee cup from Douwe Egberts.
Douwe Egberts (often abbreviated as DE) (pronounced Dewy Edwards) is a Dutch corporation that processes and trades coffee, tea, and other groceries. Its full name is Douwe Egberts Koninklijke Tabaksfabriek-Koffiebranderijen-Theehandel Naamloze Vennootschap, which translates as "Douwe Egberts Royal Tobacco Factory - Coffee Roasters - Tea Traders, Plc.". Douwe Egberts is now a subsidiary of the Sara Lee Corporation.
[edit] Chronology
- 1753 - Egbert Douwes starts a grocery shop in Joure, called De Witte Os ("the White Ox").
- 1780 - The company is transferred to his eldest son Douwe Egberts. Its main activities are processing and trading coffee, tea, and tobacco.
- 1948 - DE starts sales in Belgium. France, Spain, and Denmark follow.
- 1968 - A holding company, Douwe Egberts Koninklijke ("Royal Douwe Egberts"), is founded.
- 1969 - DE takes over Kanis & Gunnink, another Dutch coffee manufacturer.
- 1978 - DE is in its turn taken over by the Sara Lee Corporation.
- 1989 - DE takes over Van Nelle, its main Dutch competitor in coffee, tea, and tobacco.
- 1998 - The hand-rolling tobacco business (Drum, Van Nelle, Amphora and Winner) is sold to Imperial Tobacco.
- 2001 - The company joins forces with Philips to produce a coffee maker called Senseo.
[edit] Brands
- Douwe Egberts (coffee)
- Pickwick tea
- Lassie (rice)
- Natrena (artificial sweeteners)
- Kanis & Gunnink (coffee)
- Sanex (products for the bath and shower, and deodorants)
- Senseo (coffee-maker, in conjunction with Philips)
- Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems (drinks supply)
- Douwe Egberts Coffee Care (drinks supply)
- Piazza d'Oro (espresso)
- Cafitesse (coffee concentrates and systems)
- Moccona (instant coffee)
- Cafe Switch, a frothy coffee drink that is frothed using thumb pods
- BK Joe, Burger King's in-house brand of coffee
- Cafe Pilao (coffee brand in Brazil)
- Caffiato, an iced cappuccino with caramel flavour
[edit] Coffee crisis
According to the company itself, DE has a policy focused on the sustainable improvement of the economical and social position of small-scale farmers. However, Oxfam has investigated the four large international coffee-roasting companies (Nestlé, Kraft Foods, Sara Lee, and Procter & Gamble) as to their contribution to solving the worldwide coffee crisis. 2 - 2,5% of Sara Lees current marketshare worldwide consists of certified coffee. This share increases year by year.
[edit] External links
