Douwe Egberts

Douwe Egberts (often abbreviated as DE) 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.

• 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 Douwe Egberts starts sales in Belgium. France, Spain, and Denmark follow.

• 1968 A holding company, Douwe Egberts Koninklijke ("Royal Douwe Egberts"), is founded.

• 1969 Douwe Egberts takes over Kanis and Gunnink, another Dutch coffee manufacturer.

• 1978 Douwe Egberts is in its turn taken over by the Sara Lee Corporation.

• 1989 Douwe Egberts 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 collaborates with Philips to produce a coffee maker called Senseo.

See Also

• [1] Douwe Egberts website

Sources of Information

• [2] Wikipedia