- Douwe Egberts
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Douwe Egberts Type subsidiary Founded 1753 Founder(s) Egbert Douwes Headquarters Utrecht, Netherlands Parent Sara Lee Corporation 
Coffee cup from 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 NV, which translates as "Douwe Egberts Royal Tobacco Factory - Coffee Roasters - Tea Traders, Plc.". Douwe Egberts is now a subsidiary of the Sara Lee Corporation.
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 Consolidated Foods Corporation.
- 1985 - Consolidated Foods becomes Sara Lee Corporation as a result of acquisitions that year.
- 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 collaborates with Philips to produce a coffee maker called Senseo.
- 2007 - Sued the province of Groningen over the introduction of rules stating that all coffee supplied in the province must meet Fair trade criteria set by Stichting Max Havelaar. Courts ruled in favour of the province of Groningen.
De Witte OsBrands
- Douwe Egberts (coffee)
- Pickwick tea
- Natrena (artificial sweeteners)
- Merrild (coffee, in Denmark)
- Kanis & Gunnink (coffee)
- 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
- Cafe Pilao (coffee brand in Brazil)
- Harris (Coffee and filter papers in Australia)
- Caffiato, an iced cappuccino with caramel flavour
External links
Sara Lee Corporation Meats Ball Park · Bryan · Hillshire Farm · Jimmy Dean · Kahn's
Beverages Categories:- Coffee brands
- Companies of the Netherlands
- Sara Lee Corporation brands
- People from Friesland
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