4 minute read
Displays, sustainability and Douwe Egberts
The Dutch drink an average of 4.1 cups of coffee every day. And for more than 260 years now, Douwe Egberts has symbolised that delicious cup of coffee. Over the years, the company, with its origins in the Dutch province of Friesland, has often emphasised how its coffee creates connections. The new campaign ‘Feel at home with your Douwe Egberts coffee’ once again focuses on solidarity. Complete with a Holbox-designed display in the shape of a tiny house where the doormat welcomes you and the door is always open for coffee and a chat. Wanting to set the right example, Anouk Hol invited Carmen Schuitvlot, a shopper marketing activation specialist at Jacobs Douwe Egberts, for a meeting. With coffee and a piece of Limburg flan, of course.
Generations of coffee drinkers grew up with Douwe Egberts’ well-known Aroma Rood label. This range has expanded considerably over the years, from coffee cups to instant coffee. But did you know that the company has many more well-known brands under its wing? Examples include L’Or, Senseo, Kanis&Gunnik, and Pickwick, of course. With an extensive brand portfolio like that, there’s something to do all year round. “Every year, we have a nice full shop floor activation calendar, where various campaigns are converted and immediately catch the eye of the shopper. Holbox helps us with this and certainly not just for the standard promotional material. We regularly invite Anouk if we want to develop something new. She comes up with ideas for suitable displays that link to the campaign and attract the shopper’s attention on the shop floor. A good example of this is the dump bin of Douwe Egberts or the Senseo mug, which is, indeed, shaped like this coffee mug. This ensures extra distinction and recognisability on the shop floor. But also the newly developed event display, the Douwe Egberts coffee house. Also a very eye-catching event that is guaranteed to attract attention while shopping.”
PURVEYOR TO THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD FOR TEN YEARS
Going the extra mile. That’s vital in a ten-year collaboration like the one between Holbox and Douwe Egberts. Anouk: “Holbox are on top of it, because it’s important that we keep the connection.” That involvement is appreciated, says Carmen. “Jacobs Douwe Egberts works with both local and global partners. What I like about a local partner like Holbox is the proximity, literally. It’s easy to meet up to discuss something. The short lines are very pleasant anyway. If we urgently need a display or other POS tool, Holbox makes every effort to deliver it on time. But what I think is perhaps the most important thing in the collaboration is personal contact. We both consider conviviality to be of paramount importance, which makes our collaboration even more effective. Work hard, play hard. This also provides inspiration and new ideas. Creativity is very important to us on the shop floor.” Take the eye-catching coffee house display. It was Carmen’s idea but was then perfected by Holbox.
DON’T READ TEA LEAVES, DO SOMETHING
Sustainability is an important theme for Douwe Egberts, just like it is for Holbox. For example, the company is continuously working on making its packaging more sustainable, which must all be recyclable, industrially biodegradable or reusable by the end of 2025. Attention is also paid to renewable energy and reducing CO2 emissions; in the factory in Joure, for example, energy is extracted from leftover coffee grounds. The fact that Holbox is also involved in sustainable (re)use of materials is a big plus, according to Carmen. Anouk: “Such awareness is also expected of us as a supplier and of course we contribute to this. Although developing and producing innovative cardboard displays and POS materials is our core business, we are aware that we also have the task of leaving our (grand)children a better world to live in. We therefore produce the Jacobs Douwe Egberts displays and promotional materials with 100% FSC recycled cardboard and bio-ink and varnish. We also take into account the package size to reduce CO2emissions. I regularly advise Carmen to shorten a display a few centimetres. This ensures more efficient use of paper and therefore less waste. In short, a difference of a few centimetres contributes to a better world. Speaking of waste: all cardboard displays in stores are recycled no less than five times after use and then processed into other products such as a toilet roll.”
COFFEE GROUNDS AS AN ENERGY SOURCE
How does it work? The residual streams from the Cafitesse production process (coffee grounds) are dried and steam is created during the drying process. This steam is used as fuel for the steam boiler to generate energy in the factory. For example, our factory in Joure uses its own waste product as an energy source. The factory produces approximately 13,000 tons of coffee annually. By using coffee grounds as an energy source instead of natural gas (a fossil fuel), the factory has reduced its emissions by 70% and we save over 3.27 million m3 of natural gas per year. This corresponds to the energy consumption of 2,000 households!
