JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS
I
PROFILE
NCC capsule (Nespresso Competitive Capsules). The L’Or capsules are now available across multiple markets. The capsules outperform competitive products in taste sessions and are sold via local retailers. They can also be enjoyed by customers in the professional market, as they fit standard capsule machines.
Rooted in history
J
ge Egberts, the famous bevera lf centuries, Jacobs Douwe For more than two-and-a-ha n for coffee and tea, has been driven by its passio s, brand 400 over g company coverin these values are even more and care for people. Today, respect for the environment Operations Manager, highed Andries Leusink, Global important than before, affirm y. sing focus on sustainabilit achievements and an increa lighting the company’s recent
2
Inside Food & Drink
acobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), a privately owned Dutch company, is the largest pure play coffee company in the world with over 16,000 associates and an annual turnover of €6.6 billion in 2019. Its products are sold in more than 143 countries around the world. JDE is a house of many leading heritage coffee, tea and hot chocolate brands loved by consumers all over the world; Jacobs, Douwe Egberts, Friele, Gevalia, Kenco, Pilao, Moccona, Super Group, L’Or, Tassimo, Senseo and Pickwick, to name just a few. All boast high brand awareness and enjoy leading positions in the retail or professional markets. Jacobs, successfully introduced in Eastern Europe over the last few decades, is the company’s leading global retail brand with revenues of over €1.3 billion. The company has an impressive track record of successful innovations reflecting an in-depth understanding of market needs and customer preferences. In 2001, this forwardthinking approach was applied in its collaboration with Philips to produce the Senseo coffee maker. Douwe Egberts launched the Senseo single-serve pads, a revolutionary concept at that time, changing the coffee habits of many households. Brewing a fresh cup of coffee had become easy, with consumers being able to select the coffee blend of their preference, with no leftover coffee waste. 15 years later, the company introduced another single serve concept with the
JDE’s unique market position and global popularity is firmly rooted in the hard work and dedication of past generations. “The company’s history goes a long way back. The story began in 1753 in Joure, a small village in the northern part of the Netherlands, where Egbert Douwes established a general grocery shop. This later developed into a company dealing in coffee, tea, and tobacco,” explained Andries Leusink, Global Operations Manager. By 1925 the business had changed its name to Douwe Egberts, and introduced the red seal as its logo. Throughout the last century, the company changed owners several times, only to emerge as an even stronger and more successful operator with its reputation growing worldwide. In 1978, the de Jong family sold the company to Sara Lee Corporation, an American consumer-goods company with operations in more than 40 countries and some 137,000 employees worldwide. In 2012, Sara Lee Corporation split into two companies – one for North American operations which was renamed Hillshire
Inside Food & Drink
3