Verpoorten GmbH & Co. KG is a producer of

advocaat Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy. The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency. The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV. Its co ...

(egg liqueur). Eugen Verpoorten founded the company in 1876 in Heinsberg,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The distiller from

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

opened the "Liquor Factory & Colonial Goods of H. Verpoorten" on Heinsberg's High Street, next to the noblewomen's collegiate foundation. The strictly guarded recipe for the egg liquor has remained unchanged since the company was founded. His son Hubert Verpoorten continued the business successfully, and William Verpoorten, born in 1890, then headed the operation in the third generation. In 1920, he relocated the site to Berlin because he saw no promising prospects of a new start in the French-occupied

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

after his return from the First World War. The building was later destroyed by a direct hit during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1944. Once production had been resumed after the Second World War, initially at an existing branch in Straubing, construction of today’s headquarters in Bonn commenced in 1952. Viktor Verpoorten was now head of the business and placed an enormous focus on advertising for the first time in the 1960s, when he created the slogan "Ei, ei, ei gg, egg, egg– Verpoorten" derived from the popular hit "Ay ay ay Maria – Maria aus Bahia" in 1961. The previous advertising message had run: "revitalises the palate, refreshes and strengthens, gladdens and cheers, at home and in all places: Verpoorten". In 1960, a 1-litre bottle cost 9.25 German Marks retail. For comparison in 2007: approx. 15 euros. Verpoorten has been family-owned for five generations. Today's managing director is William Verpoorten. Verpoorten employs a staff of around 100 and up to 130,000 bottles are filled and exported to 30 countries every day. According to information from the company, sales are stable at around 50 million euros.

Sources

* Aachener Zeitung v. 24. Dezember 2003
verpoorten.de

External links

{{Commonscat

- Official VERPOORTEN website. Companies based in Bonn German distilled drinks