Droste Cacao Alcalinise Blikje, Foto4
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Droste B.V. () is a Dutch
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...
manufacturer. Its headquarters and factory are located in the village of
Vaassen Vaassen (; Low German: ''Vaossen'') is one of four villages in the Netherlands, Dutch municipality of Epe, Netherlands, Epe. Vaassen is situated between Apeldoorn and Zwolle, on the eastern edge of the Veluwe in the province of Gelderland. Vaass ...
,
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. Droste operates as an independent business unit within Hosta, a German
confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...
company.


History

Droste was founded by Gerardus Johannes Droste in 1863 in the city of
Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...
. The company started as a confectionery business selling various types of candy, including the Droste chocolate pastilles that are still being sold today. Because of the growing reputation, the firm ''G.J. Droste'' opened its first factory in 1890. The entire chocolate making process took place in the same building as where the retail store was located. In 1891, the factory was relocated to the
Spaarne The Spaarne is a river in North Holland, Netherlands. This partially canalized river connects the Ringvaart to a side branch of the North Sea Canal. It runs through Haarlem, Heemstede, and Spaarndam. The historic canals of Haarlem's moats are c ...
river due to lack of room in the old building. This new location was favourable because the raw materials could now be delivered by boat. Likewise, the shipping of finished products was done on water, improving the distribution process. In 1897, the leadership of the Droste factory was handed over to the sons of Gerardus J. Droste. In the meantime, Droste's assortment had grown to numerous cocoa and chocolate products, the famous Dutch chocolate letters included. The company had also been winning a significant
market share Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a Market (economics), market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those ...
in both the Netherlands and foreign countries, in spite of the competition from larger chocolate manufacturers. In 1898 Droste officially acquired the right to bear the
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
of
queen dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...
Emma. After the turn of the century the company had been exporting its products to
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and in 1905 it entered the American market.


The nurse

The famous illustration of the woman in nurse clothes, holding a plate with a cup of milk and a Droste cocoa package, first appeared on Droste products around the year 1900. It is believed that this illustration was created by Jan (Johannes) Misset, being inspired by a pastel known as '' La Belle Chocolatière'' ("The Pretty Chocolate Girl"). The image would proclaim the wholesome effect of chocolate milk and became inseparable from the Droste brand. The illustration reappears on the cocoa package held by the nurse, inducing a recursive visual effect known today as the
Droste effect The Droste effect (), known in art as an example of ''mise en abyme'', is the effect of a picture recursion, recursively appearing within itself, in a place where a similar picture would realistically be expected to appear. This produces a loo ...
.Törnqvist, Egil. ''Ibsen: A Doll's House'', pp.105, Cambridge University Press (1995)


First and Second World War

During the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
raw materials were hard to come by leading to serious production difficulties. When the war was over, the leadership of Gerardus Johannes Droste junior slowly saw the company's production and turnover improve. In 1920 the firm was turned into a
public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a limited liability co ...
called ''Droste's Cacao- en Chocoladefabrieken N.V.'' and by the year 1930 more than 800 employees were working in the factory at the Spaarne. At that time, a group of 25 salesmen was travelling through the Netherlands to promote Droste products to confectionery shops. The brand name's familiarity did not remain limited to the Netherlands as it became increasingly known abroad, resulting in the establishment of Droste offices all over the world such as in London, Paris, Prague, New York, Chicago and Boston. From 1920 until 1940, Droste products were distributed across the world by ships and trains. In 1932, Droste was hit again by a setback, this time due to a stock market crash. As a result, the company was forced to reduce the working week from 48 hours to 42.5 hours. It became worse during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, when Allied aircraft bombardment caused considerable damage to the company's cardboard department. This led to the rapid decline of production and sales, which eventually stopped altogether.


After the war

Once again, Droste recovered from the war after 1945 although it took some time to achieve the same level of production and distribution as before the Second World War. Raw materials were still scarce, preventing the company from exporting its products since the desired quality could not be attained. Products were only sold on the home market. This changed five years later, when quality products could once again be supplied to both the home and foreign markets. In the meantime, in 1947, the founder's grandsons Jan and Martinus Droste had been appointed managers. During their leadership the business flourished and by the early 1960s Droste had over 1000 employees. The company exported 40% of the production to 60 different countries, and in 1961 a new cocoa factory was opened. In the year 1964 the company received the "Royal" designation and was renamed to ''Koninklijke Droste Fabrieken N.V.'' In this period, most of the production process was automated, reducing the manual labour considerably. In 1975 the company became part of food and tobacco group Van Nelle, after inheritor widow J. van Nelle took over Droste's share capital. With this, the family company was no longer independent. At that time, Van Nelle was jointly owned by the New York company
Standard Brands Standard Brands was a packaged foods company, formed in 1929 by J. P. Morgan & Co. with the merger of: * Fleischmann Company *Royal Baking Powder Company * E. W. Gillett Company of Canada (1929) - Toronto-based baking goods company (maker of Ma ...
and despite the incorporation of Droste, the Droste brand name continued to be a trademark. In 1977 Droste became a direct part of Standard Brands. Because the company was now owned by an American company, the "Royal" title could no longer be used and had to be removed. As a result, the company's name was changed to ''Droste Fabrieken B.V.''


Recent history

The production of Droste was moved to
Vaassen Vaassen (; Low German: ''Vaossen'') is one of four villages in the Netherlands, Dutch municipality of Epe, Netherlands, Epe. Vaassen is situated between Apeldoorn and Zwolle, on the eastern edge of the Veluwe in the province of Gelderland. Vaass ...
in 1986. The old factory in Haarlem continued to be used for production under the name ''Dutch Cocoa & Chocolate Company B.V.'', but in 1988 a new factory was opened in Vaassen. In 1990, Droste changed ownership again and was bought by sugar and food concern
CSM CSM may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'', a collection of medieval Galician-Portuguese vernacular songs and poems in praise of the Virgin Mary * Chaos Space Marines, in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' fictional universe * ...
. By making dynamic and progressive commercials for Droste, CSM provided a rejuvenation of Droste's image. In 1997 Droste was sold to . Under its current name ''Droste B.V.'' the company operates as an independent business unit in Vaassen, although it is owned by Hosta. Since this latest take-over, sales have gone up considerably and Droste has become one of the largest producers of cocoa in the Netherlands.


Products gallery


Chocolate packaging

Drostes chocolade reep, merk Verpleegster, foto 1.JPG Droste verzamel plaatje met afbeelding van Clown en ganzen.JPG Droste verzamel plaatje van meisje dat bloemen plukt.JPG Droste Langues de Chats doosje met 5 kattekopjes, foto 1.JPG Droste & Co Chocolade-Croquetten busje foto4.JPG Drostes Assorted Chocolates blik, pic1.JPG Droste Crême de Caraque blik, foto 5.JPG Droste La Gloria chocolade doos deksel, foto 1.JPG Droste Langues de Chats blik met afbeelding van 4 katjes, foto 5.JPG Ovaal Droste doosje met paard en wagen met 3 meisjes, foto 3.JPG


Cocoa tins

Droste Cocoa Haarlem, 8 oz blikje, foto 4.JPG Droste Spaar-Automaat voor 2,5 cent stukken, foto11.JPG Oude blauwe Cacao Droste bus met wapen van Haarlem, foto1.JPG Drostes Cocoa 0,5lb blik, foto 3.JPG Drostes Cocoa 0,5lb blik, foto 4.JPG Drostes Cocoa 0,25 oz, Free Sample, foto 3.JPG Frou-Frou cocoa, H Hamstra & Co, Droste & Co, blikje (6 ounces), origineel Hollanse Java Thee, foto 5.JPG


References


External links

* {{Authority control Dutch chocolate companies Food and drink companies established in 1863 Companies based in Gelderland Brand name chocolate Food and drink introduced in 1863 Companies based in Haarlem