 In 1753, Egbert Douwes and his wife Akke Thysses began selling coffee, tea and tobacco in their small shop, 'De Witte Os' (literally 'The White Ox'), in Joure, the Netherlands. Egbert Douwes is the founder of the company, which later became nationally and internationally renowned under the name of his son Douwe Egberts, who entered the business around 1780. Originally Egbert Douwes only sold to the local villagers. His son Douwe Egberts then built up a reputation regionally by also supplying shop owners elsewhere, thereby spreading the Douwe Egberts brand around the country. Gradually, Douwes and his descendants built a company that grew to become the Dutch market leader for its core products, coffee and tea.
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During the 1950s, building on the strong domestic position of Douwe Egberts coffee and Pickwick tea, the company spread its wings internationally. In 1978, Douwe Egberts proudly announced an alliance with the Sara Lee Corporation, which opened new horizons worldwide. Today Douwe Egberts belongs to the top 3 of largest coffee roasters in the world.
Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems started its out-of-home activities about forty years ago. During the first decade, The Netherlands was the main market. In the years after, a rapid international expansion accelerated the growth of the out-of-home activities. Through both autonomous growth and acquisitions, Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems has become one of the leading coffee systems suppliers today in the world with over 1 million customers in more than 50 countries.
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