Here’s a concise history of Douwe Egberts coffee — one of the world’s oldest and most iconic coffee brands:
☕ Origins (1753)
- Founded: 1753 in Joure, a village in Friesland, the Netherlands.
- Founder: Egbert Douwes opened a small grocery store called De Witte Os (“The White Ox”), selling colonial goods including coffee, tea and tobacco.
- In 1780, the business passed to his son Douwe Egberts, and the company took his name — becoming Douwe Egberts.
Further Growth and Early Branding
- In 1919 the company moved its headquarters to Utrecht, marking its expansion beyond Friesland.
- In 1925, the famous DE seal logo was introduced, becoming a recognizable mark of quality on coffee and tea products.
- Over the mid-20th century the company launched popular products such as Moccona instant coffee and embraced modern coffee culture.
🚀 Mid-20th Century Expansion
- After World War II, Douwe Egberts began exporting and selling coffee in other European countries like Belgium, France, Spain and Denmark.
- The brand became a household name in the Netherlands and beyond, known for quality roast and ground coffee.
🏢 Corporate Changes
- 1978: Douwe Egberts was acquired by American company Sara Lee Corporation.
- Over the 1980s and 1990s it continued to grow, acquiring rival brands and selling off its tobacco interests to focus on coffee and tea products.
- 2001: Partnered with Philips to co-develop the Senseo coffee pod system, a major innovation that expanded the brand’s reach into single-serve coffee.
📈 Recent History & Global Brand
- 2012–2013: Douwe Egberts’ coffee business was spun off from Sara Lee as D.E Master Blenders 1753, regaining independence.
- 2013–2020: Merged with other coffee companies under investor group JAB Holding, and later merged with Peet’s Coffee to form JDE Peet’s, creating one of the world’s largest pure-play coffee companies.
- 2025: The American beverage company Keurig Dr Pepper agreed to buy JDE Peet’s — including the Douwe Egberts brand — in a deal valued around €15.7 billion, marking a major change in ownership and positioning Douwe Egberts within an even larger global beverage portfolio.
☕ Legacy
Douwe Egberts has grown from a local Dutch grocery to a globally recognised coffee brand with more than 265 years of history. It’s known for classic roast and ground coffee, instant blends, coffee pods and its cultural role in everyday coffee culture across Europe and in many countries worldwide.