Droste saved from destruction thanks to takeover by Belgian chocolate manufacturer

This article was last updated on August 23, 2024

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Droste saved from destruction thanks to takeover by Belgian chocolate manufacturer

The traditional Dutch and 160-year-old chocolate company Droste has been saved from collapse. The Belgian Pauwels Engineering – which also took over the iconic Koetjesreep in 1997 after it was in danger of disappearing – continues the activities of the Droste factory in Vaassen, Gelderland.

Droste has run into big problems in recent years. Due to the corona pandemic, exports of Droste chocolate collapsed and the company’s important sales of chocolate on airplanes and at airports, for example, also disappeared.

“Then we had the energy crisis. Our energy costs increased almost four times. And to top it all off, an extreme increase in cocoa prices in 2023-2024,” says Bernard Brummelaar of Droste. “The pressure was increasing. We definitely needed new capital.”

The search for a new partner took time. “It was also of great importance to us that the employment of our 30 people was maintained. That was also a heavy burden for me. One in three of our people are around 60 years old, with an average of 34 years of service. In other words: their Droste is our whole life. It was really great for us to be able to inform those employees that we can now continue as Droste where we are, here in Vaassen, and that we can continue to build on Droste’s revival.”

Turnover up

It was not due to Droste’s turnover. After corona, this increased from 5 to almost 14 million euros per year. Brummelaar: “From now on, production will resume at full speed, such as the well-known pastilles. No one has to worry about the Droste chocolate letters either.”

It is not the first time that Droste has been taken over. In 1977, for example, the Dutch brand came into American hands and thus lost the ‘Royal’ designation. In 1989, the Dutch sugar and food company CSM became the owner. Since 1997, the German Hosta has been the owner and parent company of Droste BV in Vaassen. From now on, Pauwels is the new owner.