How it all started. Venco, the Dutch liquorice factory
Venco is a well-known and loved licorice brand in the Netherlands, but did you know that it has been around for more than 140 years? In this blog we tell you more about the history of Venco, how it started, what makes it special and what their most popular products are.
The beginning: Van Voornveld & Co
Venco was founded in 1878 by Gerrit van Voornveld, an enterprising Amsterdammer who had a passion for liquorice, gum arabic, spices and sugar. He mixed these ingredients until he discovered the best recipe for Dutch licorice. He called his company Van Voornveld & Co., shortened to V en Co., or Venco. His licorice quickly became very popular among the people of Amsterdam, especially during the flu epidemic of 1891, when they were seen as a medicine.
Growth: Dieperink and Lindengracht
In 1899 the factory was taken over by the Dieperink brothers, who continued to grow the company. In 1904 they moved to a new factory on the Lindengracht, where they also started producing other delicacies, such as peppermint, anise tablets, gumballs and oat straw pastilles. One of their most famous inventions was sprinkles, which they came up with in 1908 during a stormy day. The tiny grains of anise reminded them of the hailstones that fell on the roof.
The development: Naarden and Red Band
In 1959 Venco moved to Naarden, where they had more space for their production. In 1965, Venco's share capital was acquired by Red Band, another major candy manufacturer. Venco continued to exist independently until 1977, after which it was incorporated into the United Drop Factories (VDF), which were later taken over by the Central Sugar Company. In 1995 the factory in Naarden was closed and production was transferred to the Red Band factories in Roosendaal.
The present: Cloetta and Lekker Nederlands
Since 2012, Venco has been a licorice brand of Cloetta Holland, a Swedish-Dutch confectionery company. Venco remains true to its original recipes and quality, but also innovates with new flavors and variants. Venco is still one of the most popular licorice brands in the Netherlands, and is also exported to other countries. Venco stands for Lekker Nederlands: licorice with its own character and taste experience.
The toppers: Kruisdrop and Choco Drop
Venco has many different types of licorice in its range, but two products stand out as real toppers: crocodile licorice and choco licorice. Cross licorice is a classic salty licorice with a cross shape and a firm bite. It is one of Venco's oldest products and still very popular. Choco liquorice is a unique combination of liquorice and chocolate, which was introduced in 2011. It is a soft licorice with a layer of milk chocolate around it. It is a surprising and delicious treat for any licorice lover.
Disclaimer : This blog post was written using the Google search engine.
The information in this blog post is based on the web search results found by Google and is not sponsored or endorsed by Venco or any other party. Google and Candy Mix & Match are not responsible for the correctness, completeness or timeliness of the information in this blog post.
Google has no affiliation with Venco and neither Google nor Candy Mix & Match receive any compensation for writing this blog post.
This blog post is for informational purposes and not as professional advice.
Always refer to Venco's official website or www.candymixmatch.com for more information about their products and services.
