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De Kuyper postpones 325th anniversary activities

Dutch drinks firm De Kuyper has postponed its 325th anniversary celebration until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

De Kuyper’s portfolio includes its namesake liqueur line and Rutte gin

This year’s birthday party with staff, partners and friends will now be held on 21 June 2021. De Kuyper said the anniversary year will still be celebrated, but will be adapted where necessary as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Founded in 1695 by Petrus De Kuyper, the family business opened its first distillery in Schiedam in 1752. De Kuyper began production of its liqueur line in 1920 and established its US arm in 1934, followed by its expansion across the world.

The company’s most rewarded moment came on its 300th anniversary in 1995 when it was given royal recognition by Beatrix, the queen of the Netherlands at the time. As such, the firm adopted ‘royal’ to its name to become De Kuyper Royal Distillers.

The Dutch firm has also made a number of acquisitions over the past two decades including the purchase of Mandarine Napoléon liqueur in 2009, Rutte Distillers in 2011, Chocovine in 2016 and Cherry Heering liqueur in 2017.

Today, De Kuyper’s namesake liqueur brand is available in more than 100 countries and sells more than 40 million bottles annually. The firm also created a liqueur for Old Fashioned cocktails this year.

The group has been pushing its ‘own the cocktail’ strategy for a number of years and seeks to make cocktails “accessible to everyone and for every occasion”.

De Kuyper said it will continue to innovate, premiumise and modernise the liqueurs category. In October last year, De Kuyper teamed up with bartenders Salvatore Calabrese and Joerg Meyer to launch two new “modern” liqueurs.

The firm also launched Muyu in January 2019, a series of three liqueurs created by bartenders Monica Berg, Simone Caporale and Alex Kratena.

Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper, said: “I am incredibly proud to lead this beautiful family business, to be part of its 325th anniversary and at the same time to build a promising future.

“Driven by ambition and passion for craft distillation, De Kuyper will continue to develop and grow as an innovative and progressive premium distiller, producer and brand builder. De Kuyper is thirsty for more, and very ready for the next 325 years.”

The group was also one of a number of distilleries to produce hand sanitiser for the health care sector, as well as for its partners in hospitality and retail. The firm also teamed up with the Help De Horeca initiative to help the Dutch hospitality industry.

De Kuyper opened its first distillery in Schiedam in 1752

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