Innovation to ramp up at De Kuyper in 2019

De Kuyper has said its biggest innovation “is still to come” as the Dutch liqueurs maker prepares to release a series of new products created in collaboration with top bartenders.

Mark de Witte, CEO of Dutch liqueurs and spirits firm De Kuyper

Speaking to The Spirits Business, Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper, said the new launches represent the “next level” in the liqueurs category. Some of the new products will be “inspired by fragrances and French cuisine – they are totally different”, he added.

Over the past two years, De Kuyper has repositioned its business around the ‘own the cocktail’ strategy, which has seen the group acquire and develop new brands to capitalise on burgeoning cocktail trends.

The group bought Cherry Heering liqueur in 2017 with the aim of developing its association with the Singapore Sling, and added Bebo coffee liqueur to its stable that same year to appeal to Espresso Martini drinkers.

Last year De Kuyper unveiled a new look for its namesake range of liqueurs and introduced two new flavours: pineapple and peach. The group has also dramatically reduced its core liqueurs range from 43 flavours to 23.

The redesign aimed to differentiate between De Kuyper’s ‘essential’ liqueurs and its ‘variations’. To enable greater experimentation, all ‘variation’ products were given a standardised abv of 15%.

“Cocktails are all about having the right proportions and different ingredients,” said De Witte. “Having the same abv makes it much easier for consumers and bartenders to mix and match.”

De Kuyper’s new innovations are expected to roll out between March and October this year.