Konings (distillery)
Konings is a company that was originally founded in 1946 in Zonhoven as a distillery. Thanks to specific acquisitions, including that of Smeets Distillery, it positioned itself as a major player in the distilling industry. Since 2007 the company has focussed on the production and packaging of fruit juices.[1]
In 1945, Michel Konings established Distillery 't Jagerke in an old garage. During the latter days of the World War II, its main customer was Field-Marshal Montgomery's headquarters, located in Zonhoven. The distillery's phone number was 15 H.R. Hasselt 5515.
1947 was a transformative year as the distillery hired its first employee. By 1957, the distillery evolved from a one-man operation into a private limited company.
In 1960, it further transitioned into a public limited company, Konings NV, expanding its activities to include ciders and sparkling wine production. In 1983, Konings NV acquired Nelissen Distillery in Hasselt. This was followed in 1987 by the takeover of Trudo Fruit Juices, marking the company's entry into the fruit juice market. In 1995, Konings NV. expanded into the dairy industry by taking over Lilac and in 2001, it acquired Smeets Distillery in Hasselt.[3]
The acquisition of Smeets added the Smeets brand to Konings’ range of products. In 2002, Konings launched an advertising and image campaign to promote the Smeets brand, aiming to position it as a high-quality, fairly-priced product.[4]
Holding
[edit]In 2007 the Konings family sold Konings NV to five managers and a private partner:
● Jos Rutten: former operations manager; after the sale, responsible for purchases and sales.
● Dirk Maris: originally from ING Belgium; after the sale, responsible for financial and commercial management; after an acclimatisation period, he became general manager.
● Jef Moors: main supplier (Moors Fruit, in Riemst); after the sale, responsible for purchases partly for sales.
● Luc Nulens: operations manager (bottling and filling).
● Peter Lynen: production and quality manager (fruit processing).
With 90% of Konings NV shares, the five set up a new holding company, called New-Kon. The remaining 10% of the shares were held by their private partner.[5]
In 2011 jenever brand Smeets was sold to Bruggeman. Konings, in its turn, took over Looza. Since then the company has mainly focussed on the production and packaging of fruit juices.
International
[edit]Konings has meanwhile further expanded in several European countries, including:
● Netherlands, Breda: Acquisition of a fruit juice factory (2015)
● United Kingdom, Boxford: Acquisition of a fruit juice factory (2016)
● France, Beaucaire: Acquisition of a distillery (2018)
References
[edit]- ^ Konings. "Onze geschiedenis · Konings". konings.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Konings. "Onze geschiedenis · Konings". konings.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Hasseltse jenever in Zonhoven". Het Belang van Limburg. 2022-12-29.
- ^ Claes, Dominiek (2002-11-28). "Konings stopt half miljoen in imagocampagne voor Smeets". Het Belang van Limburg.
- ^ Claes, Dominiek (2007-10-12). "Konings op nieuwe koers". Het Belang van Limburg.