Daan Reitsma, previously general manager at the firm has been appointed managing director along with Pieter Schulting, former sales director Cargill MENA, who is commercial director, and Paul Silva da Cruz, financial director.
Dutch-owned cocoa processor
“After three generations of Schoemaker family, the company was taken over through a Management Buyout (MBO) by Karel Reitsma, Henk Kaandorp and Nick Jan Cramer (the former owners),” said Schulting.
“The latest MBO has resulted in ownership by Daan Reitsma (son of Karel), myself and Paul.”
Schoemaker claims to be the last remaining 100% Dutch-owned cocoa processor, employing more than 100 people in the Netherlands and Ghana.
Its factory in Zaandam, the Netherlands, specializes in producing refined cocoa butter and thanks to its latest technology it has processed defatted cocoa powder.
According to its website it says ‘based on non-conventional cocoa streams still containing fat, we produce high quality refined and deodorized cocoa butter with extremely low FFA levels, both for the chocolate industry, as well as for cosmetics and pharmaceutical applications’.
“Without losing our focus on delivering high quality cocoa butter to the confectionery, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry, which Jan Schoemaker is known for, the company is expanding further in the cocoa market,” said Schulting.
Cocoa factory Zaandam
“We expanded the company two years’ ago creating a purpose-built cocoa factory in Zaandam and started production there six weeks ago.
“Aside from cocoa butter, the cocoa powder business is serving a diverse group of companies which are all food related, not just confectionery, which is where cocoa butter is going.
“Moving forward, we see growth opportunities in cocoa powder entering the dairy sector, spreads business and bakery, among others.
“We have a game plan with more announcements to come but we don’t want to reveal what that is yet, to stay ahead of the competition.”
Jan Schoemaker was founded by the Schoemaker brothers in Zaandam in 1923, who discovered a niche market for unconventional raw cocoa materials and developed specialized production techniques including the extraction and refining of cocoa fat for the production of 100% refined cocoa butter in 1958.
Today there are no family members that belong to the firm.
“Special thanks go to Karel Reitsma, Henk Kaandorp and Nick Jan Cramer for strengthening and expanding the foundation of Schoemaker over the last 30 years and making it a well-known and reliable business partner in the world of cocoa,” said Reitsma.
“I look forward to continuing this legacy together with my partners and the entire Schoemaker team.”