Verkade

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Koninklijke Verkade N.V., or Verkade, is a Dutch maker of chocolate, rusk and cookies based in Zaandam, near Amsterdam. It was founded in 1886 by Ericus Verkade to make bread and rusk, and later expanded to cookies, sweets and chocolate. The company was first called De Ruyter, after a local flour mill, and the horse rider in the logo stayed until 1994 when a newer design was introduced. The rusk is now produced by Bolletje using Verkade’s recipe. Verkade received the royal title in 1950 and today employs about 450–550 people in Zaandam.

In November 2014, Verkade was bought by Pladis, the global biscuit and chocolate company owned by Turkish Yıldız Holding.

Verkade became famous for its marketing, starting in 1906 with picture cards that came with products. Many albums were issued, and millions of cards were distributed before World War II.

In the early days most workers were young women in uniforms, known as the Verkade girls or Ruytermeisjes. They were chosen for careful hands and lower wages, and the company sometimes fired older single women after marriage. After World War II, Verkade changed its hiring rules and opened a daycare in 1961 to help workers with families. In the 1960s and 70s the company also hired migrant workers and their wives.

The era of the Verkade girls ended in the 1970s and 80s when machines took over more work. The Zaans Museum has a section about these workers, supported by sponsor PDZ. In 2005 a group called Verkademeisjes was formed to sing and perform, reviving the old tradition. Dutch writer Willem Wilmink even named a collection after them.