Long history of baking
Bolletje BV has a long history of baking. In the year 1867 the foundation was laid for the contemporary family business of today.
Albertus Antonius ter Beek (1802-1868) is a merchant, blue and black dyer, “zetter” of Ambt Almelo and bread seller. Shortly before his death he buys a property on Groote Straat Nieuwe end in Almelo, for his son Gerardus Johannes (1843-1933). The latter marries on November 7, 1867, opens a bakery with store, laying the foundation for the family business known as Bolletje since the 1950s.
The keys to success
It was not the grocers but the bakers who sold most of the rusk in those days. Rusks that they still baked themselves. Since baking rusk was very labor intensive and difficult for them, selling Bolletje rusk was an attractive alternative: rusk of excellent, real baker’s quality for a reasonable price.
However, the five Ter Beek brothers saw that, despite the success of their policy, in the future the supermarkets would displace the bakers as selling points for rusk. This vision – coupled with the belief in their own abilities in terms of quality, efficiency and advertising – led to the thunderclap in baker’s land that Bolletje would henceforth also be available at the grocery store.
With hindsight, it is so simple, that vision came true: more than 90% of all rusk is now sold by supermarkets. And more than 50% of all rusk is still baked in Almelo.
