Red Band history

In 1928, Red Band was founded by Mr Overwater. On 18 August, he purchased a vacant building on Spoorstraat in Roosendaal from the Swedish “match king”, Mr Kreuger. On 28 August, the machines arrived, and before long the first sour sweets, mints, liquorice and dragees were being produced. By the end of 1928, the factory consisted of three departments employing a total of 25 staff. Thanks to a well‑equipped machine park and the right production methods, the high‑quality products found a successful route to the market.

In response to Red Band’s enormous growth, the first renovation and expansion took place as early as 1935. In 1938, a new liquorice and confectionery factory was established in Turnhout (Belgium), also under the name Red Band. In 1939, a direct railway connection to the factory was constructed. Through a branch line running between Roosendaal and Breda, the wagons could enter the dispatch department directly.

In September 1944, towards the end of the Second World War, Red Band was hit by an air raid. Immediately after the war, an impressive new complex was built. On the front façade, large letters proclaimed: RED BAND – THE BAND THAT BINDS. Red Band took care of its employees. After the war, houses were built for the workforce, and staff were given opportunities to follow training courses. A pleasant extra for the employees was the distribution of sweet packages on the day wages were paid.

In the 1950s, Red Band’s products were widely promoted. Here you can see an example of street advertising from that period.

In 1957, Mr Overwater’s sons took over the leadership of Red Band. Cees and Coen Overwater oversaw significant growth of the company. During these years, 350 people were employed in the factories, spread across eight production departments.

Due to the enormous growth and expansion of activities, the management decided in 1977 to establish a holding company: Verenigde Dropfabrieken B.V. (V.D.F.). The head office was located in Etten-Leur.

In 1986, the family business Verenigde Dropfabrieken BV was taken over by the Centrale Suiker Maatschappij NV (CSM) and became part of the company’s Confectionery Division. The name Verenigde Dropfabrieken BV was changed to Red Band Venco BV (RBV), ensuring that both brand names (Red Band and Venco) were more clearly reflected in the company’s identity.

From 1 January 2000, Red Band and Venco were taken over by Leaf Holland, the producer of chewing gum (Sportlife and Xylifresh). From that moment on, the company operated under the name RBV Leaf BV. The office moved from Roosendaal to Oosterhout. In 2000, the first Dropfruit Duo’s were launched on the market!

On 15 February 2012, LEAF merged with Cloetta. Cloetta has been an important player in the confectionery market since 1862 and is particularly well known for its chocolate products. Together, the company continued under the name Cloetta.

In 2013, Red Band celebrated its 85th anniversary! In the same year, the Dropfruit Duo’s were the best‑selling sweet in the Netherlands and marked their 12½‑year anniversary!

In 2028, Red Band will celebrate its 100th anniversary! We will, of course, make sure this milestone does not pass unnoticed. Keep an eye on our website.