Rip Van Wafels facts for kids

Rip Van is an American company that makes tasty snacks. They are well-known for their stroopwafels, which are thin waffle cookies with a sweet syrup filling. They also make wafers, cookies, and other treats.

How Rip Van Started

From a Dorm Room to a Business

The Rip Van company began in 2010. It was started by two college students, Rip Pruisken and Marco De Leon. They were studying at Brown University and came up with the idea in their dorm room. Rip Pruisken was from Amsterdam, where stroopwafels are very popular.

To get their business going, they used a website called Kickstarter. This allowed people to donate money to help them start making their "Van Wafels." The founders were very dedicated! They even slept in a car while driving across the country to deliver their snacks to stores.

Growing the Company

For two years, while still in college, Rip and Marco worked hard. They focused on making their snacks even better and finding new ways to tell people about them.

The company's name, Rip Van, was inspired by an old story called Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving. In this story, a character falls asleep for a long time.

In 2016, both Rip Pruisken and Marco De Leon were recognized for their success. They were included in the "Forbes 30 Under 30" list. This list highlights 30 successful people under the age of 30 in different fields. By November 2020, Rip Van's products were among the fastest-growing food brands on Amazon.

Fun Facts About Rip Van

The name "Rip Van" was inspired by a famous story called Rip Van Winkle. It's a classic tale by Washington Irving.

In 2016, the people who started Rip Van were recognized for their success. They were named in the "Forbes 30 Under 30" list. This list highlights 30 successful people under the age of 30.

By November 2020, Rip Van snacks became very popular. Their products were listed as some of the fastest-growing brands on Amazon in the grocery section. This means lots of people were buying their snacks online!