Van Houtte facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants Retail Coffee Retail Beverages Entertainment |
| Founded | In 1919 as a Speciality grocery store in Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Founder | Albert-Louis Van Houtte |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Products | Whole Bean Coffee Made-to-order beverages Bottled beverages Baked Goods Merchandise |
| Services | Coffee |
| Owner | Keurig Dr Pepper |
Van Houtte Inc. is a company from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are well-known for making, selling, and giving out coffee and coffee-related items. Over time, they have added more products. These now include special teas, sandwiches, and salads. The company was started by a person named Albert-Louis Van Houtte.
Contents
The Story of Van Houtte
How It All Started
Albert-Louis Van Houtte was born in France in 1877. He moved to Canada in 1912. After the First World War, his business of importing horses didn't work out. So, he decided to try selling food.
In 1919, he opened a grocery store. He sold special food items there. But he found he was especially good at roasting coffee. Roasting coffee means heating the coffee beans to bring out their flavor.
Growing the Business
Albert-Louis Van Houtte passed away in 1944. His family kept the "Maison A.L. Van Houtte" business going. They helped it grow even more.
In 1980, the family business became a bigger company. It was called "A.L. Van Houtte Inc." Paul-André Guillotte and Benoît Beauregard led the company. In 1987, the company started selling shares on the Montreal Stock Exchange. This meant people could buy parts of the company.
In 2000, the company's name was made shorter. It became "Van Houtte Inc." This change happened after a vote by the shareholders.
Van Houtte Today
By 2000, Van Houtte was selling a lot of coffee in the United States. About 20% of their total sales came from 28 states there.
Today, Van Houtte is a big international company. They provide coffee, coffee machines, and support to over 60,000 offices. They also serve other workplaces in the United States and Canada. They say this is the biggest system of its kind in North America.
Van Houtte also sells and supports coffee in many other places. These include cafeterias, grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and hotels. They also offer special coffee products that are fair trade. This means the farmers who grow the coffee beans get a fair price.
You can still buy coffee directly from Van Houtte. They have a chain of cafés (coffee shops) in Quebec. They also have two cafés in Ontario, in the city of Ottawa. Van Houtte also sells coffee and other products on their website.
Changes in Ownership
In May 2007, a company from the U.S. called Littlejohn & Co. made a big deal. They bought Van Houtte for $600 million. Even though the ownership changed, Van Houtte's main office stayed in Montreal. The same management team continued to lead the company.
On September 14, 2010, Van Houtte Inc. agreed to be bought again. This time, it was by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. This company is based in Vermont. The deal was for Can $915 million. The sale was completed on December 17, 2010.
Later, on August 29, 2011, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters sold a part of Van Houtte's business. They sold the U.S. Coffee Service business (called Filterfresh) to Aramark for $145 million.
In November 2014, Keurig Green Mountain (which Green Mountain Coffee Roasters became part of) sold the Van Houtte cafés in Quebec. They sold them to a restaurant company called MTY Food Group. However, Keurig Green Mountain kept control of the Van Houtte brand, its image, and its wholesale business.
Images for kids
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Albert-Louis Van Houtte and his first store in 1919.
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The entrance to a Van Houtte café at the Ottawa Central Bus Station.
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A Ford Focus wagon used by Van Houtte.
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A photo of Mr. Van Houtte in Montreal.
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See also
- Second Cup
- List of coffeehouse chains
