UNIQUE & ICONIC
THE MAIN BUILDING
DROSTE BRANDERIJ, PERSERIJ AND PAKKERIJ
The Droste factory is part of a factory complex. The building with the Branderij and Perserij on the north- west side of the complex dates from 1911-1920 and was designed by architect J. van den Ban. The other parts of the factory complex were realized in 1922. The construction body of the cocoa roasting and pressing plant is perpendicular to the Spaarne and borders directly on the water. It has a steel skeleton and consists of first floor and storeys. The floors extend below the gable roof. There is a tile tableau on the facade with the text DROSTE CACAO. In the adjoining wall of the tower is another tile tableau with the famous image of the nurse with a cup of cocoa on a serving platter.
The massive rectangular building block parallel to the Spaarne - the 'Pakkerij' - was built in 1922 to a design by JJ van Noppen. The building block has a concrete skeleton and consists of the ground floor, first, second, third and fourth storey under a flat roof. The corners are raised on the northwest and southeast sides with tower-like cubes. This contained the elevators and access to the flat roof.
Droste effect
Around 1900 the nurse starts appearing on the tins of cocoa powder. The designer of this logo was the Haarlem advertising painter Jan (Johannes) Musset, who was inspired by a painting by the Swiss painter Jean Etienne Liotard, La serveuse de chocolat.
The nurse refers to the alleged medicinal effects of chocolate. From that moment on, this logo was inextricably linked to the name Droste and the Droste effect (an image infinitely repeated in the same image). It is still visible as a tile tableau on the waterfront of the building.
During World War I, Droste had to deal with the scarcity of raw materials and the company switched to the production of 'ration bars': chocolate bars for the military and civilian populations.
After World War I, the production and turnover under the leadership of Gerardus Johannes Droste Jr. were once again succesful.
A GLOBAL EFFECT
DROSTEMANNETJE
DROSTE CHOCOLATE MAN
The large neon sign of the Drostemannetje (6 metres high and weighing 2 tons) was a symbol of the 1930's advertising campaign and stood on top of the factory for years. It symbolized a chocolate pastille and was reportedly the largest neon sign in the world in those days.
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For safety reasons the construction was removed and did not return.
However, since 2017 this popular historical Haarlem figure is back in the city! Residential artist De Wildlasser recreated this tiny steel Drostemannetje on the waterfront as an ode to the famous chocolate man.
