As a Belgian company we wanted to pay a little tribute to our friends over in Antwerp by exploring some of their Christmas traditions.
Our favourite is that they have two Santa Clauses – St Nicholas and Pere Noel. This is due in part to the cultural make-up of the country. Pere Noel vists the French speaking side and St Nicholas visits the Flemish.
St Nicholas first visits on December 4th to see whether the children have been good or bad. He returns two days later on 6th to give out presents depending on how each child has behaved. Whoever has been bad gets a bundle of sticks. Each child leaves shoes or a basket outside their rooms for the presents to be distributed in. There is then a great feast for St Nicholas’ birthday and since it is considered a religious occasion, many people go to church.
Pere Noel also arrives on 6th December and talks to his friend Pere Fouettard, who has been keeping an eye on all the children. He advises Pere Noel on who’s been good or bad and they distribute the gifts together.
Rombouts History
Christmas in Belgium – A Tale of Two Santas
Malongo
Malongo, our French counterparts, have some wonderful pictures from their cafe and roasting HQ.
Belgium Royal Coffee Machine
We are very proud of our Belgian roots and everything that Frans Rombouts achieved. Rombouts is the coffee served by the Belgian Royal Family and this superb video shows the very fine Belgium Royal Coffee Machine:
The Decaffeination Process
The process of decaffeination was invented in 1903 by Ludwig Roselius and Karl Wimmer. They steamed the beans in brine and then used benzene to remove the caffeine. This process is no longer used, but the principles are still the same.
Read more..
Pictures from Guatemala – Chajul, Fey de Cocagua
Our coffee from Guatemala comes from the Asociación Chajulense Va’l Vaq Quyol. Here are some wonderful photographs from the area.
We’re on Facebook!
Today we launched our Facebook page. We’ll be sharing coffee tips, recipes, stories and offers. There are some fantastic pictures from our producers’ and we hope to put up some more.
We also welcome your feedback on our products and site. Please upload any fan photos, possibly some great pics of your coffee art or beautiful coffee creations.
Visit our page and ‘Like’ it here:
http://www.facebook.com/RomboutsUK
Rombouts Biscuits Are Back!
Rombouts’ famous Café biscuits are re-launched in the UK on April 19th 2010. The individually wrapped caramelised biscuits with a hint of cinnamon are a must have accompaniment to enjoy with Rombouts Individual filter coffee or Rombouts Roast & Ground Coffee, for a true Café Experience.
These were introduced into the UK in the swinging sixties with the growth of the new café culture and are sought after today by discerning coffee enthusiasts.
Available in packs of 25 each biscuit comes individually wrapped keeping it fresh and crisp.
The biscuits are available on line from www.rombouts.co.uk and www.ocado.co.uk.
Price RRP £1.25 per pack 156g
Rombouts’ Cafe Biscuits
Since launching our new range of ground coffee and the new website we have all been taking a little trip down memory lane.
Like remembering how our advertising used to be!
Next Monday we will be launching our Cafe Biscuits on our online shop. It has brought back swathes of nostalgia for all of us here.
Do you have any Rombouts’ memories?
