It all began in a small bakery
On 8 August 1885, Jules Destrooper wrote epicurean history. Without knowing it at the time. That was the day Jules opened a small, cosy bakery in the town of Lo in West Flanders.
Ambitious by nature, Julius Renatus Maria Destrooper combined his bakery with a shop in colonial wares from Africa and Asia. An inspired idea, because that’s how he distinguished himself from the five other bakers in the village. Customers travelled especially to Lo for Jules’s coffee, tobacco, chocolate and spices.
The first biscuit … an immediate success
Jules used the spices from his shop to make wafer-thin Almond Thins, which he gave to his customers as a promotional gift.
Soon, more people were coming to Lo for his Almond Thins than for the exotic merchandise. Jules immediately saw the potential in these popular biscuits.
The rest is history… So much history, in fact, that we’ve listed the highlights on a timeline for you. Grab a biscuit and scroll through at your leisure.
The birth of the Butter Crisp or "Lukke"
Jules Destrooper believes that “Variety is the spice of life” – and so he starts to experiment with recipes and waffle irons.
Celebration in Lo! Jules wins La Médaille d’Or
At the prestigious Paris food fair, Jules Destrooper’s Almond Thins win a gold medal.
The First World War
Biscuit ingredients become scarce and too expensive. The bakery has to close.
So, Jules Destrooper Junior dives into his other passion: photography. His photos of Lo-Reninge and the surrounding area appear on postcards, which soldiers send back to the home front.
Gold in Brussels!
The Butter Crisp wins a gold medal at the prestigious food fair in Brussels!
The Second World War
Butter is scarce in these turbulent times, and the biscuit factory goes through a difficult period.
Due to rationing measures, Jules Destrooper's biscuits become almost impossibly expensive. The customer now pays 60 francs for a box of Butter Crisps that normally costs 15 francs.
Recovery
The war is over. The world begins to recover. And once again, people are eager to enjoy life … and Jules Destrooper’s tasty biscuits!
Jules Junior starts exporting Almond Thins and Butter Crisps to the States – assisted by a Belgian who fled to America during the war. Mr. Van Den Bogaerde’s export company in New York arranges the import of our delicious biscuits.
The Butter Waffle arrives!
A new recipe is developed with great care in Lo. It turns out to be a future classic:
the Butter Waffle.
Konnichiwa, Japan!
A Japanese soldier called Takeshi Teshima tasted ‘a Jules biscuit’ for the first time somewhere in the Ardennes. And he never forgot the experience. More than 20 years later, Takeshi accidentally rediscovers our biscuits at Brussels Airport and brings our delicacies to the Land of the Rising Sun. His company – Americo, now led by his son Ted – still does that today.
Acquisition of NV Van Loo
In 1970, Speculoos joins the Jules Destrooper assortment. Business managers Jean and Hubert sign the contract to take over the Brussels biscuit maker R. Van Loo – known for his tasty ‘Petits Sujets’.
A second bakery
Patriek and Peter build a second bakery – this time in Ypres.
100 Years!
The Jules Destrooper Biscuiterie marks its centennial with a grand celebration in Lo! The Almond Florentines, which are launched in honour of the centenary, make you hunger for another 100 years…
We expand our assortment with a new delicacy: Cinnamon Biscuits in Milk Chocolate.
‘Enjoy, Your Royal Highness!’
We can call ourselves ‘Purveyor to the Belgian Royal Household’ – an exclusive honour for suppliers with an impeccable reputation.
A special year, a special assortment
The millennium bug has no effect on the taste of our biscuits. And we celebrate that fact with Jules’ Finest: a festive assortment that includes our Almond Thins, Butter Crisps, Butter Waffles, Cinnamon Biscuits in Milk Chocolate and Almond Florentines.
We bake the first Belgian Chocolate Thins.
Fire in the bakery!
A disastrous fire breaks out in the bakery in Lo-Reninge. But we are soon back at work to serve our faithful connoisseurs from all over the world.
Fantastic!
The Butter Crisp can now call itself ‘Certified Regional Product from the Westhoek’.
Tournée Générale!
Because people munch tasty and refined biscuits in hotels, restaurants and cafes too, we now also package the favourites from our assortment individually. These individual packages are prepared especially for the catering industry.
Ice, Ice, Baby!
We work with another Belgian company that truly values taste and respect for tradition: IJsboerke! Together we make the Galettes: a delicious combination of Butter Crisps with vanilla ice cream and chocolate. Ummm!
Food pairing and Jules Destrooper – a great combination!
We know that our biscuits go with much more than coffee and tea. So, we join forces with food-pairing specialists – and together we develop new biscuits and make new combinations of our classics. You can find our recipes here.
For our 125th anniversary, we surprise the guests at our party with the introduction of the Almond Thins in Belgian Dark Chocolate.
New owners, original recipes
In 2015, our independent family business is taken over by the Vandermarliere family. The biscuits and their names do not change. The new owners believe it’s important to bake according to the secret family recipes developed by great-grandfather Jules Destrooper.
For the first time ever, we combine Almond Thins and Belgian milk chocolate.
The production of our biscuits is centralized in the bakery in Ypres.
The Butter Crisp celebrates its 130th anniversary … and receives a special festive packaging.
Big news! We launch our biggest innovation in more than 130 years: the Butter Crisp with a layer of Belgian dark chocolate. This new variant is baked according to the same recipe as the original Butter Crisp, but once it rolls out of the oven, it gets a layer of Belgian dark chocolate on one (half) side. This truly tastes like heaven!
Our hard work pays off! The Butter Crisp with a layer of dark Belgian chocolate is elected Best Product of the Year 2022 – 2023!
A bit later in 2022, we launch our Choc ‘n Croc Almond Thins and Choc 'n Croc Butter Waffles. In this brand new snack, crispy pieces of the Almond Thins and Butter Waffles are dipped in a delicious layer of Belgian milk chocolate, for a tasteful break at any time of day!
Given the great success of our Butter Crisp with a layer of Belgian dark chocolate, we welcome a new brother in the family: the Butter Crisp salted caramel! Experience the perfect balance of sweet and salty in this brand new variant! After our Butter Crisps with a layer of Belgian dark chocolate, this biscuit was also elected Best Product of the Year 2023 - 2024.
A bit later in 2023, we add a new flavour to our Choc 'n Croc assortment: the Choc 'n Croc Butter Crisps salted caramel. You can find this biscuit on our webshop and at Delhaize in Belgium.
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