Libeert
{{short description|Belgian chocolate company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Libeert
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| former_name = {{Unbulleted list|Italo Suisse (1923–2013)|ISIS Chocolates (2013–2014)}}
| type = Private
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| industry = Food processing
| predecessor =
| founded = 1923, Izegem
| founder = Joseph Dequeker
| hq_location_city = Av. des Châteaux 107A, 7780 Comines-Warneton
| hq_location_country = Belgium
| num_locations = 1
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| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people =
| products = Woolie, Mr Nibbles, Deli Dino, Rudolf, Sinterklaas, Sinaas, Speculoos, Caffe Latte
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| website = {{URL|https://www.libeert.com/}}
}}
Libeert (previously known as Italo Suisse and ISIS) is a Belgian chocolate producer that was founded by Joseph Dequeker in 1923. The company produces more than 5,000 tons of chocolate annually, with a revenue of roughly €35 million.{{cite news|last1=Bartunek|first1=Robert-Jan|title=Belgium chocolate maker ISIS needs to change its name again|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belgium-chocolate-isis-idUSKCN0IC11G20141023|access-date=13 February 2022|work=Reuters|date=23 October 2014|language=en}}{{cite news|last1=Tharoor|first1=Ishaan|title=Belgian chocolate company is latest to decide ISIS might not be such a good name|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/10/24/belgian-chocolate-company-is-latest-to-decide-isis-might-not-be-such-a-good-name|date=24 October 2014|access-date=12 February 2022|newspaper=The Washington Post}}
History
=Early years=
After visiting Italy and Switzerland and learning about chocolate artisanship, Joseph Dequeker founded Italo Suisse in 1923 in Izegem, Belgium. Supposedly, many locals knew of it as the "Het Chocoladefabriekske" ("The Little Chocolate Factory" in Dutch). In the 1930s, the operation was moved slightly westward from Izegem to Roeselare.{{cite web |title=De Libeert Familie |url=https://www.libeert.com/en/de-libeert-familie |website=www.libeert.com |access-date=12 February 2022}}
=Location move=
At one point, Libeert moved its headquarters southward into the border municipality of Comines-Warneton.
=Name changes=
In 2013, as Italo Suisse, the company changed its name to ISIS, an acronym of the previous name repeated twice and after the Egyptian goddess Isis,{{cite news|last1=Cebrián|first1=Belén Domínguez|title=Cacao por un chocolate|trans-title=Cocoa for a chocolate|url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2015/02/27/estilo/1425031348_043275.html|work=El País|date=27 February 2015|language=es}} as people mistook them as an Italian or Swiss company due to their ambiguous name.{{cite news|last1=Raedt|first1=Kim De|title=Belgische chocolatier verandert van naam door negatieve associatie met ISIS|trans-title=Belgian chocolatier changes name due to negative association with ISIS|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20141022_01335743|access-date=13 February 2022|work=Het Nieuwsblad|language=nl-BE}} However, when the Islamic State gained international attention, the company suffered a drop in sales in the Anglophone World, causing them to lose roughly between €50,000 and €100,000.{{R|:ElPais|:reuters}} In 2014, they issued the new name of Libeert, after the family that owns the company.{{R|WashingtonPost}}{{cite news|last1=Moodley|first1=Kiran|title=Belgium chocolate maker ISIS changes its name after drop in sales|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/belgium-chocolate-maker-isis-changes-its-name-after-drop-in-sales-9847247.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/belgium-chocolate-maker-isis-changes-its-name-after-drop-in-sales-9847247.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=12 February 2022|work=The Independent|date=10 November 2014|language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.libeert.com/}}
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