Home >> About DDW >> History of Growth and Innovation Timeline
History of Growth and Innovation
A Glimpse of DDW – Take a look at the history of our company throughout the years, as told by our Facebook page timeline. (Many thanks to Facebook, Video Blocks, Final Cut Pro, and the Facebook Timeline Movie Maker for help with the creation of this video!)
Founded in 1865, DDW has grown from a small company owned by a Dutch immigrant to one of the world’s leading providers of caramel and natural colourings for food and beverage products. Today, we have nine natural coloring operations on five continents.
Below, you can find an interactive timeline detailing some important dates throughout our long history in the colouring industry. To pause the animation, just hover your mouse over any slide:
-
1865 – 1978
1865 – Founded by Dutch immigrant Douw Ditmars Williamson in New York to manufacture burnt sugars for the brewing industry.
1923 – Consolidated two acquired companies into Emken Malt Product Company, resulting in a broadened ingredient portfolio for brewing customers.
1948 – Constructed a manufacturing facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
1963 – Developed double-strength caramel color with a large soft drink customer in the United States. Double-strength is now the largest caramel category on a global basis.
1978 – First overseas facility in County Cork, Ireland, supplies Europe’s growing soft drink industry.
1865 – 1978 -
1979 – 1997
1984 – Acquired Food Technology Laboratory, Inc. of Chicago to develop further expertise in customers’ food applications.
1985 – Constructed the first direct pipeline from a caramel color manufacturer to a soft drink processor.
1987 – Implemented Philip Crosby’s Quality Improvement Process (QIP) for meeting customer expectations and continuous improvement.
1991 – D.D. Williamson (Ireland) Ltd. became Ireland’s 1st food & beverage company to earn ISO 9002 certification
1996 – Established D.D. Williamson Ingredients (Shanghai) Ltd., a wholly-owned foreign enterprise, to manufacture caramel color for customers in Asia.
1997 – Honored as Finalist, EFQM Excellence Award, Europe’s most prestigious quality award for organizational excellence & continuous improvement.
1979 – 1997 -
1998 – 2003
1999 – Began producing in Swaziland to supply customers in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
2000 – Formed partnership with colorMaker to explore the market for natural colors and distribute blended solutions on a global basis.
2001 – Opened South America’s largest caramel color manufacturing operation in Manaus, Brazil.
2003 – Launched new caramelized products using non-traditional carbohydrate sources (e.g. rice, apple, onion).
2004 – Acquired Cargill’s Cerestar caramel color operation in Manchester, UK, including its broad selection of burnt sugars & specialty caramels for beer & sauces.
1998 – 2003 -
2005 – 2009
2005 – Launched first certified organic caramel colors in North America. Acquired elderberry & chokeberry coloring business.
2006 – Acquired Dinesen Trading Company in Port Washington, WI, adding annatto extract, turmeric, paprika oleoresin & red beet to the naturally derived coloring portfolio.
2008 – Began manufacturing natural colouring in Cork, Ireland for European customers. Formed joint venture SuperiorPowders Ltd to acquire contract spray-drying facility near Bristol, UK. Launched organic burnt sugar in Europe.
2009 – Launched certified organic annatto extracts in North America. Launched an acid-proof Caramelized Sugar Flavor with incidental coloring properties.
2005 – 2009