The story
The company was founded in Lembeke in 1932 by three brothers: Jan, Emiel, and Henri Boone. Jan named it Lotus, after the flower, which symbolizes purity.
In the 1950s, the brothers began to package their speculoos biscuits individually, and from 1956 they were offered in Belgian catering establishments alongside coffee. Soon after, in 1960, Lotus began distributing biscuits in neighboring countries. Partnering with the Stevens family in 1974, Lotus merged with Corona and now also includes cakes and pastries within its product range. Prepackaged pastries experienced rapid growth at that time.
In 1986, Lotus and Delta Airlines struck a deal to distribute the cookies to Delta's passengers as a substitute for peanuts. A Delta employee claims to have invented the "Biscoff" name at the time, although this is disputed by Lotus. The brand was later rolled out worldwide, and several other airlines introduced the cookies.
Beginning in the 1990s, Lotus Bakeries grew steadily with a series of integrations:
1999: Integration of Suzy waffles
2006: Integration of gingerbread (Peijnenburg)
2008: Integration of ginger cookies (Annas)
2012: Acquisition of the Dinosaurus brand and start of own production from mid-2013 onwards
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Since 2015, the company has become active in the natural snacking category, acquiring three British companies.
2015: strategic partnership with Natural Balance Foods ("NBF") in the healthy snacking segment. NBF is a British wholefood company which offers bars under the nākd and TREK brands
2016: acquisition of BEAR, a kids' fruit snacking brand that offers natural snacks made from fruit
2018: acquisition of Kiddylicious, a British baby snacking brand that creates snacks for growing babies, toddlers and preschoolers
2020: acquisition of the majority of the remaining shares in British company Natural Balance Foods from the founders; as a result, Lotus Bakeries has full control of the entire Natural Foods portfolio
2020: creation of a new International HQ for Lotus™ Natural Foods in Switzerland
2022: acquisition of 100% of the shares of Peter's Yard, a British artisanal sourdough company that produces sourdough crackers, crispbreads and crisps
Lotus Bakeries has invested in several production facilities on different continents:
Historically, Biscoff was produced (and continues to be produced) in Lembeke, Belgium. In 2019, a new manufacturing facility was opened in Mebane, North Carolina, in the United States, marking the first production of Biscoff outside of Belgium. Currently, a third production facility for Biscoff is being built in Thailand and will be operational in 2026.
Since 2019 a production facility for the group’s natural foods brand, BEAR, has been in Wolseley, South Africa. In early 2024, the nākd production facility, adjacent to the BEAR production site, was built.
Lotus Bakeries' Local Heroes products are produced in their home markets of Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden.
From Wikipedia’s article on Lotus Bakeries, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5