Timeline

1883
In 1883, Dirk Boomsma registers his ‘Grossierderij in koloniale waren en gedistilleerde dranken’ with the Chamber of Commerce in Leeuwarden. The business, located near the “Oldehoofster Kerkhof” in Leeuwarden, supplies shops and pubs in the entire province with groceries and drinks. Friesche Beerenburger is its flagship product.

1915
Jodocus Boomsma takes over and further expands the wholesale business. He moves the distillery first to more spacious premises in Grote Kerkstraat and Schoolstraat, and later to Ipe Brouwersteeg. He also opens a liquor store in Sint Jacobsstraat, which he later moves to Nieuwstad.
As the eldest son of Dirk, he has great plans. He expands the company’s activities and travels across the whole country – by train to Stavoren, by boat to Enkuizen and then by train again to Amsterdam or Rotterdam. In the meantime, ‘Old Captain Genever’ becomes a much-loved drink in Rotterdam and Dordrecht. Beerenburger remains particularly popular in Friesland.

1945
After the death of Jodocus Boomsma, his son Anton Richard Boomsma takes over the business. In addition to spirits, he also starts selling wine and cognac. In the post-war years, the sales area is extended to the whole of the Netherlands. Slowly but surely, the company also starts exporting its products to Germany and Belgium.

1960
Boomsma Distilleerderij leaves the Leeuwarden city centre and settles in the then still relatively unoccupied West industrial estate along Edisonstraat. A period of steady growth follows. The Boomsma brand is now known across the Netherlands.

1980
Jodocus Boomsma, named after his grandfather, succeeds his father Anton. He further expands Boomsma by placing additional focus on exports. Under his leadership, sales of the company’s own spirits also increase sharply. He later starts importing quality wines.

2009
Saskia and Chantoine Boomsma (the 5th generation) determine the course of the flourishing family business. The company is a household name for Dutch and foreign spirits, and for the import and sale of wines. The range now includes around 300 wines.

2015
The distillery in Edisonstraat is expanded with two Copper Pot Stills with a capacity of 2,500 and 500 litres respectively which ensure that the company can once again distil its own products. Now Boomsma can fully control its own production process. The installations come in handy for the development of new drinks.

2021
Over the past 5 years, Boomsma has been very busy with restyling its existing range and developing a number of attractive additions. For example, the Young Genever and the Old Genevers have been redesigned and a number of new variants have been added to the existing range.
Next, the Boomsma Blackberry Liqueur and Elderberry Liqueur come in a new beautiful bottle and a fresh Lime Liqueur and delicious Coffee Liqueur have been added. The Boomsma Dry Gin has been developed in our own copper pot stills, often using the same herbs as for the Beerenburger. A beautiful product in an award-winning bottle. Boomsma Distilleerderij serves today’s bon vivant and is ready for the future!