The Dutch Brothers keep it in the family. That's been the status quo since the mid-'50s, and it doesn't look like that'll change anytime soon.
Three deBoer brothers — Jacob, Mitchiel and Samuel — run the show at the popular Holland bakery. They are carrying on the tradition that's been kneaded into their identity for several generations.
"In 1955 or '56, my Opa and Oma were thinking about immigrating to Holland, Michigan, from the Netherlands," said Jacob. "We came over on a boat, and my Opa — my grandfather — worked in lots of different bakeries in Holland at the time.”
After moving to Florida for a few years, the deBoer family came back to Michigan. That's when the brothers' father, Jakob, created the Dutch Brothers bakery, officially named deBoer's Bakkerij.
"Samuel became a baker with my father right away. Mitchiel went to West Palm Culinary Institute down in Florida, [and] graduated down there with a degree in Culinary Pastry Arts, before joining the staff," Jacob explained.
“It's kind of like the Field of Dreams," he added. "If you build it, they will come. They built a wonderful bakery and then small restaurant. Then I came on, and we started roasting our own coffee. It's been a wonderful thing.”
The bakery/restaurant has blossomed into quite a successful staple in Holland, helping teleport their customers to the Netherlands with every bite of their authentic Dutch food.
During Tulip Time, they even roll out a special extension to their year-round menu that features even more food you would find back in their homeland.