History

Past and Present

The hand-painted tiles in our hall on the first floor give a nice overview of the development of our company. Modest, but full of enthusiasm in 1893, Albertus Jongeneel started a small printing shop and the sale of tobacco products and office supplies on the Oosthaven. The next move was in 1906 to the corner of Nonnenwater / Hoge Gouwe. And fairly soon after that (1923) we ended up on the Lange Groenendaal, where we managed for a long time by renting storage space here and there in the neighborhood. During this period it also became clear that we were specializing more in packaging. The postcards and Gouda pipes disappeared, and it became more bags, sacks and boxes. Private sales gradually shifted toward wholesale. In 1989 we left the city center of Gouda with heavy hearts, but it really wasn’t possible anymore at the Lange Groenendaal. We moved into a beautiful building on the Nieuwe Gouwe Oostzijde. There we thought we could last well into the 21st century. Spacious offices, a large showroom and a warehouse so big… Unfortunately, we quickly outgrew it. Again the same story of renting extra storage until it no longer worked, and in October 2000 we moved to our current location.

We begin with the Jongeneel family – in the person of Albertus Jongeneel – who bravely took the step to become an entrepreneur. The mother of that sweet girl behind the counter (left page) was named Jongeneel. At that time in 1949 her name was still Marry Vlok, and in 1937 her father (Mr. Vlok) had taken over the business from Jongeneel. In 1954 Gerrit Pennewaard joined as a sales representative. That sweet girl behind the counter – the mother of current owners Robert and Gert-Jan – married Gerrit Pennewaard. And that same Gerrit Pennewaard, at 87 years old, is still present at the company two mornings a week. How family-driven can it be! Robert’s son – Rick Pennewaard – is now also in the business, so the future as a family company is secured for the time being.

In the meantime, we have already been in that beautiful building on the Meridiaan for more than 20 years (and we rent additional space elsewhere). Will history repeat itself? Most likely. In any case, the outlook is bright.

We would like to sincerely thank you for being our customer, because without you those 132 years would have been much less enjoyable. Once again, thank you and we look forward to personally welcoming you sometime in our beautiful building on the Meridiaan in Gouda.

Kind regards,
The “family” of Jongeneel Packaging & the people behind Jongeneel Packaging