Dutchman
has brought the flavors of Holland to the US for 15 years
Online Rockland company offers the many
flavors of Holland, with licorice a specialty
July 25, 2008
By Kaitlin Keane
The Patriot Ledger
ROCKLAND - Dan Waterman wants to be clear: there is
nothing wrong with American licorice. It’s just that the Dutch variety tastes
better than the sweet red strands found on the shelves of American candy shops,
he says.
For more than a decade, Waterman, 80, has run a
successful business on that notion, importing culinary products of his homeland
and shipping them to eager customers across the country.
All
Things Dutch, an online company that Waterman runs almost single-handedly from
a Rockland warehouse, offers a variety of culinary and cultural products from
Holland.
Since he left Holland in 1955, Waterman has made
frequent trips to his home city of Loosdrecht, always returning with suitcases
full of the candies he enjoyed in his youth. He has never been able to find the
bitter licorice drops, the caramel Stroopwafels or the rich chocolate sprinkles
stateside. “American licorice just does not have the same taste,” said
Waterman, who lives in Weymouth.
In the beginning, All Things Dutch catered to many
of Waterman’s fellow expatriates. Now the products are shipped all over.
Waterman said he gets orders from as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. He has also
seen a sharp increase in orders from Europeans eager to send inexpensive Dutch
treats to relatives in the U.S.
For the company’s 15th anniversary, Waterman has
decided to offer a sampler of Dutch licorice that he hopes will lure skeptics
and give licorice fiends the chance to find their favorite variety. “I like to
think that all the licorice is delicious, but there are many people who are
looking specifically for that salty licorice or that chewy licorice,” he said.
The sampler, available at Allthingsdutch.com, offers
16 kinds of licorice in a variety of shapes, flavors and brands. And it was
inspired by a fellow culinary business personality, Martha Stewart.
Stewart invited Waterman on her television show
several years ago to talk about Dutch sweets, and while she didn’t take
favorably to his assessment of American licorice, she suggested he offer a
sampler. Waterman has been combining different brands of licorice ever since. A
list on the company Web site offers a detailed description of the products,
which include licorice shaped like farm animals and witches’ brooms and more
popular varieties that “melt in your mouth,” Waterman said.
He has also started to offer Dutch cultural items,
such as candy tins with images of the Dutch royal family and books
commemorating famous Dutch artists and personalities. Waterman has been
surprised at how many people, both European and American, find the items
amusing. “I found it very interesting that there are so many people interested
in the culture, whether they have Dutch heritage or not,” he said.
Kaitlin Keane may be reached at kkeane@ledger.com. CLICK HERE to go to: http://www.allthingsdutch.com/