We've been around for 450 years and the way we always look at the cocktail industry is that we want to be at the forefront of it,” Frank Cocx, current chief financial officer and soon-to-be chief executive of Lucas Bols tells Drinks International on a visit to the brand’s home in Amsterdam. “We’re active in 114 countries and not all of them are big at the moment, but we want to be there at the early stages and make sure that when things start to happen we have planted that seed, got to know the bartenders, and can bring them to the Bols Cocktail Academy to train them.”
A leading global cocktail and spirits player, and one of the oldest Dutch companies, Bols is this year celebrating its 450th anniversary, along with the launch of Bols Blue 1575, a premium expression of its Blue Curaçao liqueur.
“We’ve been working towards our 450th for quite a while and we always wanted there to be a commemorative drink and to make it exclusive with rum in there, and a new bottle. Internally there’s talk of having two or three other liqueurs potentially being available in a more premium version and the idea of premiumising liqueurs is definitely there,” says Cocx.
“For some of the flavours there is already a brand which is the hero of the premium segment. For example, with triple sec it’s Cointreau, with passion fruit it’s Passoā, so with the top-10 flavours, for all of them, there’s one brand that has that premium position already but that was not the case with blue curaçao. It’s the third-largest liqueur worldwide in terms of volumes sold but with no brand claiming that at a premium level, so that was another reason to do it. We’re not going to take Cointreau by having a premium triple sec, but if there are other flavours that we think can have a hero brand at a premium level, I’m definitely not against it.”
Taking over from Huub van Doorne, Cocx will assume the role of chief executive on 1 October 2025 with, aft er a transitional phase, initial plans to focus on the company’s time to market. “We’re a small company and sometimes it takes us maybe a bit too long to come from a great idea, which we have enough of as we’ve been about innovation from day one, but to actually do it in the market. I’d rather fail three times and be lucky the fourth than always be late or too late”, says Cocx. Another change he’d like to make is due to Bols being dependent on external distributors.
“I want to make sure we do a better job of finding the right partners and motivating the right partners in these countries,” he says. “It’s not new, but something I want to put new energy into and make sure we keep focusing on building our brands, talking about the cocktails, taking pride in the fact we’re from Amsterdam and all these things. I’m not here for restructuring, it’s doing what we did in a slightly different way.
“Things will change, but what is also important is the things that won’t change. You won’t exist for 450 years if you’re not successful at the core of what you’re doing, and that’s craftsmanship and cocktails, which is our focus,” Cocx continues.
Global footprint
When looking at particular markets, Cocx notes that in Japan Bols is the number one imported liqueur, while in China the company grew its business rapidly over the past year by investing heavily in the market, with eastern Europe another growth pocket. “That’s really our style to, on the one hand, focus on big markets where we already have a footprint, but on the other hand we’re never satisfied and we always try to go into these growth markets and over-invest in relationships,” says Cocx. While currently a small market, in Nigeria Bols focuses on the high-end cocktail scene, so the brand can be visible and consumers can associate it with cocktails and the premium space.
“Funnily enough, our Yoghurt Liqueur, which we introduced globally, really picked up in Nigeria, in liquor stores more than bars, and people mix it with vodka, sparkling water or strawberry soda, but we aren’t talking big volumes yet. From memory, it’s the number two or three product that we sell over there, but in The Netherlands it’s not that big. It’s quite funny because I think it’s one of these things where we’re the only ones making it and, yes, it’s a bit of a weird one, but for example Ivar de Lange, our master bartender, loves to make a strawberry cheesecake cocktail with it,” adds Cocx.
It’s not just the Yoghurt Liqueur – Bols also has other pockets globally where certain brands have gained traction. “Our Henkes gin that we sell a lot in Togo, Ghana and Benin, is one of the biggest brands in that area and not just talking spirits, people love it. For example, the Galliano range and our black and white sambucas are also really popular in Australia, not just as a shot but also an after-dinner drink. It’s not always our decision to do that, sometimes it just works out that way,” Cocx adds.
A growing portfolio
Bols’ portfolio of spirits, liqueurs, RTDs and non-alcoholic spirits includes Bols liqueurs, vodka and genever, Galliano, Pallini, Nuvo, Tequila Partida, The Muff Liquor Company, Damrak Gin and Fluère. A somewhat recent acquisition, Bols bought Partida in 2022 to enter the tequila market and offer strength to its portfolio of brands, particularly in the US. On looking for potential acquisitions, Cocx notes: “Two years ago I acquired Fluère and Nuvo was acquired in 2023, so we constantly have an eye out, but at the same time if a brand does not have a cocktail association, and if we think we cannot get one, it’s not our game to play. My first criteria is assessing what the affinity is that it has with cocktails, and the second is that we need to be able to scale it in the markets we have. Acquisitions are always there, but it needs to make our company stronger from a cocktail perspective.”
As the company grows, the room for expansion is there. Master distiller Monique ten Kortenaar takes care of creating the base distillate at the distillery in Amsterdam, which is then sent to third parties who do the blending and bottling. In turn, this allows for growth if needed. “We can scale up a lot because we have capacity at the factories and have got around six different production locations around the world, so if one cannot do it, it’s relatively easy to use another one,” says Cocx. “We produce in The Netherlands, US and France, so scale is not an issue.”
As Bols moves forward with a new expression and new leadership, the focus will always be cocktails, says Cocx. “This company is about cocktails, we’ve done that for over 200 years, in everything we do – the way we approach bartenders, the way we acquire brands and what brands we acquire, there’s always that one word: cocktails. I personally like the fact we’re a relatively small team based in Amsterdam but we’re active in 114 countries. It’s an international cocktail company and we’re poised for further growth.”
