WILLEMSTAD – Kortijn has unveiled its new permanent brand identity, marking the end of the temporary branding phase that followed its acquisition of the production activities and assets of the bankrupt Lovers Industrial Corporation earlier this year.
The new image represents an important next step for the Curaçao company as it seeks to establish Kortijn as a distinct consumer brand following one of the most significant changes in the island’s local food and beverage industry in recent years.
Kortijn acquired the Lovers production operation after Lovers Industrial Corporation was declared bankrupt on January 14, 2026. The acquisition was announced in April after the bankruptcy trustees selected Kortijn’s bid and plan for continuing the operation. Approximately 135 to 150 jobs were preserved through the takeover, while production continued at the existing facility.
The transition became visible to consumers at the end of May when juices began appearing under the Kortijn name.
Those packages, however, were never intended to represent the company's final identity. Kortijn explained in June that it was going through a transition period and that its juices would temporarily be sold in predominantly white packaging carrying the Kortijn name.
The company has now revealed the permanent image that will define the brand going forward.
A complicated transition
The rebranding comes after a sometimes contentious transition following the Lovers bankruptcy.
Although Kortijn acquired the factory operations and assets, the Lovers trademark remained outside the transaction. That distinction subsequently led to a dispute with Lovers USA over the way Kortijn initially presented its products.
In June, Lovers USA criticized Kortijn's transitional marketing, particularly references such as “The taste Curaçao knows” and “Same Love,” arguing that the presentation could create confusion between the two brands.
Kortijn rejected the criticism and emphasized that it was developing its own products and identity. At the time, the company explicitly described the white packaging as temporary while the transition continued.
The unveiling of the permanent Kortijn image therefore carries greater significance than an ordinary packaging redesign. It visually separates the company's future from the transitional period that followed the takeover.
From ice company to broader producer
The acquisition has also substantially changed the scale and profile of Kortijn.
Before the transaction, Kortijn was best known locally for ice production. Through the acquisition, the company took over production activities associated with a much broader portfolio, including juices and other products.
Kortijn previously said the acquisition would also significantly expand its ice-production capacity, with the operation capable of producing more than 160 tons of ice per day. The company linked that additional capacity partly to increasing demand generated by Curaçao's expanding tourism industry.
When juice production restarted, Kortijn said many of the experienced employees from the former Lovers operation remained involved and that recipes had been adjusted, including the use of more fruit and less added sugar.
The new permanent identity now begins the next phase of that strategy: convincing Curaçao consumers to recognize the products not as former Lovers products in temporary Kortijn packaging, but as products belonging to Kortijn itself.
For a company that only months ago took over the operations of one of Curaçao's best-known food and beverage producers, the unveiling effectively closes the visual transition period and opens a new chapter in the competition for the local market.