WILLEMSTAD – Lovers has announced plans to strengthen the availability of its products in Curaçao through a new distribution partnership, describing the move as a return of the locally born brand to its home market.
In a statement dated September 14, Lovers said it has entered into a distribution alliance with Hector Henriquez, who created Lovers Brand Distribution. The company says the new operation is intended to make Lovers products widely available again at supermarkets and within the hospitality sector.
According to the statement, the initiative is expected to create more than 90 local jobs through a team dedicated to the distribution and availability of Lovers products.
The company emphasized the Curaçao origins of the brand, which was established in 1977 under the leadership of its founder, the late Oswald van der Dijs II. Lovers said his legacy extended beyond the products themselves and included employment, economic opportunities and a strong connection with Curaçao's community.
His children, Cindy and Oswald van der Dijs III, are identified in the statement as the owners of the Lovers brand and its intellectual property. They say they intend to continue the path established by their father nearly 50 years ago.
The statement also directly addresses the bankruptcy involving the former Lovers operation in Curaçao. According to Cindy and Oswald van der Dijs III, they did not declare Lovers Curaçao bankrupt and did not make the decision to place the company into bankruptcy.
They maintain that the bankruptcy concerned another shareholder who had been operating the company in Curaçao. The Van der Dijs family says it continues to defend and preserve the Lovers brand and its intellectual property, which it considers a fundamental part of the legacy established by their father.
The clarification comes amid an ongoing legal dispute surrounding the Lovers brand and intellectual property following the bankruptcy of the former Curaçao operation.
Under the new arrangement, Lovers Brand Distribution says its priorities will include restoring the availability of Lovers products, creating local employment, stimulating economic activity and contributing to the Curaçao community.
The company also said Lovers intends to continue supporting sports, community activities and charitable initiatives on the island.
“Lovers is coming home,” the statement says, presenting the new distribution structure as the beginning of another chapter for one of Curaçao's longstanding local brands.