Toko Bopp 2.13

Toko Bopp is tradition that stretches across generations and continents. It’s origins can be traced back to Indonesia during WWII when a woman called Ellie Bopp-Igno started to prepare and sell food to provide for her extended family during the Japanese occupation. Several decades later, after the whole family had been repatriated to the Netherlands one of Ellie’s sons, Kees Bopp, first started selling ingredients for Indonesian dishes door-to-door to the Indonesian community in Geleen, the Netherlands in the mid 1960′s.

This venture went so well that a few years later Kees together with his new wife Tinie opened Toko Bopp at a premises in the Annastraat in Geleen. They ran this business successfully going from strength to strength until 1991 when they retired. While they innitially mostly sold ingredients needed to prepare delicious Indonesian food they expanded into freshly made Indonesian dishes and expanded the range of these until it became the mainstay of their business. Their food became so popular that Indonesian people living in in the Netherlands were even sending such products as Sambal back to their relatives in Indonesia. After running this Toko for over 30 years Kees & Tinnie retired and sold the business as a going concern. Today there is still a Toko Bopp at this address but this one is no longer a family business.

Spurred on by the success of Toko Bopp Geleen Kees’s siblings eventually all ventured into the same business. His sister Leni set up Toko in Heerlen, Robbie opened a Toko in Groningen, Leo in Sittard and the eldest sister Nettie went into the same business in California where she moved to. From the next generation Leni’s daughter Gabby took over her Toko, Eddie took over Leo’s. Nettie’s daughter Cindy is currently in the process of opening a food business

Now Kees & Tinie’s son Evert has decided to introduce the continue the family tradition. Evert has always had a strong interest in food and especially the Indonesian kitchen. He is well known for his culinary skills and their sate-barbeques are well known and attended.
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