Ericus Gerhardus Verkade (20 November 1835 – 8 February 1907) was the founder in 1886 of the Verkade manufacturing company of the Netherlands.
Verkade was born in Vlaardingen. He was named after his father, the notary Ericus Gerhardus Verkade Sr (1801-1835), who died one month before he was born. Verkade's mother, Geertruida van Gelder, was from Wormerveer and moved her family back to her birth place shortly after Ericus Jr's birth.[1]
Soon after school, Verkade started a vegetable oil factory, which burned out in 1875. The next eight years he and his brother-in-law traded in grains. On May 2, 1886, he started a steam-powered bakery, which company he first named "De Ruyter" for the first mill in Zaandam that milled flour--the original "ruiter" ("knight") was on the company logo until 1994.[2] Verkade originally baked bread and rusk, but soon expanded to make cookies, chocolate, and snacks.[3] Verkade became a household name in the Netherlands.[4][5]
In 1857 in Zaandam, Verkade married Trijntje Smit (1835-1863) in 1857, with whom he had a daughter. In 1865 he married Eduarda Thalia Koning (1841-1917), with whom he had 7 children. His son Jan Verkade (1868-1948) became a well-known Post-Impressionist artist. Jan was the twin brother of Ericus Gerhardus (1868-1927) who would take over his father's business.[1]
Verkade died in Hilversum in 1907.