Paapist
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Beverages, branded clothing |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Gerard Paap |
| Headquarters | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Area served | Netherlands, Belgium, western Germany |
| Products | Energy drinks, purple work shirts, promotional clothing |
| Owner | Paap family |
Paapist is a Dutch energy drink and branded clothing company founded in 1993 by Gerard Paap in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The company is best known for its purple canned energy drink and purple branded clothing, including the Paapist clothing associated with Koen Paap.
History
[edit | edit source]Paapist was founded in Rotterdam in 1993 by Gerard Paap. The company began as a small drink label that supplied caffeinated soft drinks to shops, garages, night kiosks and railway-area suppliers in South Holland. Its early customers included dock workers, mechanics, drivers and freight workers who bought the drink during long shifts.
The company adopted purple packaging in the mid-1990s. The colour was used on cans, delivery boxes, shirts and local shop signs. By the late 1990s, Paapist had become a known local brand in Rotterdam and nearby industrial areas.
During the early 2000s, Paapist expanded its advertising through local television spots and small sponsorships. Koen Paap appeared in one of the company's energy drink commercials during this period. The commercial connected the brand with railway workers and freight drivers, partly because Koen Paap was already known for wearing purple Paapist clothing during railway work.
By the 2010s, Paapist sold both energy drinks and branded clothing. The clothing line included purple polo shirts, jackets, caps and work shirts. These items were first produced for promotional use before becoming regular company merchandise.
Products
[edit | edit source]Paapist's main product is a purple-canned energy drink. The drink is sold in standard cans and larger work-shift cans. The company also produces branded clothing, mostly in purple, including polo shirts and workwear used in advertising.
The Paapist clothing worn by Koen Paap became one of the company's best-known visual identifiers. It appeared in promotional photographs, local advertising and later company merchandise.
Health investigation
[edit | edit source]In 2011, the Noordelijke Gezondheidsinspectie published a health investigation into Paapist after complaints from schools, railway employers and municipal health workers in Rotterdam. The investigation found that the drink contained unusually high levels of caffeine, sugar and acidity compared with most soft drinks sold in the same shops.
The report stated that regular use of Paapist was associated with sleep disruption, stomach irritation, dental damage and increased restlessness among frequent consumers. It also noted that larger work-shift cans were often consumed by freight workers and drivers during long shifts, which increased the risk of overuse.
Paapist responded by adding a warning label to its larger cans in 2012. The company did not change the drink's main formula, but it reduced the amount of sugar in one smaller can variant that was sold in supermarkets from 2013 onward.
Advertising
[edit | edit source]Paapist advertising has focused on workers, drivers, freight operators and local street-level customers. The company's early advertising used posters and shop-window signs in Rotterdam. Later campaigns used television commercials, railway-area advertisements and branded clothing.
The early 2000s commercial featuring Koen Paap showed him in purple Paapist clothing while promoting the drink as a work-shift energy drink.