It was founded in Joure, Netherlands, by Egbert Douwes in 1753 as De Witte Os ("The White Ox"), a general grocery shop.

The company transferred to his eldest son Douwe Egberts in 1780, from whom it adopted its current name.

[6] The Dutch Province of Groningen was sued in 2007 by Douwe Egberts for explicitly requiring its coffee machine suppliers to meet the EKO organic standard[7] and the fairtrade criteria set by Stichting Max Havelaar, most notably the payment of a minimum price for its coffee and a development premium to producer cooperatives.

Douwe Egberts sold a number of coffee brands under self-developed ethical criteria and argued that the requirements were discriminatory.

[8] Coen de Ruiter, director of Stichting Max Havelaar, called the victory a landmark event: "it provides governmental institutions the freedom in their purchasing policy to require suppliers to provide coffee that bears the fair trade criteria, so that a substantial and meaningful contribution is made in the fight against poverty through the daily cup of coffee".