Gum Guru Guest Blogger:

Bas Tappel, Senior Process Engineer

The good thing about starting a new job is the steep learning curve. As a new employee, I am realizing that one learns a lot of new facts about the company, its products and even noteworthy connections to one's own life. I was surfing the web for information on a TIC Gums product and I ran into an interesting link between TIC Gums, my Dutch roots and one of most important attractions in Amsterdam, the city I lived in for the previous 8 years. Prinsengracht 263 used to be the office of a hydrocolloid trading-company called Opekta. So far nothing special you would say, however starting from 1933 Opekta was led by a person named Otto Frank. From 1942, the secret annex of the office served as refuge for the Jewish Frank family when they had to hide from persecution during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Otto’s daughter Anne Frank kept what now is the most famous diary, which draws a compelling image of the experiences of a little girl during World War II. The diary has inspired many and the secret annex or “Het Achterhuis” in Dutch is open to the public, conveying a taste of what life in captivity meant. Interested in the story of Anne Frank? Run to the bookstore today and buy Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, see one of the movies or, when in Amsterdam, of course, visit the Anne Frank-house.