Hi All!
My name is Anna Borgman, a second-year Communication Science student. For the past three months, I have been interning at Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE). Despite the company’s Dutch origins, my adventure took place in the vibrant city of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Company introduction
The Dutchies might already be familiar with JDE, but for those who aren’t, here is some background information: JDE (Jacobs Douwe Egberts) is a leading Dutch company in the coffee and tea industry. With over 20,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 markets, JDE is the world’s largest pure-play coffee and tea company. They offer a diverse portfolio of over 50 beloved brands, including L’OR, Senseo, Pickwick, and, of course, Douwe Egberts.
Work Culture in Copenhagen
As mentioned, I was based in Copenhagen, Denmark for my internship. This opportunity not only allowed me to learn a great deal during working hours but also gave me the chance to experience living in this beautiful city, discovering its rich history and friendly locals.
Although I don’t have a lot of experience with corporate life in Amsterdam, I quickly noticed significant differences between the work cultures in these two cities, at least within JDE. In my opinion, the work/life balance is much better in Copenhagen. I remember receiving a meeting invite from the Global team from the Netherlands scheduled for 16:00, which surprised my team in Copenhagen. Typically, everyone leaves the office before that time to spend time with family and friends. It was interesting to see the interaction between my Dutch and Danish colleagues. Besides, work events, such as Friday bars and other fun activities, are highly prioritized at the company. During my short time at JDE, seven different social activities were planned. We had an après-ski themed party, a champagne tasting, a line-dancing event, and had a summer party, making it very easy for me to improve my networking skills.
My Role
Being part of the Marketing Professional team was an incredibly valuable learning experience. I had one main project: optimizing the cross-sell portfolio, This project was entirely my responsibility, as I was the only one working on it. My daily tasks were quite diverse. In the first few weeks, I focused on analyzing sales performance data for the various stock-keeping units in the cross-sell portfolio, making me an actual Excel pro, who would have thought…
After analyzing data, I created a proposal in Excel for which products in the portfolio should potentially be delisted. I presented this proposal to various important stakeholders, something I did not expect doing as an intern. Having such a big responsibility was first a bit terrifying, but it was a good challenge for me and it gave me a lot of confidence. A big advantage of beign solely responsible for this project was the freedom my manager gave me. He fully trusted me, allowing to manage the project my way while still providing guidance and giving feedback.
Overall Experience
My internship in Copenhagen was a wonderful experience, one I would gladly repeat in the future. I hope to return to this amazing city and perhaps even to Jacobs Douwe Egberts. The city and its people are incredible, and I highly recommend an internship abroad (specifically in Copenhagen) to anyone. I gained a lot of valuable insights, professionally and personally, and most important: a lot of new connections and coffee to bring home.
