Why you’ll want the book ‘Oos Kesbeke: Pickle King’ on your bedside table
Anyone who doesn’t know the name Oos Kesbeke has been living under a rock for the past few years. It’s impossible not to have heard or seen something about the man with the bright blue eyes. Oos Kesbeke became a true Dutch celebrity through the reality series ‘De Augurkenkoning’. Yet few people know the backstory of the legendary family business. In his book, ‘Oos Kesbeke, Augurkenkoning’, he takes you through the story of his life, the origins of Kesbeke Fijne Tafelzuren and how he made pickles sexy.
The Pickle King who conquered the pickling world
The book is a heartwarming and humorous story about perseverance, innovation and, above all: family. Since 1948, the Kesbeke family has put pickled foods on the map, growing from the smallest basement in Amsterdam into a large, thriving company with enormous brand value.
Thanks to Oos, his sons Camiel and Silvian, and their unmistakable vision, Kesbeke is a brand that is both traditional and modern. Pickles in liver sausage, cheese with pickles and even chocolate letters with pickles (the famous ‘chocogurk’), a sour pickle shot, a pickle vibrator (?!)—anything goes. Who would ever have thought that the pickle would undergo such a culinary transformation?
Oos Kesbeke: the man behind the pickle
The book was written by Marcel Langedijk (the one with the beard), whose wonderfully deadpan style is perfect for portraying the person behind a brand. He previously did so with biographies of, among others, Hans Klok, Gordon and Najib Amhali.
In this case too, he brings Oos Kesbeke—the man who can never say no—to life. The book reads like a train. Hilarious anecdotes (spoiler: a horse on the dance floor) alternate with emotional gut punches (including the death of his good friend Jonnie Boer).
A little envelope at Christmas
Kesbeke is a family business through and through, and the Christmas dinner tradition at Kesbeke is a perfect example. I laughed out loud at the little envelopes at Christmas. Making money isn’t the most important thing for Oos; creating a beautiful product that brings people joy is. Attention to the product and the people is central to the family business’s vision, but that isn’t unique.
What is unique, however, is Oos’s eccentric character and his talent for reinventing himself time and again, always being in the right place at the right time.
Perfect gift
What exactly that means, you’ll have to read for yourself—believe me when I say that you’ll go from one surprise to the next. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a perfect (Christmas) gift for Kesbeke fans, biography lovers and entrepreneurs. Because after 240 pages, it becomes clear not only what a unique person Oos is, but also what a great entrepreneur he is.
‘Oos Kesbeke, Augurkenkoning’—the fourth edition is now in the works—costs €22.99 (paperback) and is available from bookshops and online.
Read also:
- Kesbeke wins culinary awards show FavorFlav Food Top 100 edition 2025
- 10 gross things in the supermarket you don’t want to know about as a customer
- Real life: Peggy never treats. “Who’s getting the next round?” Not me
