The story of Toni Kunchi!

Toni Kunchi

I have lived on Curaçao for more than 30 years, 20 of which in the Toni Kunchi neighborhood. It's high time to let my light shine on this neighborhood. After all, the name of my B&B is directly linked to it.

Because I always find it pleasant to have a bit of historical awareness of the places where I stay, I recently did some research. Richly, I hear you say. Absolutely! How can it be that you are blind to what you are in the middle of. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it. If you have plans to come to Toni Kunchi, after reading the story below you will certainly look at this neighborhood with a different perspective.

Don Jaime

Jaime Jose Sprock (1904-1994) was a true adventurer. He is both the ancestor of Ponche Kuba and of Toni Kunchi. In 1924 he went as a sailor to Cuba to obtain a secret recipe for making Ponche Crema. A striking detail is that the label says 1942. Archival documents state otherwise, and moreover WWII was in full swing and sailing was not allowed due to German ships off the coast. Anyway, he got the recipe and with great success Ponche Crema was sold worldwide under the name Ponche Kuba. Later he sold the recipe to the company Bols. From close family I understand that the Bols version is long after not as good as the original.

Sprock had a huge entrepreneurial spirit and was also at the foundation of the Antillean Amstel Brewery. The only place in the world where beer was brewed from distilled seawater.

De plantage

In 1939 Jaime Sprock bought the Vreugdenberg plantation together with his brother-in-law Mozes 'Moi' Pieters. From that moment on it was called Toni Kunchi. Where the name comes from is still a mystery. Both families used the area for years as a country retreat to escape the bustle of the city. Weekends were celebrated with parties. Moi Pieters' daughter (and thus Jaime Sprock's niece) still lives in Toni Kunchi. She can remember birthday parties from her childhood when Toni Kunchi was still a plantation. The Toni Kunchi manor house was on the other side on the hill.

De kruiken van Bols

The little manor consisted of a main residence and two warehouses. These were used to store stock bottles and other drink-related items from Sprock's company. Ship cargo Bols bottles came this way, to be bottled again and return. Still these bottles are found from that time during construction or gardening work.

De tragedie

In 1965 the plantation was subdivided and the manor was demolished. Initially the sale went slowly. When it finally started, a real disaster unfolded in 1969. First, on May 30, during the great workers' uprising, the families' shops were burned down, but the real drama happened on October 10 of that same year.

Jaime Sprock's son, Harold 'Oy' Sprock, lost his life in a train accident in Boxtel. He would have followed in his father's footsteps, but fate decided otherwise. The main street in Toni Kunchi and also our street is named after him.

Van plantage naar een klassieke wijk

Nowadays Toni Kunchi has grown into a lovely neighborhood with plenty of greenery and a rural atmosphere.

Its location is very central and in no time you are in Willemstad or at Mambo Beach. Yet Toni Kunchi still radiates the calm of yesteryear.

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