The story of Toni Kunchi!

Toni Kunchi

For more than 30 years I have lived on Curaçao, 20 of which in the Toni Kunchi neighborhood. High time to shine a light on this neighborhood. After all, the name of the accommodation here is directly related to it.

Since I always find it pleasant to have a bit of historical awareness of the places where I stay, I recently did some research. You might say it's a bit late, and absolutely! How can it be that you are blind to what you are right in the middle of? Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it. If you are planning to come to Toni Kunchi, after reading the following story you will certainly look at this neighborhood with a different perspective.

Don James

Jaime Jose Sprock (1904-1994) was a true adventurer. He is the original father of both Ponche Kuba and Toni Kunchi. In 1924, he went to Cuba as a sailor to obtain a secret recipe for making Ponche Crema. An interesting detail is that the label says 1942. Archive documents mention otherwise, and besides, World War II was in full swing and sailing was not allowed due to German ships off the coast. Nevertheless, he got hold of the recipe, and Ponche Crema was sold worldwide under the name Ponche Kuba with great success. Later, he sold the recipe to the Bols company. I understood from close family that the Bols version is not nearly as tasty as the original.

Sprock had a huge entrepreneurial spirit and was also the driving force behind the Antillean Amstel Brewery. The only place in the world where beer brewed from distilled seawater was produced.

The plantation

In 1939, Jaime Sprock, together with his brother-in-law Mozes ‘Moi’ Pieters, purchased the Vreugdenberg plantation. From that moment on, it was known as Toni Kunchi. The origin of this name remains a mystery. The two families used the area for many years as a country residence to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Weekends were filled with parties. Moi Pieters' daughter (and therefore Jaime Sprock's niece) still lives in Toni Kunchi. She remembers birthday parties from her childhood when Toni Kunchi was still a plantation. The Toni Kunchi mansion stood across the way on the mountain.

The jars of Bols

The country cottage consisted of a main residence and two warehouses. These were used to store stock bottles and other drink attributes from Sprock's company. Shiploads of Bols bottles came this way, to be bottled and returned. Even today, these bottles from that time are still being found during construction or gardening work.

The tragedy

In 1965 the plantation was subdivided and the cottage was demolished. Initially, sales were slow. When it finally started to pick up, a true disaster struck in 1969. First, on May 30th, during the great worker uprising, the shops of the families were burned down, but the real drama for the family happened on October 10th of the same year.

The son of Jaime Sprock, Harold ‘Oy’ Sprock, lost his life in a train accident in Boxtel. He was expected to follow in his father's footsteps, but fate had other plans. The main street in Toni Kunchi and also our street, is named after him.

From plantation to a classic neighborhood

Toni Kunchi has now grown into a delightful neighborhood with plenty of green space and a rural atmosphere.

The location is very central and in no time you are in Willemstad or on Mambo-Beach. Yet Toni Kunchi still exudes the tranquility of the past.

This is our own website with the best price. Click here for our accommodations or ask us your question. Or read on with Tranendal , Hofi Cas Cora, from farm to table! or go to the overview of all articles.