Summer BBQ Carlo becoming our in-house DJ happened quite spontaneously: “A few colleagues were organising the first summer BBQ and still needed to sort out the music. Then someone said: why don’t you do it?” That question didn’t come out of nowhere. Carlo had already been active for many years as DJ Carlow in the nightlife scene of Rotterdam and Vlaardingen. Since the ’90s, he had played in well-known clubs such as De Salon, Alpenhut, Plan C and ’t Fust. “I said: sure, I can do that—but we’ll need some equipment.”

A packed dance floor Long story short: Quooker bought the necessary equipment, the BBQ fired up, DJ Carlow did his thing, and before long the balcony of the Quooker building turned into a packed, steaming dance floor. From that moment on, Carlo was asked to DJ at every party and Friday afternoon gathering at Quooker. The IT department helped him upgrade to a better laptop, an extra subwoofer was added, and since last year DJ Carlow has been using a full professional DJ setup, purchased by Quooker at his request.

Since the early days Carlo doesn’t mind that he can’t join the dance floor himself during staff parties. “I’ve been around for a while—I’m happy where I am.” And he really has been around for a while. He was one of the first people to come into contact with a Quooker, back when the boiling-water tap was still a prototype.

“I was invited as a metalworker to Henri Peteri’s basement, where I helped out on a Saturday morning working on the lathe. Some 23 years later, I applied for a job at Quooker—and I haven’t regretted it for a second. The freedom, the colleagues, the atmosphere, the space you get when you have a good idea—it’s just a great company to work for. And then you also get the parties on top of that.”

Published on 13-03-2024