LOS ANGELES—Netherlands-based Tonga, a well-known distributor of adult products since the late 1990s, has announced that company founder, Joop de Jonge, passed away on July 19 after a short illness.
Tonga BV, as it is officially known, has been family-owned and operated since its founding and is currently run by his daughters, CEO Melanie de Jonge and CFO Stephanie de Jonge. After his official retirement several years ago, Joop de Jonge continued to share his sage advice in Tonga’s operations while it continued expanding its range of wholesale products to supply Europe with over 6,700 products from more than 30 worldwide brands.
Steve Sav, sales manager of Evolved, shared, “I knew him really well. He was an amazing man who would light up the room with his smile, his laugh, and his presence. He’s one of those people who you think will always going to be around.”
Steve continued, “He and I had a lot of professional and personal conversations. He was tough businessman, but he was always fair.”
Steve chuckled when he spoke about a particularly special time with Joop. “He introduced me to my first shot of Jenever, which is a Dutch gin, and now one of my favorites. We went to a little bar during one of his Master Classes in Ghent where they infuse Jenever with all different flavors and gave me a shot of the hot pepper-infused gin and didn’t tell me! He laughed while I suffered for it! We drank normal ones after that. I sure will miss him.”
Julie Stewart, CEO and owner of Sportsheets, remarked, “I’ve known Joop for well over a decade. He was such a sharp businessman, and although we didn’t always see eye to eye, I’ve always admired his passion for his customers, his commitment to product, and his love and adoration for his family. He will be sorely missed.”
