Brownies & Downies

About

Brownies & Downies is a chain of cafés in the Netherlands and South Africa that only employs special needs people with Down syndrome. Though starting in 2010, the business has received significant news and media coverage since 2015, as well as being referenced in social media posts online. Brownies & Downies is most known on TikTok and has been referenced on Twitter in mid-2022. Some find the name of the chain controversial, while others express that they have no problem with it due to the employees embracing it and having pride in their work.

History

Brownies & Downies started in 2010 when it opened up its first location in the province of Brabant, Netherlands.^[1] On July 3rd, 2013, the YouTube channel of local Brabant news outlet Omroep Brabant uploaded a segment about the chain in which it stated that Brownies & Downies planned on opening at least five locations per year. In 2013, the company had three locations all in Brabant. Omroep Brabant additionally interviewed an employee and the manager of a branch who stated the business attracts a large, target group and also provides an opportunity for people with Down syndrome to be financially independent. Over the course of nine years, the YouTube video received roughly 8,100 views (shown below).

Online Presence

On July 1st, 2015, Brownies & Downies uploaded its first YouTube video of a music video for Lil' Michelle & Rickie Flex, two employees of the company. Over the course of seven years, the video received roughly 820,100 views (shown below, left). On August 17th, 2015, the channel then uploaded a promotional video for its brand, earning roughly 7,000 views in seven years (shown below, right).

On February 19th, 2016, the YouTube channel for South African news outlet Eyewitness News posted a video that covered the new Brownies & Downies location in Cape Town which officially expanded the company internationally. The video provided more insight into the inner philosophies and mission of the company. Over the course of six years, it received roughly 36,600 views (shown below).

On September 25th, 2016, Brownies & Downies uploaded its first Instagram^[2] post. Also in 2016, Brownies & Downies received attention on Twitter,^[3] indicating increased online awareness of the business.

TikTok Presence

In the early 2020s, Brownies & Downies became more well known on TikTok after it created an account in 2021. On April 10th, 2021, the company uploaded its first TikTok,^[4] earning roughly 514,000 plays and 29,100 likes in a year and a half (shown below, left). The company continued to receive viral engagement in 2021. For instance, on July 21st, 2021, it posted a TikTok^[5] that received roughly 1.4 million plays and 88,700 likes in one year (shown below, right).

On August 10th, 2022, the company posted a TikTok^[6] that received roughly 14.7 million plays and 996,400 likes in two weeks (shown below).

The aforementioned TikTok received cross-platform attention in the weeks that followed. On August 24th, 2022, Twitter^[7] user DongBussy tweeted, "No fucking way they named the store that 😭," and attached a screenshot of Brownies & Downies' August 10th TikTok.^[6] The tweet received roughly 66,400 likes in one day.

Search Interest

External References