We are constantly working to spread positivity: we offer local entrepreneurs an additional market, provide a moment of happiness for the recipients of our Boxes when they see all the goodies, and contribute to charities such as the Food Bank. In addition, we would like to make an extra social contribution by collaborating with sheltered workshops.
'Combination of opening and closing shops'
In 2017, two brothers started the City in a Box initiative with the mission to put entrepreneurs in the spotlight and to introduce the locals to all the goodies the city has to offer. This resulted in the tastiest and most original Christmas packages in town! Since then we have been collecting the tastiest artisanal products from local soil in our boxes.
In addition to supporting local entrepreneurship, we also want to support local employment. This is why we have chosen to have our packages packed at social workshops. It doesn't stop at simply collecting tasty local products. We would like to contribute to employment among the toppers who find it just a little less easy to find a job.
Making real chocolate is simply the most beautiful and tastiest thing there is! Chocolate Makers is the only Dutch chocolate company that controls every link in the chain. This allows them to do everything as sustainably as possible. In addition, they buy high quality organic cocoa directly from farmers in Congo, Peru and the Dominican Republic for a good & fair price.
John Altman's snacks are a responsible alternative within the snack category and eating popcorn and nuts as a healthy snack is becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands. Marie Claire and Julie saw the potential of a loving and sustainable brand with a nod to the serious world around them. With the John Altman brand they now want to market good, but above all tasty snacks.
The entrepreneurs of Potverdorie decided that food waste was no longer acceptable and came up with a creative solution for the "discarded" fruit. They put the fruit together in a jar and process it as jam to give those who were discarded a new chance. And damn, it's so delicious!
Together with the Kenyan farmers, The Ketchup Project came up with a plan: drying the tomatoes to make ketchup. This project also prevents food waste and yields 20x more for farmers than if they sell fresh tomatoes on the local market. The additional earnings are then invested together with the farmers in agricultural improvements and essential developments of the Kenyan community.
GRO's products help reduce the impact on the environment, and are of course super tasty. The starting point to a better future. The land on which we live and work is a breeding ground for sustainable initiatives such as GRO's oyster mushrooms, which are grown with coffee grounds. Their focus is on the very tasty, versatile and circularly grown oyster mushroom from which they make delicious products. Including the Gro Chips!
Brandt & Levie was founded by three chefs with a mission: inspiring people to eat better meat. That is why they learned the trade of sausage makers and started their own sausage making business. In addition, they only work with well-kept pigs. These are our own pigs that grow up with friendly farmers and organic pigs from Dutch soil.
The entrepreneur Simone van Thull loves food, cooking and fermenting. Cooking from scratch, with a preference for simple, humble ingredients, enriched with pickled seasonings and ferments. The wonderful world of fermentation is endless, healthy and mighty interesting. But above all tasty!
The entrepreneur Petra de Koning has been making homemade liqueurs for many years. With a love for Italy, she started making her own liqueurs. With an alcohol content below 15% you can easily have a second drink without feeling guilty! We at Amsterdam in a Box have already found our favorite liqueur, have you?
Brouwerij De 7 Deugden was founded from the idea of helping people with disabilities. At The 7 Virtues they do not ask what is wrong with people, but what they can do. It takes courage to be vulnerable and that just so happens to be the starting point; COURAGEOUS BEER MAKING! Would you like to taste such a brave beer? Don't forget to stop him at the box!
De Prael stands for so much more than just beer. Thirteen years ago, the plan was launched to combine working with people at a distance from the labor market with brewing beer. One person works seven days, the other seven minutes, but everyone is part of the same big family. Working with people and beer has proven to be a golden combination. Discover a specialty beer through an Amsterdam in a Box.
Making a delicious drink is a bit like cooking, combining textures and flavors to create something exciting and memorable. At Spirited Union, they work with fresh botanicals and produce real flavor, by saying no to artificial aromatics... Brought together by a shared belief that spirits and botanicals should be delicious and fresh.
Mixing up the status quo. Soof started because they wanted to make the tastiest syrups and soft drinks from 100% natural fruit, vegetables & herbs. Nothing else! And that turned out quite well, the ingredients fit easily on the front of the packaging. Without mess, that's what we call it. Because there is enough of that in the world. Main mission: a transparent and future-proof food industry, so get rid of unnecessary ingredients and small print. Also an appetite for change? Join the revolution!
Amsterdam even has its own salsa and tortilla chips. El*Jefe is named after the person whose name no one actually knows. As a child he made tortillas for an orphanage, until a volcano erupted. You can read what happened next on the El*Jefe website… 🙂
Gin Mayo was founded by the sea food/gin restaurant Mossel & Gin. Because the chefs actually lacked the ideal sauce for the mussels, they started experimenting. After many attempts and feedback they were sure; the perfect sauce has been found. Delicious with mussels and even tastier on bread or in the fryer.
The colorful and artistic Oedipus focuses on creating unique flavors to make you feel great. Where it started in a small Amsterdam kitchen, it has grown into a full-fledged brewery and is one of the largest among the smaller breweries. They also make all kinds of other beautiful things, such as art, music and food.
Recycling has never been so atmospheric, never so romantic and never so cool! The Vette Vlam is a candle made from used frying fat from the Kolenkitbuurt. A social project of the Cascoland neighborhood project Vet! that wants to turn a problem into something beautiful. In each Vette Vlam box you will find a glass containing a wonderfully scented candle that is half made from recycled frying fat.
We present: the Amsterdam Swagger. The smartest candy in the Netherlands (at least as smart as the average Amsterdammer). From form to content. An unassuming toffee with a distinct taste of sweet caramel. Even the biggest Amsterdammer will be happy with that! We will give you that on a letter.
Have you tried wine from Amsterdam yet? Chateau Amsterdam is the first city winery in the Netherlands. The grapes come from Europe and the wine is then made in Amsterdam. We at Amsterdam in a Box have tried all the wines ourselves and they are truly delicious! Ideal to give to staff or a business associate at Christmas.
Corporate Social Responsibility? We like to do everything we can! We have the Boxes packed at GGZ Maatwerk with great enthusiasm and pride. This is still done in the old-fashioned personal way, where we build a bond. Through mutual appreciation and comments such as “I want to compliment you. I think it's incredibly impressive that you have built up such a large company at such a young age.” and “We really enjoy packing”, we get even more energy!
Without Roads there would be no Amsterdam in a Box. These heroes work enthusiastically to pack the nicest Christmas packages. Roads Print and Pixels is a social company. It employs people with a background in mental health care or addiction care who are busy regaining structure, daytime activities or work.
Since 2017 we have been providing local Christmas hampers and promotional gifts for proud companies. To mean as much as possible, we have a large network of local entrepreneurs in cities throughout the Netherlands.