About us
Healthy food is a matter of taste
Natural Spices has been the natural flavour enhancer in the kitchen for over 85 years. We create healthier flavourings that allow every consumer to consciously enjoy a unique taste experience – whether preparing a Michelin-star-worthy six-course menu or a quick meal. We know what Europe enjoys today. We help everyone, from professionals to home cooks, to put healthier food on the table. Our 100% natural herbs and spices and our sauces and marinades with fewer calories, fat, salt and sugar form the basis of truly good and nutritious food. With these products, we make healthy eating easier, without compromising on taste. In this way, consumers can achieve major health improvements by making small changes on their plate. Optimal enjoyment and optimal flavour go hand in hand with us.
Hundreds of herbs, spices and other products are available daily from our online wholesale store. With our flavourings, we make food as natural as possible. This includes a wide range of organic products and products free from E-numbers.
Our recipe for success
Producing spice blends, sauces and marinades is very precise and varied work. We involve all employees in the daily optimisation of processes and improvement of product quality, without losing sight of a pleasant working atmosphere and enjoyable moments together. For this reason, we keep our recipe for success in mind in everything we do.
Our recipe for success:
A generous splash of expertise. We know what we are doing; our colleagues are well trained, have extensive experience and carry out their work properly and safely. When in doubt, they consult our manuals and discuss the best approach together. The moment you join our team is only the beginning. We offer learning and development opportunities and the necessary tools to expand your skills and advance your career. We are always looking for optimisations in our daily way of working, which, once tested and proven useful, are implemented immediately. Everyone is informed about general information and important ongoing projects.
A large dose of quality. We deliver only high-quality products that we are satisfied with ourselves. In addition to our own quality standards, our processes are safeguarded and audited annually on multiple aspects by external certification bodies. Quality for us goes beyond taste and product composition. It is also our responsibility to choose packaging and processes with the lowest possible impact on our quality of life (the environment).
A substantial scoop of honesty. We keep our agreements, take responsibility and dare to admit our mistakes. Employees receive fair compensation for the contribution they make, and our customers pay a fair price for the quality they receive. We are loyal to our partners, with the principle that cooperation and understanding must always come from both sides.
A generous portion of authenticity. We follow our own path and do what we truly believe in. For us, health, taste and quality are essential characteristics of every product. We love natural products and choose solutions that have a lower impact on our living environment, even when this is not the cheapest option. Customers for whom we develop a recipe always receive a product with their own personalised, tailor-made recipe, never a copy of an existing one.
A hearty serving of respect. We treat customers, suppliers and colleagues with respect and expect the same in return. We value everyone for who they are; everyone contributes according to their abilities. We consciously choose to employ people who have a distance to the labour market, because we believe everyone should be able to contribute to our mission. We respond quickly to questions, resolve mistakes and communicate clearly and kindly.
A significant amount of dedication. We are proud of what we do. Our goal is to get the most out of every day, where volume plays a role but quality is our focus. We see every question from (potential) customers as a personal mission and do not stop until we have found a solution that we are satisfied with.
Our history
We are happy to take you back in time, because Natural Spices has been the natural flavour enhancer in the Dutch kitchen for over 85 years. And of course, we are very proud of that!
It all started in 1935 when Mr Wellinghoff founded a company trading in herbs and spices. In 1967, Mr H. Schuurman, the miller of Molen de Bloem, took over and established the company in the characteristic mill on the Haarlemmerweg in Amsterdam.
Our personal adventure began when Yvan Keijlewer, former butcher and passionate hobby chef, joined the company as a sales representative in the late 1990s. He fell in love with the colourful herbs and spices industry and took over the company at the end of the 1990s. The mill in Amsterdam soon became too small and was exchanged for a beautiful building at De Dollard 5 in Watergang.
In 2005, son Yvo, the second generation Keijlewer, joined the company.
In 2003, Yvan’s son Yvo, the second generation Keijlewer, resigned from his job as a financial consultant. He was not happy in his work. While exploring what did make him happy, he began supporting his father at Natural Spices – then still called Schuurman – with various tasks. After two years working in the company and gaining market knowledge, he had his eureka moment: his happiness lay in transforming Natural Spices from a trading company into its own production facility. In 2005, Yvo officially joined the company.
After several years of making all decisions together with his father, Yvan and Yvo faced a decision in 2010 that they could not agree on: invest in additional production capacity and make room for the future, or reap the rewards of years of hard work? This proved to be a turning point in the history of Natural Spices. Yvo took over the company and daily management from his father. Yvan remained connected to Natural Spices as a product developer. The company moved to a larger location in Mijdrecht.
In 2017, Yvo received a request from a valued customer to develop a healthier sauce. Due to Yvo’s personal interest in sports and healthier nutrition, he was immediately enthusiastic about this product. Yvan’s product and process knowledge resulted in a recipe for a healthier sauce. This turned out to fill a gap in the market!
In January 2020, the first signs of COVID-19 became visible. Gradually, part of the turnover declined due to the closure of the hospitality sector. Consumers cooked more at home and experimented with new and international dishes and flavours. Awareness of good health and the influence of good food on health increased. This was the opportunity for Natural Spices to introduce a consumer product line in which taste and health go hand in hand. With a shared passion for healthier and tasty food, Yvo’s business economics background and Yvan’s unparalleled passion for product development, father and son continue to build the company together every day. Together with the rest of the Natural Spices team, they work daily towards the ambition of being present on the tables of 184 million European households by 2032.
