Why Natural Spices?

Natural Spices has been your natural tastemaker since 1935. We know what people like to eat and taste. With this knowledge and our passion for healthier and natural food, we are here to help every cook - from professionals to home cooks - to create a special taste experience.

Our 100% natural herbs and spices and sauces and marinades with fewer calories, fat, salt and sugar form the foundation of really good and nutritious food. With these condiments we make healthy eating easier without having to compromise on taste. By making small changes on the plate, consumers can achieve a major positive impact on health. This way, ultimate enjoyment and optimal taste go perfectly well together.

Hundreds of herbs, spices and other condiments are available for daily delivery from our online shop. With our seasonings we make food as natural as possible. Do not forget to take a look at our ample range of organic and E-number free products.  

Producing spice mixes, sauces and marinades is a very precise and varied job. We involve all employees in the daily optimization of processes and improving the quality of our products, without losing sight of a pleasant working atmosphere in which we share personal highs and lows together. To this end, we keep our recipe for success in mind in everything we do.

Our recipe for success:

A good dash of skill. We know what we are doing, all our colleagues are well trained, have extensive experience and carry out their work properly and safely. When in doubt, they check our manuals and discuss the best approach together. The moment you join our team is just the beginning. We provide learning and development opportunities and the necessary tools to expand your skills and advance your career. We are always looking for optimizations in our daily way of working which, once tested and found useful, will be implemented immediately. We make sure everyone is up to speed on general information and important ongoing projects.

A large dose of quality. We only supply high-quality products with which we are satisfied. In addition to our own quality requirements, our processes are guaranteed and tested annually on several aspects by external certification parties. For us, quality goes further than just 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 sizable scoop of honesty. We keep to agreements, take our responsibility and dare to admit our mistakes. Employees receive a fair price for the contribution they make and our customers pay a fair price for the quality they receive. We are loyal to the partners we cooperate with and believe in the principle that cooperation and understanding always come from both sides.

A large portion of authenticity. We walk our own path and do what we believe in. For us, health, taste and quality are required product properties. We love natural products and opt for solutions that have a lower impact on our living environment. Even when this is not the cheapest option. The customers for whom / with whom we develop a recipe all receive a product developed with their own personal recipe, never a copy of an existing one.

A generous share of respect. We treat customers, suppliers and colleagues with respect and expect to be treated with respect ourselves as well. We respect everyone's value, everyone contributes according to their own ability. We consciously choose employ people with a distance to the labour market as part of our workforce because we believe that everyone should be able to contribute to our mission. We respond quickly to questions and remarks and communicate in a clear and friendly manner.

A significant amount of dedication. We are proud of what we do. Our goal is to make the most of every day, where numbers play a role but quality holds our focus. We see every request from (potential) customers as a personal mission and do not stop until we have a solution that we are satisfied with.

We would like to take you back in time, because we are proud of where we come from.

We are known as the Dutch natural taste maker since 1935. Back then, 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, a former butcher and passionate home cook, started working for the company as a sales representative. He lost his heart to the colourful herb and spice industry and took over the company in the late 1990s. The mill in Amsterdam soon became too small and was exchanged for a beautiful building at De Dollard 5 in Watergang.

In 2003 the second generation Keijlewer, son Yvo, quit his job as a financial consultant. He was not happy with his work. While he was investigating what makes him happy, he started supporting his father at Natural Spices – then still called Schuurman – with various activities. After two years in the company and gaining knowledge of the market, his eureka moment came: his luck lies in expanding Natural Spices from a trading company to his own production facility. Yvo joined the company in 2005.

After several years of taking all decisions together, in 2010 Yvan and Yvo are faced with a decision that they cannot agree on: invest in extra production capacity and make room for the future or reap the benefits of all those years of hard work? This turns out to be a turning point in the history of Natural Spices as it the decision results in Yvo taking over the company and day-to-day management from his father. Yvan will remain associated with Natural Spices as a product developer. The company moves to a larger location in Mijdrecht.

In 2017, Yvo received a request from a valued customer to develop a healthier sauce. Because of Yvo's personal interest in sports and healthier food, he is immediately passionate about this idea. Yvan's product and process knowledge results in a tasty recipe for a healthier sauce. This opens a whole new world of opportunities.

The first signs of the COVID-19 virus are visible in the Netherlands in January 2020. Due to the closure of restaurants and bars part of the turnover is slowly falling. Consumers are cooking more at home and experiment with new and foreign dishes and flavours. Consumer awareness of good health and the influence of good food on good health is increasing. This shows to be a great opportunity for Natural Spices to introduce a consumer line in which both taste and health are important.

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 on a daily basis. Every day they work with the rest of the Natural Spices team towards the ambition to be on the table of 184 million European households by 2032.