Eco-cafe and eco-fashion in Amsterdam

Photo by Jang Ji-won.
Natuurlijk Smullen, first biological snack bar in Holland
Helen Geul is very critical with what she eats. She wants to eat biologically and eat the right kind of meat where the animals are not abused during the production process. Helen is also Dutch, so she enjoys eating Dutch snacks such as potato fries and croquettes. However, there were no ecological Dutch snack bars available in the Netherlands. Sensing this absence, Helen went on to create the very first biological snack bar in Holland, “Natuurlijk Smullen,” which means “Natural Feast” in Dutch.
What makes Natuurlijk Smullen eco-friendly? The answer is everything: the food, the packages, the napkins, the utensils, the furniture – everything.
“The products are ecological with no pesticides on them,” explained Erica Vermeulen, one of the workers at Natuurlijk Smullen. “The meat we sell is animal-friendly and we buy the furniture, the knives and the forks at a recycling shop. We try not to make too much waste.”
The biological snack bar has societal meaning in that it shows people that the concept of snacks and environmental sustainability can be linked together.
“We show people that this is better for nature and let people taste that it is better as well,” asserted Geul, the owner of Natuurlijk Smullen. “The shop lets people think about the ecological aspects and make them more conscious about the environment through the familiar concept of snack bar.”
One of the mottos Geul jokingly puts forward in her shop is that “Potatoes also have the right to have a good life.” As it can be inferred from this phrase, the main goal and purpose for Natuurlijk Smullen is caring about the environment.
“The most important thing is the health and happiness of the animals,” Geul commented. “We also aim to be conscious with not poisoning the nature and not ruining the planet.”
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