Jan and Marinus Pul are brothers and the founders of the special startup Namture. All Namture products come from Vietnam and contribute to a more sustainable use of nature. The name 'Namture' arose from that combination: Vietnam and Nature. Jan lives in Vietnam and Marinus in the Netherlands. This enables them to work directly with the local Vietnamese population and Dutch partners and consumers.
Creating Change Together
The slogan 'Creating Change Together' indicates what entrepreneurs want to achieve with Namture. Working together with you as a consumer and local Vietnamese partners towards a world without plastic. And the best part is that they want to achieve this by using products that are normally burned as waste!
Not burned but used
Huge numbers of coconut shells are burned every day. The shells are often still seen as waste after using the coconut water and coconut meat. When the brothers realized that coconut shells are a wonderful natural alternative to plastic products, they started investigating the possibilities of introducing them to the rest of the world.
In addition to the coconut bowls, they have expanded Namture's range with wooden spoons made from waste wood, coasters made from coconut hair, bamboo cups, etc. Many people have now quickly become fans of the coconut candles, filled with sustainable coconut wax. Good for up to 50 burning hours and can be reused as a planter after use (Christmas gift tip!).
Inspired by the locals
Because the coconuts can now be used instead of burned, this provides the farmers with an extra income. Namture products are all crafted by hand. This provides additional employment for local craftsmen. A nice win-win situation.
Jan and Marinus notice that due to reuse, the local population has started to look at 'waste' differently and have started to think more consciously about sustainability. This is how entrepreneurs in Ben Tre, the largest coconut area in Vietnam with approximately 70,000 hectares of coconut farms, came into contact with Amy. Amy has a local workshop where she makes many different products from coconuts and coconut wood together with neighbors.
What's special is that Amy built her entire house from coconut wood! Together with her, the entrepreneurs are developing new products such as coconut wood cutting boards, kitchen sets, etc. This local entrepreneur is extremely committed to nature and only uses natural products. Amy is a great source of inspiration for Namture as well as for others!
Supporting underprivileged people
Brothers Jan and Marinus want to support underprivileged people in Vietnam by donating part of Namture's turnover to a local Vietnamese organization. They are directly involved in this organization, an orphanage, and all activities that are realized with the donations.
Last March, Marinus visited the workshops in Vietnam. The social entrepreneurs used that moment to make their first donation to the orphanage 'Cô Nhi Viện Thiên Bình' where they donated food, drinks and toys. A wonderful experience and a great motivation to continue with Namture to help more children! As a consumer, you can contribute to this by shopping plastic-free at Namture with peace of mind!
As a Sustainability Compass we have a nice one Namture Starter Set received with different, useful and beautiful products. We are very impressed with the quality and sustainable thinking behind the company. More about this soon.
The startup Namture is an inspiration for anyone who wants to work off the beaten track towards a more sustainable world.
