Noest loves Utrecht
Stop wasting wood! That is one of Noest's core values. In Utrecht, trees are felled for various reasons. For example, to free up space for a new residential area or in the event of a tree disease. Many of these trees end up in the chipper. Shame! Noest gives city trees a second life and turns them into typical Utrecht business gifts and gifts.
Robin loves Utrecht
“Robin, question: do you know someone who wants to take over Noest?” This is how the conversation between founder Tom van Straaten and his cousin Robin van Rossum started. After that it went fast! In 2021 Tom moved abroad, and Robin enthusiastically took over from him.
“Utrecht is my city. I am honored to pass on her stories through my city wood products.”
A background as a graphic designer and two creative hands prove to be a good combination for a new life as a woodworker! Strengthened by his experience as a volunteer at the Surf Project (surf lessons for children with Down syndrome, ADHD and autism), Robin is committed to intensive cooperation with people with a distance to the labor market.
Noest is local
Our roots are in Utrecht, and there they will stay! That is why we only use wood from trees in Utrecht for our business gifts and gifts. Think of trees from the Ledig Erf or from the Wilhelminapark. For this we work together with Stichting Tafelboom , which carefully saws and dries the trees. And that is painstaking work! The natural drying process can take two to three years. With craftsmanship we give this wood a well-deserved second life.
Noest is social
For the production of our snack boards, we work closely with Reinaarde Remake Meubel , a workshop for people with a mild intellectual disability. We also sometimes enlist the help of 50/50 Worksupport from the Salvation Army.
In addition, sheltered workshops UW and Reinaerde Arbeidscentrum De Koppel help with the assembly of the Domtoren and Miffy key chains.
Onze visie
Mensen worden blij van cadeau’s. Daar werken we graag aan mee. Maar hoe zit het met de manier waarop deze cadeau’s gemaakt worden? Waar komen de grondstoffen vandaan? Door wie worden de producten gemaakt en onder welke omstandigheden? En hoeveel CO2 is er verbruikt om ze naar Nederland te krijgen?
Wij zijn een groot voorstander van de lokale maakindustrie met kansen voor iedereen. We geloven dat de productie van onze houten geschenken kan bestaan zonder onnodige boomkap en milieubelastend transport uit andere delen van de wereld. En we maken ons hard voor intensieve samenwerking met mensen met een afstand tot de arbeidsmarkt.
Met het kopen van onze producten draag je bij aan een betere wereld. Op al onze producten worden de boomsoort, de plek waar de boom stond en het plant- en kapjaar gegraveerd. Zo weet je precies wat je koopt en blijft de herinnering van de herkomst levend.