How it started
Back to the year 2006. A silver factory in Nepal is in trouble. No more customers. 12 jewelers face an uncertain future. It won’t let Cathelijne go. She worked in Nepal as a volunteer and knows all these guys personally. Her job in marketing at Sara Lee Douwe Egberts is nice but something is missing. Until one day she realizes “If I can sell coffee, I should be able to sell jewelry too”. And she makes a life altering decision. Read her story here.
We’re one big family, we have to do it together.
Cathelijne about her adventure as a volunteer
After I finished my studies in Business Administration, I wanted to do something good for the world. My mother called. She had met someone who’d just started foundation and had arranged the whole thing: “You’re leaving next month to set up a computer center in Nepal!”
I got on a plane with Pippi Longstocking in the back of my head: “I’ve never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.” I spent 6 months building a great institute. It still exists. Thousands of students have learnt skills there to increase their chances of finding a job. And for me it was the beginning of something I couldn’t have dreamed of, ever.
I’ve never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that
In love with Nepal
I fall in love with the country and its people. I’m captivated by the family atmosphere, doing things together. There is a lot of poverty. The majority of the people aren’t wealthy in the materialistic sense. But the way they live together and take care of each other, it’s a different kind of wealth. The kind of wealth we seem to have lost here in western society.
During my stay in Nepal, I discover a silver factory. It becomes my go-to place for gifts for the home front. Beautiful jewelry, pure craftsmanship. I visit Nepal every year, and of course I always stop by to see the jewelers.
Distress call from Nepal
Back in The Netherlands, I start a job as brand manager at Sara Lee Douwe Egberts. A great job in marketing. I learn everything about campaigns, developing products, communications and sales. I oversee a budget of millions of euros, have great colleagues and the job is challenging. It just… doesn’t satisfy me. I realize that I put in a lot of energy to make rich shareholders even richer. Do I still want that?
And then I speak to my mother who just returned from a trip to Nepal. “It’s just so sad, the silver factory is in trouble. There’s not enough work, 12 silver smiths are about to lose their jobs.” It doesn’t let me go. It feels so unjust that these people with their amazing talents won’t be able to show it.
If I can sell coffee, I should be able to sell jewelry too.
Turning my life around
It became the turning point in my life. One of those moments you decide something that will change everything. I’m turning my life around. I’m becoming an entrepreneur. Again, with Pippi Longstocking by my side: “If I can sell coffee, I should be able to sell jewelry too.”
The first lucky bracelet
Again, a plane takes me to Nepal. I’m going back to the silver factory. But what shall we make? We’re sitting in a circle, brainstorming with a cup of tea. Suddenly, the beautiful design of the cup catches my eye. The old Dutch saying: ‘Shards bring good luck’ comes to my mind. That’s it! We just need a little bit of luck.
We throw the cup on the concrete floor and every shard gets a place on a bracelet. The first Lucky Bracelet is born. The magazine Happinez picks up our story with a six-page spread about Nepal and the bracelets. And then it happens… We receive tea cups from all over the Netherlands. Heirlooms, sometimes complete sets. Entire families want bracelets made from grandma’s rose tea cups. I’m smashing the cups to shards in my backyard, then send those shards to Nepal and they come back as jewelry.
Tupperware-aunt
I’m travelling the Netherlands with the lucky bracelets and other jewelry. I’m bringing in my entire network: “arrange for 10 women to come and I’m there.” Tupperware 2.0. I’m standing in a living room in Groningen on one day and in Maastricht the next. I’m bringing back suitcases full from Nepal. Without a clear plan, the jewelry ends up all over the Netherlands.
Independency is power
During a visit to Nepal, I meet Nimdiki Sherpa. Anju, the wife of one of our silver smiths, introduces us. Immediately, I feel the connection. Nimdiki is the founder of Nepal’s first Montessori school. Because not all the women can pay the tuition fee, she starts an employment project: Beads for Life. Anju works as a jewelry maker in this women empowerment group.
I enter a small classroom. Beautiful quotes and dreams written on pieces of paper are stuck to the walls. Independency is empowerment is written on the whiteboard. I hear laughter and I see hard work going on. This meeting is the start of many years of collaboration. We are very like-minded, especially when it comes to equality and independence.
Across the threshold
I remember my first sales pitch like it was yesterday. It was in Nukuhiva, Floortje Dessing’s store. Completely sustainable, so that seems to me like a good first customer. My husband Henk pushes me to go with my lucky bracelets which I thought weren’t good enough yet. No packaging, no leaflet, no labels. But he says: you can just show the product, it speaks for itself. Two hours later, I return home ecstatic. They loved it and the bracelets are now shining beautifully in the showcases. A week later Nukuhiva calls to ask if I can deliver more. I feel like I’ve created a brand. Even though it’s far from perfect.
Flash forward
flash forward
From 2006 till now seems like an eternity. And yet time flew by. Hundreds of stores all over Europe joined. And we have amazing partnerships with great companies. Our collections are in the shops at the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. And then I’m not even talking about all those great people that make up our team. All motivated for our mission. Together we bring the story further.
It wasn’t always easy. There were major highs but also many major lows. There were a couple of close calls and we narrowly survived a few bankruptcies. But I learnt to keep the faith.
A sign by the universe
In 2017, we faced a big crisis. It was really touch-and-go. I was sitting in a poppy field behind my house considering all my options. When I stood up, I found a small shard at my feet. It was Delftblue china. I scoured the field for more pieces but it was just this one little piece. It felt like a sign from the universe. An encouragement to continue; after all the Dutch saying goes ‘shards bring luck’. And again, we pulled through.
Time machine: 10 years later
By then A Beautiful Story is a multi-million-dollar company. Not because I want to become rich but because its my sincere dream to have a positive impact on many people’s lives. All over the world we produce the most beautiful things, from jewelry to bags, interior accessories and everything that fits within our vision. We collect the most beautiful stories and make people happy all over the world. Happy with the lucky jobs they have or happy with the lucky tools they buy.
My motto as a compass
I’m being led by my heart. I’m a Friezin but a dreamy one. And I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground. My motto in life is the Fries saying: ‘sinne en wille kinne yn protte tille’. Which literally translates as: sun and warmth can carry a lot. In other words: if you’re having fun, you can keep something up longer than if it doesn’t bring you joy. That has always been the motto for A Beautiful Story. As challenging and as hard as it was sometimes, if it makes your heart beat faster, you’ll find a way.