Market Hauls and Local Noms

After spending three weeks cat sitting in Rotterdam, I’ve put together a list of gifts from some of my favorite local businesses. While many Dutch brands sell their products throughout the city, I focused on items that were created in Rotterdam—and, in some cases, inspired by it. Whether you’re looking to satisfy your tastebuds or bring home something with a fascinating backstory, I hope this guide proves useful!

1. Rotterdamertjes from Rotterdammertjes.com 

The Business: Rotterdammertjes.com is a social enterprise offering a range of unique, local products developed by Rotterdam-based creators and assembled by a team of Rotterdammers, including individuals with disabilities. Each product produced by founder Olaf Ouwerkerk and his team incorporates a meaningful story and eco-friendly packaging, allowing customers to contribute to a sustainable, inclusive labor market while supporting innovative makers from Rotterdam.

The Gift: Olaf developed Rotterdam’s official candy in 2017 out of a conviction that The Hague and Zeeland weren’t the only places in the Netherlands worthy of having their own candies. Known as Rotterdammertjes, the hard, brown, building block–shaped candies symbolize Rotterdam’s post-war reconstruction and distinctive architecture. The bold flavors also speak to Rotterdam’s identity: orange represents the city’s fruit port, cinnamon symbolizes the spice trade, shipping trade, and Meuse River, while menthol hints at the city’s understated coolness. The set comes with three boxes containing 30 halal, vegetarian, and gluten-free candies. Each box depicts a different Rotterdam monument: Euromast, Willemsbrug Bridge, and Central Station.

2. Rotterdamse Stadsgenootjes from Stadsgenootjes.nl

The Business: Stadsgenootjes was created when Olaf (the entrepreneur mentioned above) and his twin sister Marise decided to put a colorful spin on the centuries-old Dutch tradition of celebrating births by eating beschuit (rusk) and geboortemuisjes—a term that literally translates to “birth mice” but actually refers to sugar-coated anise seeds. Instead of the typical blue muisjes for boys and pink muisjes for girls, Olaf and Marise opted for a more gender-neutral approach, offering the familiar taste of aniseed decked out in the iconic colors of different Dutch cities.

The Gift: Given that Olaf and Marise were born and raised in Rotterdam, the green-and-white Rotterdamse Stadsgenootjes were the first variety they launched. The vegan and gluten-free sprinkles make a great topping for rusk or ice cream and a thoughtful gift for a maternity visit or baby shower.

3. Peanut Butter from Zeemansboter Pindakaas

The Business: Zeemansboter Pindakaas offers organic, palm oil– and sugar-free peanut butter inspired by the rough, adventure-filled life of a sailor. The name combines Zeemansboter (“sailor’s butter”) with pindakaas (Dutch for peanut butter). The business was born in Katendrecht, a trendy Rotterdam port neighborhood that has witnessed the merrymaking of countless sailors and the arrival of many peanut-laden ships from afar. They currently offer three varieties: original, raisin, and chili.

The Product: The original peanut butter is made with just two ingredients: 99.8% organic peanuts and 0.2% sea salt. Packed in reusable glass jars featuring details about the ship and container that transported the peanuts, the butter is rich in flavor and rough in texture.

4. Maasstroompjes from Maasstroompjes.nl 

The Business: In 1934, Rotterdam pastry chef Gerrit Slob won a competition organized in collaboration with the city’s Pastry Bakers Association and tourist board to develop a new local specialty. His creation, the Maasstroompje—an elongated butter cookie filled with frangipane and packaged in a beautiful tin—won over the jury with its taste, simplicity, and tribute to two Rotterdam symbols: the Meuse River and the Maastunnel. Though the cookie fell into obscurity during the Second World War, it was revived in 2013 by Slob’s granddaughter, Inge Bodmer, using his original recipe. Since then, the cookies (decked out in sleek new packaging) have joined the shelves of numerous stores throughout the city, officially reclaiming their status as Rotterdam’s official cookie.

The Gift: To make these cookies, organic wheat flour, butter, sugar, lemon, and salt are kneaded together to form a dough, which is rolled and flattened. The signature Maasstroompje, which translates to “little stream of the Meuse,” refers to the almond paste or cheese stripe added onto the dough with a piping bag. The cookies are baked until crisp and golden brown, cut into 4 cm wide and 6 cm long rectangles, then packaged into bags or tins featuring the brand’s signature ship logo.

5. Three-Tin Spice Gift Box from De Ster Mill Shop

The Business: The De Ster and De Lelie Windmills at the Kralingse Plas in Rotterdam-Kralingen are the only operational spice mills in the Netherlands. De Ster is from 1829 and has been rebuilt twice due to fires, while De Lelie can be found in its original state from 1777. The in-person store at De Ster offers wind power ground spices, biscuits baked with their spices, and other unique gifts. All purchases go towards preserving the historic mills, which are run entirely by volunteers. While you can order online, I highly recommend visiting in person so you can get a tour from one of the millers or mill guides—they are incredibly friendly, passionate, and knowledgeable about the mills’ history and operations. As an added bonus, if you come on a windy day, you might get to see, hear, and smell the spices being ground!

The Gift: The standard Gift Box comes with 50-gram tins of ground cinnamon, curry, and black pepper, although you are welcome to customize a box with three spice tins of your choice. Since the spices are ground sustainably, gently, and slowly using wind power, they don’t heat up during the grinding process and retain their natural oils, color, taste, and freshness. They’re also hand-packaged, have a long shelf life, and play a role in keeping Dutch heritage and history alive.

I opted for the three most Dutch-specific spice tins:

• The Apple Pie Spices consist of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cardamom. They can be used to add a boost of flavor to apple pie dough or filling, as well as other sweet treats and desserts.
• The Dutch Cookie Spices consist of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom. They make an excellent addition to gingerbread, cake, pastries, or even stews.
• The Dutch Dish Spices is an additive-free blend of caraway seeds, fennel seeds, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon. The mixture works perfectly with traditional Dutch dishes like stamppot (potatoes mashed with various vegetables), hutspot (potatoes mashed with onions and carrots), and roasted vegetables.

Shop the Guide

You can find all of these gifts at Het Rotterdams Warenhuis—except for the custom spice set. They carry the standard three-tin box, but if you’d like to choose your own spices, you’ll need to visit the Mill Shop either online or, preferably, in person.

Here’s where to find all the businesses and products featured above:

1. Rotterdamertjes
🌐 rotterdammertjes.com

2. Stadsgenootjes 
🌐 stadsgenootjes.nl

3. Zeemansboter Pindakaas
🌐 zeemansboter.nl

4. Maasstroompjes
🌐 maasstroompjes.nl

5. De Ster Mill Shop
🌐 snuifmolens.nl

6. Het Rotterdamse Warenhuis
Founded in 2015 by Wouter van Lieburg to shine a spotlight on Rotterdam, Het Rotterdams Warenhuis is the city’s largest retail platform. With both an online store and a physical shop in Kralingen, it offers a curated selection of products made in and themed around Rotterdam, giving local makers an opportunity to showcase their creations and shoppers a meaningful way to take home a piece of the city.
🌐 hetrotterdamswarenhuis.nl