Local Makers: papabubble
The yummiest candy, prettiest puzzles, cleverest cutting boards, purest coffee and most sustainable belts—all crafted by Amsterdam-based makers. But how do they whip up these delights? And what makes their products so special? In this edition, we say a sweet hello to papabubble. We interviewed the founder, Marieke van den Brink, about how Papabubble came to be. But first, check out this video to see how these handmade candies are made.
From Australia, via Barcelona, to Amsterdam
After finishing her studies, Marieken van den Brink wasn’t quite ready to spend her days sitting behind a desk in an office. So, she and her good friend Dominik headed to Spain for a Spanish course. There, they met two Australians who wanted to start a shop with handmade candy in Barcelona—a craft they had learned from a Dane. “When I saw (and tasted) these papabubble sweets, I was sold. I knew right then: I need to open a shop in Amsterdam with these treats,” says Marieken.
Handmade sweets, from scratch
After winning the Marie-Claire Starter’s Prize in 2004, the duo had the financial boost they needed. In 2005, they opened their shop on Haarlemmerdijk, selling sweets using the original papabubble recipe. The candies are no longer produced there. The magic now happens in the Maakgemeenschap De Hoop, a creative hub in Zaandam, just outside Amsterdam. Here, ‘candy artists’ craft the sweets by hand from scratch. While dropping by spontaneously is trickier these days, you can still book workshops and kids' parties here. Order the sweets online, or if you can’t wait to try them (and who would blame you?), pop into the I amsterdam Store for the signature Amsterdam mix.
The I amsterdam Store, your go-to shop for Amsterdam gifts, gives a platform to the stories of local makers like papabubble. You’ll find us at the back of Central Station, in the IJ-hal.
