IDE alumnus' sustainable start-up, Pieter Pot, is changing the way groceries get delivered
IDE alumnus and graduate of the Strategic Product Design MSc programme, Jouri Schoemaker, is changing the game when it comes to sustainable grocery delivery. Jouri, who graduated from IDE in 2019, is the founder and CEO of Pieter Pot – a sustainability-focused grocery delivery start-up.
How does Pieter Pot work?
Pieter Pot promotes a circular, environmentally conscious way of doing groceries How? By reducing the amount of “one-time-use”, “one-way” packaging and reducing their CO2 footprint in everything they do. For example, customers receive their groceries in circular, reusable jars and/or bottles, which – when empty – can be sent back to the company to wash and refill. To find out more about their impact on the environment and how they are making a difference, visit the Pieter Pot website.
So, what exactly can be delivered in a jar and/or bottle. The answer? Way more than you would expect! Customers can order just about everything in a jar/bottle including (but certainly not limited to): mustard, mayonnaise, popcorn, oatmeal, various herbs, pasta, white vinegar for cleaning, and more.
Investment to trigger expansion
As of now, Pieter Pot operates in the Netherlands and Belgium and serves around 40,000 customers, but this could soon change. Pieter Pot has received €9 million in funding to expand its service across Europe. We can’t wait to see how Jouri’s start-up grows.
The IDE Connection
Jouri graduated from IDE’s Strategic Product Design master’s programme in 2019. While in the programme, he attended a variety of courses aimed at developing the skills he would need in the years to come. These included (but are not limited to): Cutting Edge Design, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (taught by IDE Professor Frido Smulders) and Build Your Startup (taught by IDE PhD candidate and lecturer Jeroen Coelen and lecturer Matthijs Buijs). In fact, Jouri (alongside two other students) came up with the initial idea for Pieter Pot in Build Your Startup.
To learn more about Pieter Pot’s incredible journey, make sure to read “Pieter Pot raises €9 million. Here's how they almost died” by IDE PhD candidate and lecturer Jeroen Coelen.
This is a fantastic example of how design thinking and an entrepreneurial attitude can come together to elevate circular economies and get people talking about sustainability.
Find out more
Pieter Pot has certainly been making headlines, to find out what others have to say about this sustainable grocery delivery service check out: