From the fish wholesaler in Scheveningen to the StadsOase Spinozahof in the Stationsbuurt
- Surprising encounters
- November 11, 2024
- 8 min read
The Hague is a city of contrasts. We have peat and we have sand. We have green and we have yellow. We have residents of The Hague and residents of The Hague. And in that beautiful city behind the dunes live more than 200 different nationalities. Of course, we are not all the same. But we undoubtedly have similarities and in our city there is always room for a good conversation. It is precisely that diversity that is our strength. In the section Surprising Encounters you can get to know two residents of the city who are different from each other, but in some respects also the same. In any case, they have one thing in common: their love for The Hague. Who isn't proud of that?
In this Surprising Encounters, meet Matthijs den Heijer from Scheveningen. Matthijs is in the fish business; together with his father and brother, he runs the Fish Wholesaler WG den Heijer & Zn. Marianne Edixhoven can be found daily in the StadsOase Spinozahof. She is the initiator of this beautiful, green spot in the Stationsbuurt that the entire neighborhood can enjoy.
At the fish wholesaler in Scheveningen
In the Den Heijer household, the alarm goes off every morning at 4 a.m. A very common time to get up if you work at a fish wholesaler. Matthijs’s workday starts around 5 a.m. He is involved in purchasing and sales at the company and is therefore at the fish auction early for the best fish. But the family business does not only do business at the auction in Scheveningen. Matthijs gets fish from no fewer than 12 different fish auctions and imports fish from all over the world.
From father to son
It is certainly dynamic. The family business imports salmon, sea bream and sea bass from Greece, tuna from Sri Lanka and scallops from America and has specialised for years in a piece of frozen purchasing of subtropical farmed shrimps from India and squid from China. 'Our customer determines our range and we therefore mainly get that fish from abroad. A small part of our turnover comes from North Sea fish.' In recent years, a lot has changed in the regulations. In particular, the ban on pulse fishing in European waters has cost many Scheveningen fishermen their jobs. Especially for the small family businesses with 1 or 2 cutters, sailing out became too expensive. At least half of the North Sea fishery has been cut back. 'That hurts', says Matthijs. 'Even though it is not our largest product, we have been working with these families for ages. So that really does something to you. In addition, there is nothing as sustainable and fresh as a fish that is caught 50 km away in the sea. If North Sea fish had a label, it would only have three letters on it, namely FISH. While farmed fish that arrives in the Netherlands on a container ship from Vietnam to Europe via a truck is in the supermarket with a 'sustainability label'. In the meantime, all kinds of aromas and flavourings have been added to make the fish look better. That's ironic, isn't it?'
At the StadsOase Spinozahof in the Stationsbuurt
If there is anyone who also has sustainability at heart, it is Marianne. With the StadsOase Spinozahof, in the middle of the Stationsbuurt, she wants this part of the city to become the most sustainable, healthiest and most enjoyable neighbourhood to live in. As soon as you enter the StadsOase, you enter a green world. The garden, which is full of trees, herbs and flowers, is a favourite place for many people in the neighbourhood. And for Marianne of course. Hopefully, the StadsOase can be an example for other neighbourhoods in this densely built-up, multicultural city district.
With your hands in the soil
'The StadsOase has become an indispensable part of this place', says Marianne, who came up with the idea 11 years ago to turn this vacant lot into a beautiful community garden. 'People come here to enjoy the greenery, to garden together, we have language lessons and cooking sessions here. You can be wonderfully active here in the open air, with your hands in the soil; it is truly a place where you can unwind and rediscover yourself. And that need is also really there in city life. The need to be sustainable, to grow your own vegetables, to be closer to nature.' That is also what Marianne wants for the neighbourhood.
Canoes and pumpkins
Marianne grew up in the countryside in Limburg and after her studies in social anthropology she worked in development cooperation in West Africa. She travelled the world, but felt that she could best use her knowledge in the Netherlands. In the big city, in The Hague. As a trainer in cultural work, she missed the connection between body and mind at a certain point and wanted to do something physical on the side. She started canoe rental in The Hague. But you can't compare The Hague with cities like Delft, Leiden and Utrecht. Those cities are proud of their water. The quays in The Hague could do with being a bit greener. Then, together with a mother from the schoolyard at the time, I started a project to ask residents if they wanted to grow pumpkin plants at tree mirrors along the canals. That was a success and residents wanted to plant more than just pumpkin. Then our eyes fell on the vacant lot in the Repelaarstraat and one thing led to another and that became the StadsOase.'
Our food system
Marianne is incredibly proud of what the StadsOase is now. 'So many cultures come together here, that is typical of The Hague. It is great that people meet here and exchange knowledge. That is so special. For example, what is a weed to one person is spinach to another. We learn from each other. It also makes us think about our food system and how we value it. What Matthijs has with the fish from the North Sea, we have with, for example, tomatoes that we grow ourselves. Beautiful and tasty, but you are not going to be able to feed an entire Schilderwijk with that. I understand that farmers and gardeners complain, you should revalue our food system, if we really want to change something.'
Proud of Scheveningen
A sustainable world partly starts with yourself and that is what Matthijs also tries to do as much as possible within the family business. 'For example, we have no waste. Fish remains, such as fish skins and fish bones, are collected by a company that uses a fermentation process to generate energy. We bought a press that can press our polystyrene waste into a cube. We have solar panels and hopefully our trucks will one day be able to drive zero emissions. And that is how I try to keep the company healthy, to offer employment to the 35 people we employ and to continue the culture and dreams of my ancestors. We are all Scheveningen residents and one family. We are proud of that!', says Martijn.
Proud of the Stationsbuurt
Marianne recognizes that family feeling. 'We also have fish at the StadsOase. But not for consumption of course. The children from the neighborhood feed the fish and that way they learn what it is like to take care of an animal. Many children in this neighborhood do not have pets at home. Or live in a single-parent family without brothers or sisters. By taking care of these animals together, a family feeling is created. And that in our StadsOase, in the Stationsbuurt. That is city pride!'