Portugal - Famous Legend of the Rooster of Barcelos

A beautiful gift for someone you wish incredible luck and hapiness!

The legend of the Rooster of Barcelos tells the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a Pilgrim who has been falsely accused in Barcelos and sentenced to death. The Pilgrim predicts after this judgement that the roasted cock on the judge's plate will comes alive and crow tree times as proof of his innocence. While the Pilgrim was being hanged, the rooster stood up and crowed as predicted. The Pilgrim was immediately freed and send off in peace.

O Galo de Barcelos is a symbol of incredible luck and hapiness!

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

Italië - Dr. Vranjes Luxury Interior Fragrances

It was at the Frankfurter Ambiente Fair last February that I visited the boot of Dr. Vranjes.
I was immediately impressed by the magnificent scents and look of the products of Dr. Vranjes. I definitely want to add his products to my web shop. 

L'Antica Officina del Farmacista was created in Florence, in 1983, out of the passion of Dr. Paolo Vranjes, a pharmacist, chemist and cosmetologist. He creates and manufactures exclusive products which are the result of the perfect blend between meticulous innovative techniques and tireless research in tradition.

His grandfather was a silk trader with a passion for essences and as a child he watched him in the room where he kept his collection of perfumes which he searched for on his travels around the world. Dr. Vranjes's passion, together with his craftsmanship and infinite love for creating unique scents he introduces the mystery of perfume that has more power than words, appear-ance and willpower. Fragrances have the power to evoke emotions, to remind us to pleasant moments, places and situations.

The finest essential oils and natural ingredients are used and presented in handmade glass bottles. The shape of these bottles is inspired by " Il Duomo " , the main church of  Florence and the fourth largest cathedral in Europe. Classical, modern and fits in any interior.

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

Denmark - Lego

Although it doesn't seem so, Denmark is the least densely populated country in Northern Europe. Only 20% of the country is populated and almost 20% of the population lives in the capital Copenhagen. Denmark is known for its LEGO.

The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well".

It has come a long way over the past almost 80 years - from a small carpenter’s workshop to a modern, global enterprise that is now, in terms of sales, the world’s third-largest manufacturer of toys. The LEGO Group is engaged in the development of children's creativity through playing and learning. Based on the world-famous LEGO® brick, the company today provides toys, experiences and teaching materials for children in more than 130 countries.

Legoland Billund is Denmark’s most famous and popular amusement park for families and children of all ages. More than 60 million LEGO Bricks were used to build all models in Legoland.

Spain - Cava

Freixenet is one of the largest Cava producers, has locations worldwide and sells over 200 million bottles a year. From Barcelona, there is a direct train service (about 45 minutes) to Sant Sadurní d'Anoia where Freixenet is located. To visit Freixenet is a beautiful experience and gives insights into the production of her delicious cavas.

Over 150 years ago, in the small Catalan town of Sant Sadurní d´Anoia the Sala family began making and exporting quality wines. At the beginning of the 20th century Dolores Sala married Pedro Ferrer Bosch, and that union was the beginning of a successful enterprise. Shortly thereafter, Freixenet, which was Pedro Ferrer´s nickname as the youngest son of the owners of “La Freixeneda” wine-growing estate, began to export sparkling wine, later to be denominated cava

Today Freixenet is run by Pedro and Dolores´ children and grandchildren, and the company continues to keep its family character and focus on high quality despite the huge growth the company has experienced from its humble beginnings in Sant Sadurní to becoming the Number 1 Sparkling Wine in the World.

“What is the secret of good wine? There isn´t one. The land and the vines give us their best, while we contribute all of our skills of refinement, along with experience and ingenuity.”

- José Ferrer Sala, son of the founders of Freixenet and Honorary President.

The Netherlands - Delft Blue

Over 18% of the surface of Holland, my home country, consists of water and much of the country and the population is located below sea level. The country is protected against the water by means of a system of dykes and water works. The mill as a symbol of the fight against the water still attracts hundreds of thousands of foreigners to The Netherlands. 

Besides mills Holland is also known for its Delft Blue earthenware. The Royal Dutch Delftware Manufactory "De Porceleyne Fles", established in 1653, is the last remaining Delftware factory from the 17th century. The world famous original Royal Delftware is still entirely hand painted according to centuries-old traditions.

To visit "De Porceleyne Fles" in Delft is more than worth it and includes:

• A journey through the history of Blue Delft and Royal Delft and its development and production process;
• Master painter at work;
• the dining room of Vermeer and the Dutch Royal Family Chamber;
• museum with antique Delft pieces;
• ceramic rooms with building ceramics;
• historical courtyard;
• visit to the factory and
• the showroom that offers a comprehensive collection of hand painted Delft Blue by Royal Delft, as well as an extensive selection of Dutch earthenware and souvenirs.

Audio tours are available in several languages.

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

Austria - Coca-Cola + Riedel glass

Riedel, the wine glass company from Austria, launched  a Coca-Cola+Riedel glass that translate the "message" of Coca-Cola to the human senses the best.

Inspired by the iconic curves of the original Coca-Cola contour bottle, the Coca-Cola + Riedel glass is made to enhance the drinking experience. Developed by a tasting panel of industry experts and Coca-Cola lovers, it was determined that this form captures the distinct spices, aroma and taste of Coca-Cola and creates a magical sensorial experience.

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

Finland - Hartwall Original Long Drink

My mother, Bertha “Puck” van Duijne Brouwer (1930 – 2006) competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics  (Helsinki, Finland) in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4×100 metres relay, and won a silver medal in the 200 metres.

Hartwall Original Long Drink was launched for the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 with an eye on lightening the workloads of restaurant staff as they served Olympic tourists. The ready-mixed Long Drink was such a big hit among Finns, that the company decided to keep it on the market.

Hartwall Original Long Drink remains by far the most popular long drink in Finland.

I was very happy to meet Adriaan Stigter of Finnish Dutch Import during Horecava 2014 last January in Amsterdam. Finnish Dutch Import introduced Hartwall’s Original Long Drink in Holland.

Any suggestions for typical Finnish products to complete the Country Specifiek gifts at my web shop for Finland are very welcome.

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

Belgium - Chocolate and Praline's

Belgium is known for fries. Still there is no historical evidence that the origins of fries is Belgium. The most plausible story would attribute the origin of the fries to the Meuse region. Inhabitants of the river Meuse banks had the habit to catch small fishes and fried them in oil. Around the 1750's winters were very cold. During frost periods and at dangerous currents, however it was risky to fish. As an alternative the inhabitants cut potatoes in the form of small fish, which they then also fried in oil.

Besides fries, the Belgium chocolates and pralines are world famous. Because I'm always looking for something special my attention was drawn by chocolatier Mary in Brussels.
It was 1919 and chocolate-loving Mary Delluc was keen to spread the world about her creations. The business she created in Brussels was destined to become the Mary Chocolaterie, as a result of pursuing excellence and quality, a goal which then became a legacy. The hand-made and hand-decorated Mary chocolates are what can only be called little gems. Each praline is created to produce the most carefully balanced selection of tastes, flavours, textures and appearances. Excellence, tradition and quality are still Mary's guiding principles in the case of the selection of raw materials, paying respect to the founder's recipes, the packaging and the customer services.

By using the history and words of Mary's guiding principles "Excellence" and "Quality" in a cover letter, this is a perfect gift that express appreciation for example on Administrative Professionals Day (also known as Secretaries Day).

"It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving" - Mother Theresa  

Portugal - Port

One of the cities that I have visited in my search for Portuguese specific products was Porto.

Porto is best known as the origin place of Port, which in Vila Nova de Gaia, located in front of Porto on the South Bank of the Douro River, is stored and from there exported all over the world.

It is a typical sweet red, white or rosé wine, alcohol content between 18 and 20 percent and served as an aperitif or dessert wine.

The finest Port is produced from grapes grown on the steep and rocky slopes of the Upper Douro and its tributaries.

History of Port
In the 17th Century British traders, cut off from their supplies of Bordeaux by frequent wars with France, took a liking to the full-flavoured, robust wines of Portugal. But these wines did not travel well, so the traders added brandy to fortify them against the rigours of their Atlantic sea voyage. Before long, pure grape spirit was added during fermentation and Port, as we drink it today, was created.

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

France - Champagne

"Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it" - Napoleon Bonaparte

Champagne is a sparkling wine, which is produced in the champagne region in France. The more prominent champagne houses are located in Reims and Epernay. One of the houses I visited was Maison Eugène Mercier.

Eugène Mercier founded his own champagne house in 1858. His ambition wat to bring high-quality champagne to the masses. For the purpose of large-scale assemblage, Eugène Mercier built a giant oak vat of 1.600 hectolitres (the equivalent of 200.000 bottles). It took eight days, twelve pairs of oxen and eighteen horses to transport this twenty-ton "Cathedral of Champagne" from Epernay to Paris for the 1889 World Exhibition. A number of lights and building facades were to pay the price along the route.

It was at Mercier where I had my first Biscuits Roses de Reims. Biscuits Roses de Reims were first backed around 1690 at Reims. In between of two bake sessions a baker wanted to use the heat of his bread oven. He then got the idea to make a special dough and baked this twice (hence the name bis-cuit which means double baked). The biscuit was first just white. To flavour it a vanilla stick was added to the recipe, but that left brown traces on the biscuit. To hide this traces the baker added a natural pigment and so the delicious Biscuits de Reims was born. 

The most subtle aromas are released when the powdered and crunchy Biscuits de Reims is dipped in champagne. DELICIOUS!

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

Austria - Riedel grape varietal specific wine glasses

"It takes a great deal of effort to produce good wine. These efforts can be ruined in no time if the wine is not served properly."

During one of my holidays in Austria, I visited Riedel, the wine-glass company in Kufstein. Here glassblowers still use the ancient mouth-blowing technic to create the world-famous handcrafted Riedel glasses.

Professor Claus J. Riedel was the first designer to recognize that the bouquet, taste, balance and finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass from which they are consumed. The character of the Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Riesling are totally different and not comparable in style.

As a lover of great wines Claus Riedel studied the links between the unique properties of a grape, the taste, smell receptors and the shape of the wine glass. To create the ultimate wine glass, he along with great winemakers discussed the specific features of the various grapes in the various regions. With the data collected, he developed, together with his son Georg, different shapes of wine glasses in which the unique character of a grape variety perform at its best.

By their shape, size and diameter a Riedel wine glass translate the "message of the wine" to the human senses the best.

I took a few glasses with be back home and experienced why top-rated wineries and restaurants throughout the world use Riedel. 

Cheers!

www.meaningfulpresents.eu

My blogs from now on in English

My first two blogs were not only found in the Netherlands, but also in many other countries around the world. For that reason I will continue writing my blogs in English.

Because the gifts I sell are international products, I choose an international company name and pay-off.


It took me quite some time to select my company name. Many people with knowledge about finding a right company name advices to select a name that tells something about your company and/or product. The first name that came up by me was Apple. Well, looking at their logo and name Apple Inc. it isn't a must, but I decided that my company name must tell something about my products. Because my presents are meant to be meaningful, I decided to choose "Meaningful Presents" as my company name.

Since I sell presents representing products were a country is known for and I like a gift that is reflected and the choice is explained, my pay-off was born: "Country Specific Gifts with a Story".

Please have a look at my website Meaningful Presents and let me know about products/gifts that you miss and need to be presented in my shop.

Any advice concerning my blog-writing and questions are more than welcome.

Het unieke van Meaningful Presents

In mijn vorige blogbericht schreef ik al over het bestaan van ontzettend veel bedrijven en webshops die cadeaus aanbieden. Wat Meaningful Presents anders doet dan al die andere bedrijven is:

1. het verkopen van landspecifieke producten en 
2. de mogelijkheid bieden om uit te leggen waarom het geschenk voor de ontvanger is gekozen. 

Er zitten namelijk hele leuke verhalen en/of anekdotes aan landspecifieke producten, die gekoppeld kunnen worden aan de gelegenheid en persoon of bedrijf waarvoor het geschenk is bedoeld.

Het communiceren van dat onderscheidende en voor de klant waarde toevoegende concept bleek in de praktijk erg lastig. Om het bedrijfsidee van Meaningful Presents duidelijker te maken heb ik een bedrijfsfilmp laten opnemen, dat in het programma van LifestyleXperience in november jl. is uitgezonden. Het filmpje vertelt de boodschap in 2 minuten op een heldere manier.

Meaningful Presents op RTL4

Ook Harold Verwoert, de interviewer, was na afloop erg verrast door het speciaal voor hem samengestelde, persoonlijke geschenk!

Het ontstaan van Meaningful Presents

Een veel gehoorde opmerking bij het zoeken naar een geschenk is:
"Ik weet echt niet wat ik moet kopen. Hij/zij heeft al alles"

Met die opmerking wilde ik iets doen en zo is in het voorjaar van 2012 het idee ontstaan om zowel bedrijven als personen te gaan helpen bij het vinden van een betekenisvol geschenk. Kort daarna hoorde ik de prachtige wijze woorden van Moeder Theresa: "Its not how much we give but how much love we put into giving". En dat is natuurlijk zo waar! Het gaat erom hoeveel aandacht er is besteed om een passend geschenk te kopen.

Vervolgens ben ik gaan nadenken hoe mijn geschenken er dan uit moesten zien. Er bestaan ontzettend veel bedrijven en webshops die cadeaus aanbieden.

Mijn laatste geschenk dat ik van een werkgever kreeg bestond uit een paar klompen in een stuk cellofaan met een strik erom. Ik vroeg me af waarom iedereen als geschenk een paar klompen kreeg. Niemand kon mij uitleggen wat nu het idee was achter dit geschenk. Helaas was het ook nog maat 35.... en daar pas ik met mijn maat 43 natuurlijk niet in! Toch ben ik achteraf blij met dit geschenk, want het is de basis geweest voor mijn bedrijfsidee. Ik ga landspecifieke geschenken verkopen! Producten waar een bepaald land om bekend staat. En ik ga bij mijn geschenken uitleggen waarom nu juist dit geschenk voor de ontvanger is gekozen.

Om mijn bedrijfsidee vorm te geven ben ik me gaan verdiepen in producten waar een bepaald land om bekend staat. Een heel leuke en leerzame bezigheid. Er zitten namelijk fantastische verhalen en/of anekdotes aan landspecifieke producten.

Na een periode van veel reizen ben ik aan de slag gegaan. Een ondernemingsplan geschreven, de bedrijfsnaam Meaningful Presents bedacht, ingeschreven bij de Kamer van Koophandel, de domeinnaam www.meaningfulpresents.eu vastgelegd, geschenken samengesteld, een webshop laten bouwen, producten professioneel laten fotograferen en nog veel en veel meer zaken geregeld die erbij komen kijken als je ondernemer wordt.

Inmiddels staan op mijn webshop geschenken uit 10 verschillende landen. Een aantal dat de komende tijd nog verder uitgebreid zal worden. Suggesties zijn uiteraard altijd welkom! info@meaningfulpresents.eu