Building an Honest Brand From Day One
“When we started Holie, we wanted to build an impact-driven company,” says co-founder Valentijn van Santvoort. “From day one, we looked up to brands like Patagonia and Tony’s Chocolonely that were disrupting their categories for the better and we wanted to be part of that movement.”
Holie became a B Corp in its second year of existence. For a young company with just two founders at the time, the certification process became a guiding tool: laying out the vision, shaping priorities, and helping them build an organisation around people, planet, and profit equally.
“The B Impact Assessment gave us guidelines we would have missed otherwise,” Valentijn explains. “It really helped us create a vision and turn it into something concrete.”
Tackling a Broken Cereal Industry
The cereal aisle is full of bold claims, but often lacking in truth. For decades, large food companies have misled consumers with sugar-loaded products dressed up as healthy options. Holie’s biggest challenge has been to win back trust.
“It’s our responsibility to take people seriously,” Valentijn says. “We do that by always being fully transparent. Whether it’s about our ingredients, something going wrong in our supply chain, or the fact that we’re not perfect, we never hide it.”
This radical honesty has become part of Holie’s DNA. While they still use plastic in packaging to ensure product quality, they openly communicate this limitation while working toward accessible, scalable alternatives.
Growth Through Community and Collaboration
Being a B Corp has brought Holie more than credibility with retailers and consumers, it has connected them to a like-minded community. Collaborations with other B Corps have helped amplify their impact and create opportunities for market-wide change.
“We’ve seen that being part of the B Corp community opens a lot of doors,” Valentijn reflects. “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about starting with what you have, improving step by step, and doing it together.”
Advice for Aspiring B Corps
Holie’s journey is proof that small companies can punch above their weight when purpose drives their decisions. Valentijn’s advice to others considering B Corp Certification is simple:
“You don’t have to be perfect to become a B Corp. Start today, use the process to guide you, and improve along the way.”
Ready to take the first step? Learn more about the B Impact Assessment and start your journey toward certification today.
