On Tuesday 2 December 2025, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty Queen Máxima paid a visit to our partner in Suriname, the Fernandes Bottling Company. Our CEO, Martijn Kampshoff, was present as well!
The meeting was part of the state visit currently taking place at the invitation of President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons. The visit highlights the broad cooperation between Suriname and the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the warm ties between the two communities. With an eye on their shared history, the visit focuses on collaboration, exchange, and future partnerships in a wide range of areas.
As part of the visit to the family-owned Fernandes bottling plant, the Royal Couple spoke with Fernandes CEO Bryan Renten and Martijn Kampshoff about sustainable and circular entrepreneurship and the partnership between Fernandes and the Great Plastic Bake Off/FUSE through the FUSE Kitchen.
In 2024, GPBO and implementation partner FUSE Caribbean entered into a long-term collaboration with Fernandes Bottling to tackle a major challenge: pollution caused by plastic waste. This mission aligns with the sustainable business practices that Fernandes stands for. With the FUSE Kitchen, Fernandes can transform local plastic waste into construction materials in an accessible and affordable way—materials they can sell and use locally. In this way, waste becomes a source of new value, of innovation, and of jobs. It protects the environment and strengthens the local economy.
Photo: Communicatiedienst Suriname
