The world of the pocket is also changing. René van Geer, one of the two founders of Secrid, became aware of the tipping point when he held the first iPhone in his hands in 2007. For a long time, next to the wallet you would find a BIC lighter and a keychain. Suddenly, people always had a valuable item in their pocket. The stylish simplicity of the iPhone inspired Van Geer, who had noticed another thing: more and more cards were making their appearance.

René van Geer, one of the two founders of Secrid.

Fifteen years later, 15 million Cardprotectors have been sold worldwide, in more than 100 countries. Van Geer and his wife Marianne van Sasse van Ysselt, the other founder, run a company in The Hague that employs 140 people. Secrid is the only company that makes wallets on a large scale in Europe - the rest are produced in China. Annually, Secrid manufactures as many as two million of them, making the Netherlands a wallet exporting country. And Secrid does so sustainably and socially, too.

Difficult times 

Secrid's office in the Binckhorst With its beautiful decor and art, it seems like a cross between a museum and a page from a home magazine. Van Geer looks back on the long road his wife and he have travelled. They once met at a prep school camp. She later went into nightwear, he studied at TU Delft.  

In 2009, they co-founded Secrid, which created a innovative launched a card protector inspired by Apple's elegant minimalism. But well before that, in 1995, they introduced their first cardholder. According to Van Geer, this was at least a decade too early. "That first one just wasn't very good either," he says, laughing. "In retrospect, we can say that crazily because it was never copied. More than a thousand copies of our current wallet exist. Some people see that as something negative. To me, on the contrary, it is a sign that the market is maturing. Bijenkorf, for example, was also only interested in our product when it was counterfeited."  

The Cardprotector is currently sold in some 90 countries and is available, among others, at 20 retailers in The Hague, including Berlage and Het Brabants Lederwarenhuis, which Secrid has partnered with from the very beginning. 

Marianne and René experienced their most difficult business moment in 2008. The economic crisis took hold and forced the couple to lay off people working for their then design agency Spirid. They almost went bankrupt. Still, they continued to design card protectors and took inspiration from marketing guru Seth Godin, who said you have to design products in such a way that people want to show them to each other. "Well, we did that," says Van Geer. "We couldn't do anything else either, because we had no money for marketing." 

Developers 

According to Van Geer, poor design is one of the world's biggest problems. There are too many superfluous products, made from harmful materials, under deplorable conditions. While travelling, Marianne and he saw the dirty factories in China. As a result, they knew: we don't want that. 

From its inception, Secrid has partnered with social development companies, first in Leiden, then also in Haarlem and Delft. As Marianne and he assembled the first 15,000 Cardprotectors themselves at the kitchen table, they discovered how much attention and accuracy were required. 

Read also: Secrid supports homeless people and refugees through Sheltersuit More on Secrids support to Sheltersuit

It is telling how they turned this challenge into an opportunity. "For example people with autism turn out to be much better at this work. Because of their dedication, they immediately notice if a button is wrong, or if the machine makes a different sound. I don't hear that, but they pick it up unerringly. They have other qualities." 

From the start, Secrid has been working with social development companies, first in Leiden, then also in Haarlem and Delft.

The positivity of social development staffcompanies inspires and motivates Van Geer. He tells of a woman who lost both her legs due to an infection and remains indestructibly optimistic despite everything. Some employees are so inspired that even on Boxing Day - when the factory is closed - they report to the gate in vain. "Research shows that a happy working life is not just about income," he says. "It is also about appreciation and meaning. We notice this very clearly with our people. It's a win-win situation. There are also opportunities for other companies, because these talents want to work and at the same time there are major regular labour shortages." 

Máxima 

Secrid boasts majestic support: Queen Máxima is a self-proclaimed fan of the Cardprotector. Van Geer recalls her visit to Secrid, how the minister and other senior figures relegated to the background, how she asked interested questions about everything and nevertheless kept to her tightly defined timetable at the second. "Máxima also advised me that we should do more on the social side of our entrepreneurship," she said. should emphasise," he says. "Because that aspect is still not widely known." 

In 2017, Secrid started an Impact Fund: 1 per cent of sales the company donates - in line with Secrid's philosophy - to promising designers who use their product solve important problems. "We truly believe that a better world begins at better design." 

PFAS in soil, for instance, is a big problem. Designer Emy Bensdorp saw that PFAS break down when you expose them to great heat, after which she thought of turning the contaminated clay into bricks. "That is so valuable," says Van Geer. "We supported her and she recently started a big pilot whose bricks could be used for about 10 houses." 

Secrid weddings 

How 15 years of Secrid has affected René and Marianne's marriage? He laughs: "Full positive. We have interesting conversations at the dinner table in the evening, because we feel - including our three children - with different branches of the business. All facets of life pass by. What started in the pocket has become a microcosm. It is saying something that Secrid marriages and children have sprung up in the meantime." 

www.secrid.com