She a hip sustainable platform (Fairbee), he a health club
DATE
26 October 2022
TEXT
Maja Landeweer
IMAGE
Fleur Beemster
Suddenly, they have two entrepreneurs in the house instead of one. While Ingmar van Oeveren had the opportunity to expand his health club substantially, his wife Saja Chander quit her job and set up a platform for stuff that is beautiful as well as sustainable. "If we hadn't supported each other, we wouldn't have come this far," he says.
Gurist Saja Chander was still working at a bank eight years ago. She quit her good job "to generate positive impact", as she calls it. In what form was not yet entirely clear. Until she read 'Siddartha' by Hermann Hesse. That was the deciding factor in starting the sustainable platform Fairbee. "The book is about a man who goes out into the wide world to find his true destiny: a simple existence as a ferryman."
Fairbee
It triggered something in Chander. It didn't start bubbling a little, no, it was like pats-boom and now we're really going to do it. That was four years ago. Meanwhile, the online conscious lifestyle platform Fairbee is in full development.
Saja Chander and Ingmar van Oeveren at Health & Sports Club Westduin.
A host of the finest sustainable labels have joined its site - their stocks are linked to Fairbee - but will it succeed in getting the public excited about sustainably produced products?
'If we hadn't supported each other, we wouldn't have come this far'
Chander thinks so. Many people would like to live more sustainably, but currently find it too complicated. "How do you make it as easy as possible for consumers? That's what Fairbee is all about. I wanted to take sustainability out of the alternative, dusty corner and set up a really nice, pleasant site. All barriers had to be removed. It shouldn't be like you have to make a two-hour detour or spend three hours searching the internet for beautiful sustainable products."
Sustainable lifestyle
Fairbee aims to have everything for a sustainable lifestyle: from a beautiful dress to a trendy lamp or a fine facial cream. And it is more than a shop, Chander stresses. Fairbee is a platform for sustainable lifestyles. "So you can read great stories in our magazine, for example about sustainable fashion brands."
Health & Sports Club Westduin
The Hague native serves cappuccino with oat milk in her office at her husband Ingmar van Oeveren's health club. Near the bar is a rack of Fairbee clothing, and in the other corner are musical instruments. Van Oeveren uses this space for presentations and courses, among other things, but the Musical Factory and a GP practice also use it. Fairbee is a bit of an oddity at Health & Sports Club Westduin, he says. "But for a start-up, it's great to be here."
'If we hadn't supported each other, we wouldn't have come this far'
His own sports club has been around for over 25 years, but underwent a major metamorphosis three years ago, just when his wife was immersed in setting up her own business. This took a toll on the family with two children, says Chander. "If we had not supported each other, we would not have come this far."
HALO
In the same period, something wonderful also came Van Oeveren's way. The sports club owner got the chance to expand considerably: from one hall to four. With the departure of the HALO (teacher training college for physical education) to the Sportcampus Zuiderpark, a huge space (2000 m2) on Laan van Poot, on the edge of the dunes. After a hefty renovation, there now stands a club that, according to the entrepreneur, is "leading in the current market due to the latest equipment, the combination of the many indoor and outdoor classes and the club app".
But what particularly sets Health & Sports Club Westduin apart is the level of coaching, says the sportsman from The Hague. "All trainers have done a college degree in gymnastics and have a lot of knowledge of exercise science and anatomy."
Top athletes
He continues: "Everyone is welcome in the very relaxed atmosphere: from elite athletes and people coming for rehabilitation to the senior who wants to stay fit." Van Oeveren also hosts physiotherapists, personal trainers and many sports clubs, among others. "As a result, the club fulfils a real community function. Everything revolves around health and all these different disciplines reinforce each other." Only Fairbee is a separate bird here. Although? A sustainable lifestyle could just be very healthy.
text Maja Landeweer / image Fleur Beemster
Suddenly, they have two entrepreneurs in the house instead of one. While Ingmar van Oeveren had the opportunity to expand his health club substantially, his wife Saja Chander quit her job and set up a platform for stuff that is beautiful as well as sustainable. "If we hadn't supported each other, we wouldn't have come this far," he says.
Gurist Saja Chander was still working at a bank eight years ago. She quit her good job "to generate positive impact", as she calls it. In what form was not yet entirely clear. Until she read 'Siddartha' by Hermann Hesse. That was the deciding factor in starting the sustainable platform Fairbee. "The book is about a man who goes out into the wide world to find his true destiny: a simple existence as a ferryman."
Fairbee
It triggered something in Chander. It didn't start bubbling a little, no, it was like pats-boom and now we're really going to do it. That was four years ago. Meanwhile, the online conscious lifestyle platform Fairbee is in full development.
Saja Chander and Ingmar van Oeveren at Health & Sports Club Westduin.
A host of the finest sustainable labels have joined its site - their stocks are linked to Fairbee - but will it succeed in getting the public excited about sustainably produced products?
'If we hadn't supported each other, we wouldn't have come this far'
Chander thinks so. Many people would like to live more sustainably, but currently find it too complicated. "How do you make it as easy as possible for consumers? That's what Fairbee is all about. I wanted to take sustainability out of the alternative, dusty corner and set up a really nice, pleasant site. All barriers had to be removed. It shouldn't be like you have to make a two-hour detour or spend three hours searching the internet for beautiful sustainable products."
Sustainable lifestyle
Fairbee aims to have everything for a sustainable lifestyle: from a beautiful dress to a trendy lamp or a fine facial cream. And it is more than a shop, Chander stresses. Fairbee is a platform for sustainable lifestyles. "So you can read great stories in our magazine, for example about sustainable fashion brands."
Health & Sports Club Westduin
The Hague native serves cappuccino with oat milk in her office at her husband Ingmar van Oeveren's health club. Near the bar is a rack of Fairbee clothing, and in the other corner are musical instruments. Van Oeveren uses this space for presentations and courses, among other things, but the Musical Factory and a GP practice also use it. Fairbee is a bit of an oddity at Health & Sports Club Westduin, he says. "But for a start-up, it's great to be here."
'If we hadn't supported each other, we wouldn't have come this far'
His own sports club has been around for over 25 years, but underwent a major metamorphosis three years ago, just when his wife was immersed in setting up her own business. This took a toll on the family with two children, says Chander. "If we had not supported each other, we would not have come this far."
HALO
In the same period, something wonderful also came Van Oeveren's way. The sports club owner got the chance to expand considerably: from one hall to four. With the departure of the HALO (teacher training college for physical education) to the Sportcampus Zuiderpark, a huge space (2000 m2) on Laan van Poot, on the edge of the dunes. After a hefty renovation, there now stands a club that, according to the entrepreneur, is "leading in the current market due to the latest equipment, the combination of the many indoor and outdoor classes and the club app".
But what particularly sets Health & Sports Club Westduin apart is the level of coaching, says the sportsman from The Hague. "All trainers have done a college degree in gymnastics and have a lot of knowledge of exercise science and anatomy."
Top athletes
He continues: "Everyone is welcome in the very relaxed atmosphere: from elite athletes and people coming for rehabilitation to the senior who wants to stay fit." Van Oeveren also hosts physiotherapists, personal trainers and many sports clubs, among others. "As a result, the club fulfils a real community function. Everything revolves around health and all these different disciplines reinforce each other." Only Fairbee is a separate bird here. Although? A sustainable lifestyle could just be very healthy.
