How it all started...
In the summer of 2020, on a warm evening during their holiday, the Ruiter family sat around the table talking about the environment, and what they, as individuals, could actually do about it. Plastic soup in the oceans, microplastics turning up everywhere, even in our food. That evening, they realized they'd likely eaten microplastics again that very day. It didn't sit right with them.
The question that followed was simple: what could we do, as one family, about a problem this big? We couldn't solve it alone, but we could absolutely start at home. That's how Emma and François founded Qualooba.
That same year, Marieke was going through her own search for a solution. Years of tight, dry skin after every shower had pushed her to start making her own traditional soap, a formula that turned out to be far kinder to both her skin and the environment. No harmful ingredients, no plastic bottles left behind. That soap became the foundation of her own company, Puur Zeep Natuurlijk.
In 2021, a mutual friend introduced Puur Zeep Natuurlijk to Qualooba. Emma and François started selling Marieke's soap, and the collaboration quickly grew into something bigger: happy customers, a growing product range, and a partnership that worked.
By 2023, that collaboration had become so close that joining forces was the obvious next step. Combining talents led to a new company: Qualooba Wholesale, a wholesaler that develops and sources environmentally friendly products and brings them to retailers and hospitality businesses. A way to reach even more places, and make an even bigger impact.
In 2025, Marieke decided to step back from the company due to personal circumstances. We're deeply grateful for everything she brought to Qualooba, her soap is still very much part of who we are today. Emma and François continue to run Qualooba and Qualooba Wholesale full steam ahead, with just as much energy and drive as that summer evening back in 2020.
