About Us

CHARACTER. CRAFTMENSHIP. DESIGN
WE ARE DUTZ.

about us

Philosophy

Mouth blown glass is our passion. Each vase, bowl, pot, candle holder, candle glass, drinking glass or carafe is the result of dedicated craftsmanship of the glassmakers from our Eastern European factories. Each item is mouth blown and hand-formed.
What does DutZ mean ? DutZ is an abbreviation of durf uitgesproken te zijn, which can be translated as dare to be distinct. The collection is special because of the fascinating craft of glassblowing. Each product is the result of dedicated craftsmanship of the glassmakers from our East European glass factories. DutZ is different. DutZ is special due to the huge amount of energy invested in the development of new products . You will find surprising new series every season.
Unlike many other companies, we have chosen to produce only in Eastern Europe. Therefore, we contribute to the maintenance of traditional glassblowing, which is dying out across Eastern Europe.

History

The brand DutZ collection was founded in 2006. DutZ collection is owned by the company Nethroma. The launch of Nethroma took place in 1996 in IJsselmuiden, near Kampen. In fact, everything started after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Berno van Dooren and Bastiaan Kommers found a few glass factories during several trips to Romania. The idea of importing mouth blown glass was born. In the early days, the company worked with items like engraved wine glasses and decanters. Over the years, the company has developed its own style and put focus on design of traditional glass. The invention of the Dutz brand in 2006 coincided with a period of rapid export growth. The collection has developed systematically over the years and DutZ is selling glass in many countries around the world. Nowadays the company is situated in the Hanseatic city of Kampen.

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We and the world

We are more and more conscious that our lifestyle is having an effect on the world around us. The choices we make as individuals – and also where we spent our money – is having an impact on our planet. Not just on our climate, our flora and fauna, but also on us people. Afterall, wellbeing and prosperity cannot be taken for granted by many people around us.

Of course, you want to lead a responsible life, but you also want your money’s worth. So, as manufacturers the task is put to us to see how and where we can make our products more sustainable.
And we are certainly doing this. We have made significant progress in reducing our waste, reusing raw materials and making responsible choices with our own suppliers.
In our production process and our logistics, we have advanced in reducing the use of plastics. Where able we have replaced artificial materials with paper or biologically compostable materials, for example the foam chips inside the packaging that protects our glass items. For now, we have not yet found alternatives for our sealant plastic or sealing tape. All our waste plastics are recycled through the current domestic waste recycling for packaging materials.

We are also continuously looking to make our production, logistics and housing more sustainable. In our logistics we use as much as possible standard Euro-pallets, because these can circulate for many years within the logistical industry. Where we use mini-pallets, these are made from FSC-certified wood or recycled cardboard.
In our offices and warehouses we have made an enormous energy saving in recent years. Thanks to the many solar panels and the use of LED light, our electricity consumption is energy-neutral.

Almost all our suppliers (95 per cent) are artisan businesses located on the European continent. This way we reduce the necessary transport millage. Moreover, we consciously select artisan businesses that pay their employees fair wages.