Explore Amsterdam’s social enterprise scene with these eight routes 

Are you heading to SEWF23 in Amsterdam? What better way to explore the city’s buzzing social enterprise scene than by eating, shopping or having fun at 62 stores, restaurants and other venues that positively impact society? One of the event Co-hosts, Amsterdam Impact, has designed eight conscious shopping routes – one for each Amsterdam district and city area Weesp – to help you go off the beaten path and meet many of Amsterdam’s exciting social entrepreneurs! 

Amsterdam Noord 

Kick off your journey through Noord, the home of this year’s SEWF, with a visit to NoordOogst + Pof – an urban agriculture project featuring a unique restaurant. Along the way, you can check out Colourful Goodies – Europe’s first shop with children’s dolls in all colours, find pre-loved clothes and home decor items and watch the sun go down at a cosy beach pavilion created by locals. Explore the Noord route. 

Amsterdam Centrum 

Get off the beaten track in the bustling Centrum, just a short ferry ride from Amsterdam Noord, by experiencing restaurants, shops and art that prioritise the well-being of all. Visit an inclusive Museum van de Geest – exhibiting outsider art, borrow fashionable pieces from the first clothing library in the Netherlands – LENA – and sample craft beers in one of the oldest areas in the city at Brouwerij De Prael. Explore the Centrum route. 

Amsterdam Oost 

Start with a sweet or savoury brunch in the hidden garden of Dignita Hoftuin before discovering the best Oost has to offer – from affordable second-hand and vintage clothes to a coffee bar with fairly produced and freshly roasted coffee. Wrap up your stroll or bike ride at A Beautiful Mess with delicious Middle Eastern food in a historic venue. Explore the Oost route. 

Amsterdam West 

Fuel your exploration of West with a treat from Little Plant Pantry – a waste-free grocery store and plant-based deli. Along the way, you can marvel at the works in Beeldend Gesproken – an art gallery focusing on mental health, find your new favourite hand-printed t-shirt and unwind at a neighbourhood farm in the leafy Westerpark. Explore the West route.  

Amsterdam Zuid  

Grab a good coffee and a brioche from Iambe – an organic bakery that guides people with intellectual disabilities before you embark on a Zuid tour that takes you everywhere, from shops with timeless vintage fashion and pre-loved children’s clothing to a climbing Fun Forest for the perfect outdoor adventure. Explore the Zuid route. 

Amsterdam Nieuw-West 

Did you know that Nieuw-West was designed as a ‘garden city’ that would blend urban areas with green spaces? Well, you’re about to find out by visiting an organic pick-your-own orchard, an urban beach pavilion on the Sloterplas shore, a tea house in a former windmill on a rural cycle path, to name a few of the fun stops along the way! Explore the Nieuw-West route. 

Amsterdam Zuidoost 

Tuck in delicious vegetable pitas, soups and burgers at Zuidoost’s first vegan restaurant – Yemayá’s Vegan Corner – before heading off to dig for treasures at a thrift store packed with affordable clothes, accessories and interior design. Quench your thirst with abbey beer in a green hangar at De Proefzaak or a nice cup of tea at a welcoming cafe in a buzzing creative community. Explore the Zuidoost route. 

Weesp 

What better way to discover Weesp, Amsterdam’s newest city area, than with a trip to Pluk me! – a picking garden with sustainably grown flowers, a coffee roaster Gosling Coffee that works directly with farmers and supplies SEWF23’s coffee, an organic dairy farm or a cosy thrift store? Explore the Weesp route. 

Which route are you going to explore?

If you haven’t booked your place at SEWF23, make sure you get your ticket now at www.sefw2023.com