Company History

In the year 1898 Hermannus Tollenaar worked in Zwolle as a servant at Tingieterij Kamphof. Hermannus was an excellent craftsman. When one day Hermannus asked for a 5 cent wage increase he was told by his employer that this was absolutely not possible.

Hermannus then decided to start his own tin foundry in Zwolle with the name "H. Tollenaar". He established his first foundry at the "Groot Kerkhof 97" then moved to the "Van Ittersumstraat 18". The last known address of his foundry shop in Zwolle was "Luttekestraat 14".

In the year 1915 Hermannus Tollenaar died and his sons - Michiel and Jan - continued the business of their father.

Because of the better export possibilities to other countries Michiel and Jan decided to settle in Amsterdam. In the year 1919 the tin foundry was established for the first time on the Buiksloterdijk 452 in Amsterdam Buiksloot.

From that moment on the name Buiksloot also appears in the stamps. The company is still called Firma H. Tollenaar. Articles destined for export got an oval stamp with the text "Made in Holland".

In 1935 the company almost went bankrupt. Andries Barend Loch and Joop Blaauboer Senior bought in and made sure that the company could continue to exist.

The company moved to the Laanweg in Amsterdam North. At Laanweg 61 the house with office was located. Behind house number 61 the foundry was located in a former school building. At that time this building had house number 55a. The company name then became Loch Tollenaar & Co. They chose for "Co" in the casting because "Blaauboer" did not fit on the stamp anymore. At the end of the second world war also products were made under the company name La Espero.

In the year 1955 the customers wanted to see an angel in the quality stamp. The 'so called' Angelstin was very popular at that time. Since many of the shapes were used from the collection of Justus van Maurik his mark (the little angel) was combined with that of Loch Tollenaar.

In 1963 the company moved to the Asterweg 36 in Amsterdam Noord.

In 1980 the Dutch Centre for Crafts was built on the Stromarkt in Amsterdam. Loch Tollenaar and Co set up a shop here with a demonstration area. The entrance was located at the Nieuwendijk 16 in Amsterdam.

In 1984, a shop was opened at Nieuwe Hoogstraat 18 in Amsterdam city centre. The workshop moved along. The building at Asterweg 36 was sold.

In 1988 the shop moved to the Kalverringdijk 1 on the Zaanse Schans. The shop on the Nieuwe Hoogstraat was closed, the foundry remained in Amsterdam, but now on the Zuider IJdijk.

At the end of 2009, the building was moved to the Impuls 135 in Purmerend. The foundry, which until then had been located on the Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam, was moved to this business premises. The foundry was put back into use on 1 January 2010.

Ingrid van Delden - Blaauboer became a partner in 2007 and received her master sign in the year 2010.

In the year 2013 Ronald and Ingrid participated in the international world exhibition for Folk Culture organized by IOV/Unesco in China and won bronze. More than 1600 different crafts participated in this exhibition.

In the year 2014 we were again invited to travel to China. This time we participated in a similar exhibition organized by IOV/Unesco. Here we won Gold in the category old crafts and specifically metalworking. This also resulted in the fact that from this moment on we can carry the internationally recognized title "Masters Of Folk Arts & Crafts" by Unesco.

1 February 2015 the foundry was moved to a larger building which we could rent for a period of 3 years. On the Van IJsendijkstraat 381 in Purmerend guided tours were given in the foundry and we were able to accommodate groups of up to 50 people.

January 31st 2018 the rental contract expired and the workshop moved to the Nicolaes Maesstraat in Zaandam.

Six months later we moved privately and therefore also our office address to the Kerkstraat 2 in Ilpendam. Group visits and Workshops can be given within our premises located at the Kerkstraat 1 in Ilpendam.

Our shop has been located on the Zaanse Schans since 1988.

In 2020 we were hit worldwide by the Corona virus. Because of these measures, our store on the Zaanse Schans had to apply a different access policy. We can only receive one family at a time.

The above also applies to a visit to our workshop in Zaandam (maximum 1 family at the same time allowed) or our location in Ilpendam (maximum 50 persons allowed). Hereby we can guarantee the 1.5 meter regulation. You also have the possibility to have a drink, with or without cake and/or a lunch or size. Please note: only if you have made an appointment in advance.

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