Collaboration with artist and chef Astrando Boerleider

Astrando Boerleider, a Rotterdam-based artist and passionate chef, draws inspiration from his surroundings. A little bit like us, he's a self-taught artist and always reinventing himself. Maybe that's why he kept coming back to our brewery like a boomerang. (We couldn't get rid of him… Trust us. We've tried!) And after years of him turning up, we were proud to finally launch something together.

We weren't even sure if we could still call it a soy sauce. This product carries numerous Surinamese influences, as that's where Astrando's roots lie. Soy sauce has long been a staple in Surinamese cuisine. Introduced through centuries of trade and migration, it became deeply embedded thanks to countless communities who brought their rich cooking traditions, including soy sauce, with them in the 19th century. Over time, it grew into a key ingredient connecting many of Suriname's diverse culinary cultures.

We had been talking with Astrando about a collaboration for a while. And soon, it became clear: the foundation had to be a family recipe from his father. Given Suriname's culinary heritage, it's no surprise that soy sauce naturally found its way into the recipe.

For us, this was the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into family traditions, new flavours, and culinary heritage. To tie it all together, Astrando created two paintings that now feature proudly on the labels. A visual reflection of his roots, his creativity, and the story behind this special sauce. Two different bottles, the same sauce, both limited editions.

That could have been the end of it. It wasn't.

The third painting: Tjado x Tomasu Sambal

Making that sauce also left something behind. Once the sauce is strained, the solids stay behind, still full of garlic, ginger, papaya, onion, Madame Jeanette and sesame seeds. Far too full of flavour to leave at that, and the logical thing to build on. We ended up with something we're genuinely proud of: Tjado x Tomasu Sambal.

Meanwhile, Astrando had left something behind too. Where the sauce carried two of his paintings, a third had quietly stayed with us. And once a third painting was sitting in our brewery, waiting, the decision made itself. It had to become something.

So that is where the sambal found its label. Astrando painted, we picked up where he left off, and his third work now sits on the jar. A circle that started with a family recipe and two paintings, quietly closed with a third.

Curious? There are only a limited number, so be quick. And how to use it? Astrando made a recipe to show you the way. He is the chef, after all.