Vrijheidsmaaltijdsoep 5 mei - Projectmanager

Every year on May 5th, we celebrate our national freedom in the Netherlands. Traditionally on this day, Vrijheidsmaaltijden (freedom meals) are held throughout the Netherlands: from small to large and from a quick bite to a three-course meal. But when in 2020 Covid hit, this was not possible. So that year, together with the Amsterdam 4th and 5th May committee - Food Cabinet developed a great alternative: de Vrijheidsmaaltijdsoep (the Freedom Soup). The cans of soup, which allowed you to eat together but from a distance, became such a success that we went all over the country the following years. From Leeuwarden to Maastricht, we all ate the same delicious soup on May 5th, delivered to all citizens, in a beautiful iconic can designed by Piet Parra.

The campaign we organised was a major success. Precisely because living together in times of Corona was so limited and many self-evident freedoms were suspended, there was a great need for solidarity. Even though we couldn't be together, we could still eat together. For this very first Freedom Soup, Michelin chef Joris Bijdendijk and Samuel Levie developed a delicious, spicy pumpkin soup in 2020 that captured the 'taste of the city'.

What did I do?

I was the projectmanager responsible for this project. I helped set up a new strategy, helped find financial partnerships for this project, and executed everything. From a social campaign to effective PR, and from the production of the soup itself to distributing it over Amsterdam. We also organised a live broadcasting show on the 5th of May together with Pakhuis de Zwijger. The project even got showcased on the national news channels.

I am super proud of this project: something that started off as an alternative to a live event, but became the hero concept for the next campaigns. Our team showed immens flexibility in a time where we were very limited in what we could do. One of my best projects!