KEEK Winkel Oudegracht

KEEK Winkel Oudegracht is located at Oudegracht 362 in the heart of Utrecht. The business describes this location as a bakery shop with a small café. On social media, KEEK also uses the term “deli & petit café”. The shop combines the sale of bread, pastries, and other food items with seating for coffee. This gives coffee a place within a broader offering, but the location does not present itself exclusively as a coffee bar.

The history of KEEK began in 2008 with a lunchroom on Twijnstraat. Maria van Lamoen opened the business shortly after turning 24. In earlier publications, she is referred to as Maria Zwart. She worked in the hospitality industry from the age of 15 and later attended hotel school. Her husband, Erik Zwart, studied communication at the HBO level. Together, they took over a former toy shop on Twijnstraat in 2008. In the official company history, Erik is not separately mentioned as a co-founder.

The location on Oudegracht opened on December 8, 2014, under the name De Keuken van KEEK. At the time, the building consisted of a shop and a production kitchen in the workshop cellar. From that kitchen, the company produced goods for its own locations. In 2021, the production bakery moved to Springweg. The space on Oudegracht remained in use as a shop with seating, coffee, and food for takeaway.

BOOT Koffie is the current, publicly documented coffee supplier for KEEK. The coffee is described by KEEK as organic and Fairtrade. In the online shop, 250-gram bags of coffee beans from BOOT are available. Among them is a selection offered as espresso. BOOT’s list of sales points also directly links Keuken van Keek to the address Oudegracht 362 and mentions multiple coffees.

There is less public information available regarding the preparation in the café. No current, location-specific menu has been found listing drinks such as espresso, cappuccino, cortado, flat white, or iced coffee. Data on the espresso machine, recipes used, and manual brewing methods are also not publicly documented. At the opening in 2014, the location served filter coffee from The Golden Coffee Box and The Village. This refers to the historical offering and says nothing about current partnerships with these roasters.

KEEK cites artisanal production, sustainability, and hospitality as its guiding principles. The company states that it makes as much as possible itself using organic ingredients. The business lists Skal registration number 111920 and certification code NL-BIO-01. According to its own information, the bakery operates on solar energy. Another company page mentions both solar and wind energy.

A trade publication reported in 2021 that KEEK had removed meat from its food production. A large part of the assortment was then produced internally. Products from the bakery on Springweg were transported to other locations by electric cargo bike with a trailer. Additionally, the shop on Oudegracht has a listing on Too Good To Go. The offered packages contain bread that has not been sold by the end of the day.

In addition to BOOT Koffie, other suppliers have been mentioned in publications. BD-Totaal describes itself as a long-term supplier of organic ingredients for the bakery. At the opening in 2014, De Veldkeuken and Zonnemaire were named as regional bread suppliers. These names provide insight into the early period but do not confirm current supply agreements.

Through the KEEKollektief, the organization provides exhibition space for artists from Utrecht. According to KEEK, artists do not pay to display their work. The program focuses on sustainability and social inclusion, among other themes. A new exhibition opens approximately every two months. For some openings, KEEK organizes film screenings, music performances, or workshops at one of its locations.

The program features works by, among others, Lee Teng Poh, Charlotte Nicole Victoria, Krista Wamsteker, Anne Jansen, Sterre Kranenburg, and Sanne Kaal. Not all program elements are tied to a specific branch. As a result, it is not possible to determine exactly which exhibitions or workshops took place at Oudegracht 362. The shop was also listed as a participant in the network surrounding the Utrecht Euro and an associated local shopping route.

The development of KEEK and the Oudegracht location received attention in various local and trade publications. Topics included the opening, the work cellar, the background of the entrepreneurs, and the relocation of the bakery. Discover Utrecht refers to the establishment as the “KEEK bakery shop.” Independent prices, competition results, or positions on formally managed rankings are not publicly documented. The available material primarily shows a bakery shop where organic production, coffee, takeout food, and local art come together.