We dream of a world where fields are alive with diversity, where farming restores rather than depletes, and where every meal nourishes both people and the planet. A world where curiosity leads the way, and flavor becomes the seed of change.
At The Lab, we cook, we listen, we learn. Chefs, scientists, and farmers come together to play, to fail, to discover and to share what we find. Our mission is simple: to make a plant-based future irresistible.
The DNW Lab grows out of the kitchen of De Nieuwe Winkel, from years of cooking with forests, fields, and seasons. Here we are restless in curiosity: tasting, testing, failing, beginning again.
Plants are our teachers.
They challenge us, surprise us, and show us new ways to nourish both people and the planet. The Lab is where these lessons become edible — flavors, ideas, and sparks to be shared with the world.
Featured projects
02 – 02 – 2024
Chestnut chocolate
What happens when a different perspective changes the full potential of a product? Chestnut trees stand rooted in the landscape year after year, restoring soils, nurturing life below ground, and capturing carbon as they grow. Becoming part of a farming system that gives back more than it takes, resulting in a chocolate made close to home.
— Collaboration with De Nieuwe Winkel
— Product development, creativity
03 – 04 – 2023
Almond Cheese
Almond trees thrive in dry soils, capturing sunlight and storing it in seeds full of richness and subtlety. In Almendrehesa, Spain, they are grown to restore biodiversity and bring balance back to the water cycle. From their harvest we craft a cheese that is rich and savory, with the comfort and complexity we expect from dairy.
— Collaboration with De Nieuwe Winkel
— Product development, microbiology
03 – 09 – 2025
Microstructure of Plant-Based Foods
Together with Mathias Porsmose Clausen and Miek Schlangen of the University of Southern Denmark, we study the hidden structures inside plants, the delicate networks that hold water, starch, and protein. These invisible patterns shape the way we experience food, turning ingredients into textures that make plants come alive on the palate. Asking ourselves how these patterns shift as food ferments, cooks, or simply waits?
— Collaboration with the Southern Danish University, Odense
— Academic research, science communication
09 – 03 – 2025
Aardaker
Back to the future of food. For centuries, the tubers of the Aardaker (Lathyrus tuberosus) were part of the human diet in the Netherlands, before they slipped into obscurity. Together with Aardaia in Wageningen, and drawing on the breeding work of Padraic Flood, we explore how this forgotten legume can return. Richer, more resilient, and ready to nourish both people and soil
once again.
— Collaboration with Aardaia
— Academic research, sensory analysis and product development
About The Lab
The DNW Lab grows out of the kitchen of De Nieuwe Winkel, from years of cooking with forests, fields, and seasons. It is a playground where chefs, scientists, and farmers meet and collide. Here we are restless in curiosity: tasting, testing, failing, beginning again.
So what would you like to explore?
Curiosity is at the heart of our work. If you have a challenge, a question, or a spark of curiosity that our research & development team could help illuminate, we’d love to hear from you.
