We bring nature, story, and impact to your drinking water!
The starting point of anything is our dreams.
Dreams inspire us to get out of our comfort zone and take challenges. Born into a farming family in a remote corner of the world, I’ve always dreamt of connecting our stories and products with others across cities, countries, and continents.
As farmers, we're often the first to witness climate change. Motivated by a desire for authenticity, quality, and climate action, a few of my family members, a bunch of my friends, and I created a platform in my home country, Iran for farmers to share their stories and products directly with socially and environmentally conscious people. This venture quickly captured hearts, and we saw rapid growth and multiple successful funding rounds. It felt like we were shooting stars.
Our national success gave us the courage to set our sights on the global stage. Our idea was simple yet transformative: use dried plants and flowers from our farmers to naturally enhance the taste of water, encouraging healthier hydration habits through our product, WaterMates. After evaluating several countries for our expansion, the Netherlands emerged as the ideal launchpad. Our choice was further solidified by Dockwize Innovation Hub in Zeeland, with its mission for food transitions.
Keeping my team back in my home country, I moved to Vlissingen in mid-August 2023 with my wife Zena, a yoga instructor, our eight-year-old daughter, and our six-month-old son. We settled into a lovely house with sea views and the charming old city at the back. It was our first week when, Micheal, our landlord invited us warmly for a cup of coffee and dinner, and we reciprocated with a traditional Persian meal. We reached out to our neighbors with a letter, introducing our family and our venture and inviting them to a glass of water, naturally infused with our WaterMates.
The initial days were challenging, especially for my daughter at school, but she soon picked up some Dutch and made friends. Zena continues her yoga practice daily. While she hasn't started teaching here due to our young son, she's sharpening her Dutch on Duolingo, and planning to launch online yoga classes for expats soon.
Every morning, I run a few kilometers before starting my day at Dockwize, which has been instrumental in our journey here. Our story is about making meaningful connections through our passions—whether it’s through WaterMates, yoga, or simply sharing a meal. Here in Zeeland, we're not just building a business that champions the health of its audience; we also aim to pioneer a model of social and environmental responsibility, from our supply chain and our innovative packaging to redefining the story behind the product.
Read more about our story at: www.oostamo.com
Follow our journey on our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/oostamo
Founder, oostaMo
