JA-DE X TCHAI

Aside from client projects, our Tchai Brand Building team has kept a busy agenda as of late in the celebration of our jubilee year. With a passion for ambience and stories we collaborated with artist JA-DE, and came up with an aesthetic homewear goodie for all kinds of environments… (from the bathroom and bedroom to your living room or your home office!)

STUDIO JA-DE

Jade Ruijzenaars is a multidisciplinary designer. Amsterdam born and raised, Jade completed her BA in Lifestyle Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in 2016, before moving to South Africa. She won the research award for her thesis project Crangon Crangon. She is currently working on her ceramics and further development of the shrimp glaze. Jade’s goal is to give insight into the processing of shrimp as well as the possibilities of the material.

“I became fascinated by the potential of discarded shrimp shells after reading an article on the website Vice Munchies about Meat the Mushroom, a group of Amsterdam scientists. In response to the huge amount of waste produced by the shrimp industry, Meat the Mushroom were experimenting with making cheese from discarded shrimp shells, using a fungus as a catalyst for the fermentation process.”

A shrimp consists for 60% to 70% of its shell, which is not suitable for consumption. And with the increased capacity for shrimp shelling, the amount of waste has also increased: currently some 60,000 kilos per week, roughly the equivalent of three big trucks.

Crangon crangon

The majority of Dutch shrimp is caught in the North Sea, transported to Morocco to be peeled, and then shipped back again to Europe for consumption. Roughly 60-70% of a shrimp consists of its shell, which is not consumed. Since the opening of a large mechanized peeling centre in the Netherlands, there has been a significant increase in waste. This production system and resulting waste are invisible to consumers.

“I explored the world of Dutch shrimp and experimented with a new application for the shrimp shells in ceramic glazing in order to tell the story of the Dutch shrimp industry. The project delves into the chemistry and biology of shrimp shells and the valuable substances that can be extracted from them. “

JA-DE X TCHAI

is a Palo Santo burning dish… Also, one of the ways Tchai celebrates new beginnings, as well as it symbolises Tchai’s focus points for the year ahead: sustainability, supporting locals and genuine connections.