Why our Digital AI assistant is called “Maria”

In the history of Loints of Holland – as in so many family businesses – most of what has been written focuses on the male founder. Yet behind the name on the door there is almost always a second name, mentioned less often but just as essential to the company’s success. For Loints, that person is Maria van Nunen: backbone of the family, bridge between two shoemaking dynasties, and the quiet driving force behind the first generation of the company.

That is why we deliberately named our AI assistant “Maria”.

  • As a tribute to her role in the history of Loints of Holland.
  • As recognition for all women in family businesses who are often less visible, yet indispensable for continuity, care and growth.
  • And as a symbol of what we value most: warmth, attention and craftsmanship – also in the digital world.

So when you receive a message from Maria, Digital Assistant | Loints of Holland, you are in fact speaking to a modern, digital echo of that first generation: deeply rooted in over a century of family history, and fully dedicated to helping customers today.

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Who was Maria van Nunen?

When we talk about the origins of Loints of Holland, the name of founder Cornelis “Kees” Klijsen is usually the first to appear. But just as important for the birth and survival of the family business was his wife: Maria van Nunen.

Maria was born in 1871 in Loon op Zand, into a local shoemakers’ family known in the area as “de Kets”. In 1897 she married 25-year-old shoemaker Kees Klijsen. In that moment, not only two people came together, but also two crafts and two entrepreneurial families. From then on, Kees and Maria formed the first generation of what would later become the brand Loints of Holland.

Together they built a life and a business in Kaatsheuvel. They first lived on the Tweede Vaart, later on “den Horst”, where the houses of the Klijsen and Van Nunen families stood literally side by side. Maria brought her background from the shoemaking world: she understood the craft, the community around it, and the reality of a household that depended on manual work and entrepreneurship. In every way she was Kees’s partner: at home, in the business, and in the key decisions the family made.

In 1947, the couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in Kaatsheuvel; local newspapers described them as a strong, resilient pair enjoying the occasion to the fullest. By then, Maria had lived through fifty years of entrepreneurship, family life and constant change in the footwear industry. She passed away in 1951 at the age of 79. By that time, the family business had already been handed over to the next generation of the Klijsen family – but the foundations had been laid by Kees and Maria together.

Our History