50 Bollen Emotie

It was 2017 when baker Alfred Kroeze got the terrible news: his ‘oliebol’ had been voted the worst of 2016 by the AD. He couldn’t make sense of it, he had been baking them for 50 years, and in 1999 he even won the first prize.

The biography 50 Bollen Emotie pays homage to a man with a passion - the passion for the oliebol. For most, it is merely a deep-fried dough ball; for Alfred, it is his life. Fifty oliebollen represent the Fifty years that Alfred has been baking them. Each oliebol, with each its unique story. Sometimes a beautifully shaped ball, sometimes a somewhat saggy one. And that’s life.

Type
Academy work

Role
Concept
Art-direction

Year
2017

Together with
Tom Hoefnagels

The heartbroken Alfred gained its nickname, ‘De Emotionele Oliebollenbakker,’ through its AT5 interview.

In order to make the book come to life, we launched a crowdfunding campaign. Here, you could contribute, pre-order the book, or even go for an oliebol baking course led by Alfred himself.

By its 117 pages, 50 Bollen Emotie takes you through a life of love and grief, ups and downs, wins and losses, and a lot of oliebollen.

The book was released on 28 December - just before the peak of the oliebollen season - and launched at the bakery where Alfred does his magic.

Alfred's book also gained some media attention, including on national television during Hart Van Nederland.

Other work

Chocolate Jesus
Academy work

Rendering Nature
Academy work