VTU Funeral Trade Fair

During the trade fair, we spoke with so many funeral directors, funeral care professionals and others working in the sector. One response came up time and again: “This is truly innovative.”

Many visitors told us they had never come across a concept like Beloved stones before. For us, that was perhaps the loveliest compliment we could have received.

Beloved stones began with a deeply personal thought: what if, after saying goodbye, you could take home something tangible alongside the memories you carry in your heart and mind? Something small that, whenever you feel ready, helps you feel close to that person again.

A new ritual for saying goodbye

At the trade fair, we showed how Beloved stones can become part of a funeral ceremony.

The handmade stones can be placed on the coffin during the service. At the end of the ceremony, as part of the final farewell, each family member or friend who wishes to can take a stone home.

A small gesture, made meaningful by its very simplicity.

At home, the stone can be placed somewhere that feels right. Holding it against the back of a phone opens a personal online memorial for the person who has died. It brings together photographs, videos, music, stories and even the familiar sound of their voice.

The stone comes home with you, and the memories come with it.

Julia shared our story

One of the most nerve-racking and special moments of the trade fair was Julia’s pitch.

Speaking to an audience of funeral professionals, she shared the story behind Beloved stones. Not just what we make, but above all, why we started.

After someone dies, memories are often scattered everywhere. Photographs on different phones, videos on a computer, a carefully saved voicemail, music that instantly brings someone to mind, and stories that only family and friends know.

With Beloved stones, we want to give those memories a place where they can stay together.

A memorial that can keep growing

This was something many visitors found particularly special.

It is often only after the funeral that there is space for memories to surface. The story someone still wanted to tell. The photograph found later. Or the memory that makes you think: this must not be lost.

Anyone with a Beloved stone can leave a written memory in their own time. In this way, the memorial can continue to grow after the farewell, with stories from family and friends.

Not everything has to be gathered or shared in the few days between a death and the funeral. There is room to add more later.

Holding a stone and experiencing it for yourself

At our stand, we noticed how much it mattered for visitors to hold a stone themselves.

We could explain what Beloved stones does, of course. But as soon as someone held a stone in their hand and opened the memorial themselves, the idea became much clearer.

Many funeral professionals took a stone home to explore it in their own time, show it to colleagues or introduce it when talking with bereaved families.

Because ultimately, it is about more than the stone itself. It is about what it holds: the photographs, the stories, the music, the voice and all the little things that make someone who they are.

What can you give people to take home after a funeral?

This question came up regularly during the trade fair.

Traditionally, family and friends might receive a funeral card, a memorial card or another keepsake. With Beloved stones, we offer another way to remember: something tangible that can be part of the farewell and continue to have a place in everyday life.

On a bedside table. Beside a photograph. In a special corner for remembering. Or simply somewhere in your home that means something to you.

There is nothing you need to do. But whenever you want to feel close to someone again, it is there.

Our first trade fair has left us eager for more

We went to Gorinchem to introduce Beloved stones. We returned with so many conversations, new connections and ideas—and, above all, the feeling that this new ritual had struck a chord.

To everyone who visited our stand, listened to Julia, took a stone home or shared a personal story with us: thank you.

Your responses made our very first trade fair special.

Did you take home a Beloved stone from the trade fair?

Try it for yourself, and show it to a colleague or a family you are supporting.

As a funeral professional, you can create an account here. Through your account, you can easily create memorials and order Beloved stones.

Do you have any questions? Would you like to know how to include Beloved stones in a farewell ceremony, or explore the possibilities together? Please get in touch. We are happy to help.

Did we miss each other at the VTU Funeral Trade Fair? We would still love to meet you.