Our story
How it all started.
Portier was founded in 2019 in Amsterdam by Koen, with the help of his best friend Sebastian, inspired during a breathwork session by the idea that DMT should be more respected. Why isn’t a DMT session more like a Japanese tea ceremony? Why does everyone have to scour the internet, resorting to dodgy forums to find tools and guides? Why should people get actual life changing experience with self-made crack pipes?
With the commercial world banning psychedelics, it felt like people were missing out and vital safety information and tools, leading to bad practices and further stigmatization of nature’s most fascinating plants. With scientific research confirming the relative safety of classic psychedelics, Koen sketched the idea for a high-end DMT box and shared it on Reddit. The post gained a lot of popularity on the platform, with lots of people encouraging us to make it a reality.
Dozens of people from Reddit wanted to follow the process, and through a growing newsletter, which eventually reached over 4000 subscribers, we could regularly check in with psychonauts from across the world, conducting surveys and hosting ZOOM meetings to create the ultimate DMT box for safe and respectful use.
We wanted the ‘Portalbox‘ to be something of opposite to the ‘Bob Marley bongs’ and shoeboxes out there that were being used—a different dot on the horizon. That’s why we sought the help of classic tea box makers in Asia with decades of experience in crafting wooden boxes for luxury tea brands.
We decided to take it further by starting a podcast and leveraging our backgrounds to connect with researchers, artists, and harm-reduction experts. We interviewed experts on safe practices and invited them to co-write the Portalbook, a safety guide for psychedelic users included in every box.
Making the Portalbox was not easy and came with many challenges, including learning the ropes of manufacturing, taxes, logistics, and ensuring all the boxes safely reached the over 100 people who pre-ordered from around the world. We successfully delivered all our boxes from our small apartment in Amsterdam, with help from friends in New York, reaching people on nearly every continent!
We dubbed our venture “Portier,” as a nod to both “Portal” (reflecting the transformative DMT journey) and “Frontier” (opening the door to a new paradigm for how psychedelics are perceived).
After this, the reviews came pouring in, and we were nearly brought to tears of happiness; they were all 5 stars! We even sent boxes to a few of our heroes, including Duncan Trussell, and were thrilled when he replied with incredible compliments. We were especially moved by the long emails from people expressing how psychedelics had changed their lives and what these boxes meant to them. We are humbled by all your words, and answered the requests for a ‘mushroom box’ and more ‘portalble box’ with the Ceremonybox and small Portalcase through more hard work.
‘Portier is not a ‘money-making machine’ and it’s a tough project sometimes because we’re not widely accepted and usually can’t do marketing because psychedelics are banned online. We never take investment money and paid for everything out of pocket alongside our day jobs. We are committed to high quality and we love what we do. Hopefully one day we can fully focus on Portier. Currently our father helps with packing and logistics, making it a small family-run business business
Thank you for being part of this, and we together we can grow and make an impact – as we continue to donate to important causes in psychedelic policy, harm reduction, and conservation of indigenous use. 🙏.
Our Intention
At Portier, we support the safe and respectful use of plant medicine in the comfort of your home. We combine functional design with community insights, visionary art, and the latest scientific research on safe use. The end result are products that help you explore and grow more safely and consciously, enhancing your journeys at home and keeping your plant medicine in a more respectful place.
We emphasize the importance of no longer stigmatizing (and hiding) nature’s most profound visionary tools, because of their undeniable impact science, art, innovation, and mental well-being when used responsibly. A big thanks goes out to everyone who supported our project and made it into what it is today.
Our manifesto
Psychedelics have a rich history spanning thousands of years, offering transformative experiences. Though research is still in its early stages, it’s undeniably proven that psychedelics can produce profound insights and improve mental well-being when used correctly.
We believe it’s time for a thoughtful initiative by and for the community, one that goes beyond clinical healthcare. It’s about recognizing the millions of people exploring consciousness safely at home, and who see plant medicine ceremonies as a way to become better members of our interconnected world.
Our products combine science-based information to avoid potential risks while also celebrating the significant role plant medicine plays in well-being and innovation. We stress that keeping psychedelics hidden and stigmatized often leads to misuse, both personally and collectively.
At Portier we combine functional design, visionary art, and science-based education to encourage a deeper, more respectful engagement with psychedelics. Beyond safekeeping, a well-designed ceremonial framework can highlight respectful and intentional use.
Through consistent surveys and communication with our 4,000+ followers, we cocreate something beautiful made by- and for the psychedelic community. Together, we aim to raise the standards for safe, respectful, and quality use.
About our Impact
Ten percent of our profits are dedicated to supporting psychedelic research, policy, education, and indigenous rights movements. We have volunteered for numerous psychedelic research organisations and psychedelic educational institutes.
Our total contributions (as per31/10/2024):
$10,323.00
Portier completely transitioned to using only the most sustainable and regenerative wood species available.
We are currently donating to:
We have previously donated to the following organisations, as well as a famous multidisciplinary psychedelic research organisation in the USA:
About the founders
Koen has worked over 18 years with psychedelic research organizations, retreats, and harm reduction organisations, such as the OPEN Foundation (advancing psychedelic research and therapies in Europe since 2007) and Synthesis (providers of legal, medically supervised retreats).
Sebastian has been active within indigenous circles, working with NGO’s to safeguard indigenous communities that use ayahuasca. He is also a certified breathwork facilitator. Both have a deep passions for the exploration of consciousness, ecological sustainability, psychedelic science, and mental wellbeing.
The rest of the community comprises anonymous healthcare workers, researchers, data analysts, teachers, engineers, writers, musicians, artists, and many more regular people who believe in changing how psychedelics are perceived by the broader public.
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