A regenerative Farm Born from One Life-Changing Question
From a life in the center of Rotterdam to creating a hill sanctuary in the countryside between Malaga & Marbella. This is our story of how Monte Valeo came to be.
The Question That Changed Our Lives
It all goes back to 2019. At the time, our life looked exactly as we had planned it. We lived in the center of Rotterdam. We were building our own companies. We had just finished renovating our beautiful home and saw ourselves living there the coming decade. That summer we were talking about trying to start a family.
Then, at the end of 2019, that future changed in an instant. Hayo was diagnosed with Leukemia (CLL), a form of blood cancer. We were told it was chronic. Incurable. Something we would simply have to learn to live with, and even worse prognostics. Those words stopped time. Suddenly, the plans we had made seemed far less important than the questions we had never dared to ask.
If life can change in an instant, if tomorrow isn't guaranteed... How do we truly want to live our lives? What really matters? What kind of life do we want to give our children? And what would our dream life look like?
That diagnosis didn't just begin a healing journey. It began a journey back to ourselves.
Imagining Another Way of Living
Nicole was adamant: let's try to conceive now! No time to waste. But with all this stress that showed to be impossible. Finally, when we stopped forcing things, Nicole got pregnant right away. At the end of 2020, Julius was born, and we couldn't be more grateful. Becoming mother and father changed us profoundly.
While much of the world stood still during lockdowns, our dream life became clearer than ever. We wanted to live outdoors in the countryside, near hills and beaches. We wanted our children to grow up close to nature, to grow our own food, to become more independent, and find like-minded spirits.
We started envisioning: a place where people could reconnect with nature, with themselves and with one another. Where food is medicine. Where slowing down brings healing. Where children can go barefoot, pick fruit from the trees, collect fresh eggs, and go on endless adventures on our own farm.
The Hill That Chose Us
It soon became clear for us that this place was not in the Netherlands, but in Spain. When we first visited the place that was destined to become Monte Valeo, we immediately fell in love with the views and the possibilities.
A piece of land in the green hills of Andalusia, between Malaga and Marbella, with many buildings, surrounded by fruit trees, open skies and barren areas. The hill had chosen us and we couldn't get it out of our heads. In May 2025 finally we could call it ours.
More Than a Place for Us
Right from the beginning, we felt this wasn't just a place for us. It was a place where people could come together and slow down.
Reconnect with nature. With each other. And, most importantly, with yourself.
A Story That Keeps Growing
Monte Valeo is still becoming. Every tree we plant. All the gardens we create. Every animal that finds its home here. Every family that shares a meal under the trees. Every sunrise over the valley. They are all part of the same story.
A story that began with a life-changing diagnosis. And one simple question: how do we truly want to live? We don't pretend to have all the answers. We're still learning every single day. But if our journey has taught us one thing, it's this: sometimes the hardest moments become the doorway to the most meaningful life you could never have planned before.
Maybe It's Meant to Become Part of Your Story Too
If our story resonates with you, we hope you'll come and experience Monte Valeo for yourself. Because maybe this place isn't only part of our journey. Maybe it's meant to become part of yours too.