Dutch-born entrepreneur André Idema swapped engineering plans for Champagne flutes and horse stables, crafting a life where hospitality meets passion—first in The Hague’s bustling restaurant scene, now on Bali’s sun-drenched shores.
André Idema’s story is one of coastal roots, unexpected pivots, and a knack for creating happiness. Born into a lively family in The Hague, he grew up between the Dutch beachside and bustling restaurants, where he discovered his twin loves: hospitality and animals. Though trained as a construction engineer, he couldn’t resist the pull of the F&B industry, turning side jobs into a career and 1990s house parties into masterclasses in entrepreneurship. By 30, he’d transformed a single Hague restaurant into a fourfold success, leveraging his engineering eye for opportunity.
Though for André, life had another twist in store. After meeting Esther, a model turned partner in life and business, the couple traded Dutch winters for Bali’s eternal summer. Together, they’ve raised two globally minded children and built ventures like Royal Sporthorse Bali and the Red Carpet Champagne Bar, where André’s passions for animals, nature, and impeccable service collide.
André, you’ve built two very different businesses in Bali, a high-end equestrian centre and a Top-notch Champagne bar. What drew you to each of these industries?
The combination of my technical background and F&B experience turned out to be a unique advantage and has always helped me to build easily, cost-effectively and with wit. I observe, see growth opportunities, and act. I love to build, set things up, and move on to the next project. At the moment, I’m working on six projects simultaneously.
I can only do this with the help of my teams of loyal staff, most of whom have been with us for over ten years. My brother Jakko is my right hand and also lives in Bali; together, we make a great team. At one point, we had over 160 staff working for us. Although Covid-19 forced us to scale back, I expect we’ll soon bounce back to that number.
Back in the early days, we looked forward and, with our last pennies, opened the ‘Red Carpet Champagne Bar’ on Oberoi Street in Seminyak. At that time, Bali was more of a hippy island, and people told me no one would ever buy Champagne at my bar. However, we proved them wrong. Today, we sell more than 50% of all the Champagne in Indonesia. From a small start, we grew fivefold, even opening a cosy nightclub upstairs where many guests have had a beautiful time.
Now, even after 16 years, the Red Carpet Champagne Bar is still full and lively every night. And very conveniently, there’s a safe and secure parking area in the back.
As for horses in Bali, honestly, it’s not the easiest combination. The temperature, humidity, staff training, mosquitoes, and skin issues all present challenges in the tropics. It requires discipline and creativity to make it work. But now, we’ve got it under control, and our horses are shining, healthy, and living the good life.
Tell us about Royal Sporthorse Bali.
My wife, Esther, loves riding, and has always been the warm, beating heart of the stable. She had a horse when she was a child, and now, here in Bali, both my daughter and son started riding horses. Over time, I picked up a love for horses myself and began riding too. I was a complete beginner, and my family found it quite amusing, but that’s how we all start! Now, I’m training young horses and working with problem horses. I love the challenge, it’s what excites me most.
In 2014, we needed a place for the horse we bought for my daughter. The place we found was humid, messy, and filled with flies. But that was when we saw an opportunity. Three months later, we took over the place and transformed it into a bright, happy space filled with positive energy. Just three years later, we already owned 30 horses.
Equestrian culture isn’t mainstream in Bali. What have been some of the challenges or rewards of introducing it here?
That’s 100% true! But after hard work and time, Royal Sporthorse Bali has become a successful stable. I’m a businessman and don’t stop until my ventures become profitable.
We’ve built a paradise for both kids and adults, and we often travel to competitions in Java. Parents would come along with their kids, and we had wonderful days filled with riding, eating, drinking, playing, and making new friends.
Running an equestrian centre comes with high standards of care, safety, and training. What does a day behind the scenes at Royal Sporthorse look like?
Running a stable in Indonesia is very challenging. There are no vets nearby, and when we first started, the fact that we had almost no experience meant we had to learn quickly.
Luckily, we weren’t hindered by conservative horse traditions from the past. Starting from scratch gave us the opportunity to develop a new concept based on Natural Horsemanship and happy horses. We learned from specialists, read books, surfed the web, and even explored using Artificial Intelligence! But ultimately, following our gut and scanning the horses every day is just as important.
When a horse is scared or not happy, it’s telling you something isn’t right. They guide you to the pain point, they can act like puppies. Imagine: 600 kilos of muscle that can kill you with a single kick, yet they trust their life in your hands.
We’ve got things fully under control now, and even the medical care is done mostly by ourselves. Injections, small operations, wound care, and therapy are a daily routine.
Finding good horses in Indonesia is tough and expensive, so most of our horses are flown in from the Netherlands. The Dutch Royal Sporthorse is strong and reliable.
A stable like ours that keeps horses healthy and stress-free is unique in Indonesia. Twice a day, the horses go out, socialise, and feel relaxed. We train them to use their bodies correctly so they build the muscles needed to carry a rider, ensuring they have a great, pain-free life. Every day, our team carefully looks after every horse. Once a week, they even get a full spa treatment. Washing, cleaning, trimming their hair and ears—they love it. Our in-house farrier also follows a strict protocol to maintain their hooves. Even our goat gets a “mani-pedi.” And you know what they love to do once they’re clean and shiny? They love to roll in the dirt!
Bali is often romanticised as a paradise. From an entrepreneur’s perspective, what’s the reality of living and doing business on the island?
Doing business in the “Wild East” was, and still is, tough for both of us. At times, it almost cost us our marriage. But in the end, we didn’t crack, and hopefully, we can continue to enjoy horses, friends, wine, and champagne for a long time in this beautiful location.
We didn’t choose the easy path, but looking back, we can say it was full of adventures. We’ve learned a lot and have so many stories to tell. Living among horses, riding every day, and training our foals is a dream. There’s never a boring moment!
What are your long-term goals for Royal Sporthorse Bali?
In 2020, COVID almost killed the Red Carpet Champagne Bar. With no tourists and crazy restrictions, it was a tough time. But at the same time, the stable was doing better than ever because horse riding was one of the few things people were allowed to do. Happy children and adults spent a lot of time here, enjoying this positive space with happy horses, rather than being locked up in a villa in front of the TV. Because of this, Esther started cooking big meals, and there was laughter and wine. For a while, we forgot about all the madness going on in the world. At one point, we had almost 50 horses living in our stable. Many great memories!
We survived COVID, but just barely. The stable saved the Red Carpet, and now both are doing well. The nightclub is in the planning stages to reopen soon, once we find the right person to take it over.
After these hard times, the lease for our stables ended, which was a big hit for us. We had to make a choice: stop altogether (because building a new stable is very costly) or find a way to continue. It was an uncertain time, but we were blessed to find a way to take over one of the most unique spots in the south of Bali. It’s an old quarry surrounded by beautiful nature, with the whitest beaches and the clearest blue water in the world. It’s perfect for horses.
So that was the restart of Royal Sporthorse. Now we’re building our new dream: the best horse destination in Bali and in Indonesia! A place where happy riders can spend time with horses and other animals, enjoy a great restaurant, and be surrounded by a green, organic bubble with birds, butterflies, and flowers. One big playground for horse lovers.