The first New Netherland merchant colony to trade with the Native Americans was probably Arnout Vogels in 1611, who traveled to the Hudson Bay area. News soon spread of a potentially lucrative market for liquor, jewelry, arms and, crucially, furs. In 1614 the New Netherland Company was formed and enjoyed a monopoly on fur trading for three years, during which time they built Fort Orange to protect their interests near Albany from the powerful British and Spanish empires.
By the 1800s the New York shipbuilding industry was world famous, but even in the 1600s the New Netherlands enjoyed a reputation for building seaworthy vessels. The Dutch were the most profitable shipbuilders in Europe, and they brought this knowledge with them to their colony in the New World. Once constructed, the boats were usually launched into what is now the Upper New York Bay, and were generally used by merchants of the New Netherland Company to explore potential markets. Perhaps the most famous ship built in the New Netherlands was The Onrust, captained by Adriaen Block in 1614 and probably the first yacht built in the United States.
By the middles of the 17th century the most successful slave-trading company in the world was undoubtedly the Dutch West India Company. In 1623 the first 11 slaves were transported from North Africa and deposited in New Netherland, an event which marked the beginning of a booming market for slavery in the colony. Free labor was required to clear trees for road building, lay the foundations for what was to become the New York metropolis and to help prop up New Netherland's ailing agricultural sector. At the time, the Dutch treatment of slaves was fairly humane, even allowing slaves to buy "half-freedom" from the company. This practice was ended by the British in 1682, and far greater restrictions were placed on slaves, motivated by fear of possible insurrection in a rapidly growing slave populace.
New York soil in the 1600s was rich in nutrients and naturally well irrigated. This meant that colonists could grow a range of produce from cabbage and onions to herbs like rosemary and mint. Finding cheap labor was difficult, and laborers often had to transported at great expense from neighboring colonies. With the rise of slave trading, however, the New Netherland agricultural sector flourished and took over from fur trading as the colony's main industry.