We are getting seriously worried about the increasing piles of waste and the plastic soup in the oceans. On the other hand, it is quite hard to imagine our daily lives without plastic, because it simply makes life a lot easier. Working with reusable packaging requires preparation, time and effort, and may cause food safety problems or food waste.
The government imposes restrictions on single-use plastics, but that means we have to find alternatives. Alternatives that are feasible for consumers with busy lives, but also for producers and supermarkets, that do not lead to additional food waste or jeopardize food safety.
Such a complex challenge requires an approach that takes into account the views of various stakeholders, including those of the consumer. The food producers called in the help of our inventors, who went looking for solutions and ways to make reusable packaging more convenient and accessible for them, in the supermarket, at festivals or with home delivery services. Because by exploring possible solutions from different angles, we can come to a system that works for everyone.
https://ovam.vlaanderen.be/web/green-deal-anders-verpakt
In the fall of 2020, we held a co-creation session about the branding of the 'rumble in the crumble' biscuits, formerly known as 'VitaBran'. The percieved image of these healthy biscuits could use a boost, because healthy pleasures don't have to be boring, right?
Our inventors tackled the concept and let their creative ideas flow. It was clear the biscuits deserved a little more attention, because not only were they well liked, their nutri-score was also better than average. Our inventors radically went for more color and a more humorous approach, which was fantastically translated into the new branding by the Ceval team. We are fans!
Charlotte and Veerle organized a co-creation session for La Confiance around the new VitaBran bran biscuits. This workshop was without any doubt a real eye-opener and gave us a lot of new insights, which we immediately started working on! It is a step forward for us to understand our customer even better.
Leo Borms, Owner, La Confiance
Spring 2022. Covid is finally starting to die out and our inventors gather around the table, provided with pizza and beer, to brainstorm with the start-up Bar.on about the conceptualisation of their 'beer machine'. At Bar.on they did not waste any time, took the ideas and feedbck to heart and quickly developed a prototype that was launched a little over a year later. Congratulations to Bar.on for this great result, and of course also thanks to our inventive inventors!
There is more to the sea than just fish. Seaweed and algae are presented as one of the sustainable solutions for our food supply in the future. Hence the ValgOrize project, where the possibilities for their application in and as food were approached from different angles: in the field of taste and food safety, but also from a market approach. Enter the inventors: their reactions made it obvious that they have a very different view on seaweed consumption than the researchers, and it is unclear for them why and how we would do this. But they also indicated that there is hope, and what it takes to make it work.
In the ValgOrize project, we explored the possibilities of seaweed and algae in and as food. Consumer awareness and acceptance play an important role therein. During the co-creation session, we stumbled upon quite a few surprising bottlenecks, but we also got a number of insights for possible solutions. The participants were perfectly convinced afterwards, which proves that the right approach can make it work!
Johan Robbens and Liesbet Colson, ILVO Marien
We inspired De Paddestoel to get started with their top sellers, the vegetable burger, spinach burger and broccoli burger. Result: More vegetables, a Nutriscore B and a more sustainable product. And as icing on the cake, a Superior Taste Award!
"Sometimes it's good to call in an outsider, who sees things from a completely different side. Charlotte and Veerle gave us some fresh ideas and approaches for our toppers, the vegetable burger, broccoli burger and spinach burger. As a result, the vegetable content was increased and the palm oil was replaced in all products with more sustainable and local sunflower oil. This improved the nutriscores and made them more sustainable. Cherry on top was the Superior Taste Award we received for the new and improved recipes. It was the little push we needed to get started with our classics!"
Sofie Leten and Paul Borms, De Paddestoel
The range of vegetarian products in the supermarket is increasing. And it will get even bigger. Because in addition to the usually plant-based burgers, there are other options for replacing meat: by putting microscopic creatures to work.
But bacteria, yeasts and molds do have a somewhat dubious reputation when they are named in the same sentence as 'food'. Which doesn't do them justice by the way, because they have been used for centuries to make bread, cheese, yogurt, salami, chocolate, coffee, tea, and many other foods.
How do you prevent people from viewing this new generation of meat substitutes with suspicion, and are they willing to try it when they see the benefits? Our inventors gave their opinions, asked pertinent questions, and gave suggestions for the do's and don'ts. And were completely convinced at the end of the session, which proves that with the right approach and information, it can indeed work!
https://www.flandersfood.com/nl/new-and-shifting-resources/eiwittransitie
Wilderhof grows different types of berries, such as raspberries and blueberries. But not every berry is perfect, sometimes they are a bit too hard or too soft, too small or too large, or slightly damaged. Still perfectly edible, but no longer suitable for direct sale. Looking for new ways to upgrade the imperfect fruit, we tested a number of ideas and ways to develop them. In the meantime, one of the ideas is in full development.
In the Optiberry project, we explored possibilities to upgrade our non-premium fruit. Charlotte and Veerle crossed our path and built a bridge to the consumer. They involved a diverse group of consumers in the co-creation sessions and by using a creative and interactive approach, these sessions resulted in a lot of new ideas that we immediately implemented. Thank you, ladies!
Carolien Gulix, Wilderhof
During a hands-on workshop, Charlotte and Veerle took us into the wonderful world of co-creation and design thinking. Co-creation is a perfect tool for optimising services with our clients. Empathising with the customer's world and working together on solutions is a great way to build lasting business relationships. We will definitely get started on this!
Steven De Groote, Eurofins
How can you best involve sourdough hobbyists - aka 'sourdough lovers' - in a citizen science project? That was the central question in the co-creation session that was organized in the context of the HealthFerm project, a European project led in Flanders by KU Leuven and VUB that focuses on unraveling plant-based fermentation processes. The sourdough lovers were wildly enthusiastic about the project and the session, and provided the researchers with the necessary information to optimize the collaboration between citizen and researcher.
The co-creation session set up by Veerle and Charlotte gave us a lot of inspiration to put together our citizen science test kit - which was definitely necessary! In addition, we have also learned that interacting and co-creating with citizens is not that easy and straightforward. In all respects, it was a very pleasant and instructive collaboration!
Kristof Brijs, Innovation Manager, KULeuven
Veerle and Charlotte guided us perfectly in our first acquaintance with co-creation as a company. Besides listening to our needs, they also managed to translate these into a productive co-creation session where we acquired a lot of input about our idea. The subsequent in-depth interviews provided an extra layer of information that we will certainly include in our further strategy.
Sara De Pelsmaeker, Global Business Development Health & Nutrition, Rousselot
Revaluing brewer's spent grain in the food chain. While technically perfectly feasible, setting up a realistic value chain in which everyone can benefit is easier said than done. But bringing all potential players in the value chain together in a co-creation session appears to be a good start. This was evident from the session that was set up as part of the 'Draf in galop' project led by VIVES. In this way we are one step closer to a financially feasible concept and constructive cooperation!
https://www.vives.be/nl/onderzoek/agro-en-biotechnologie/draf-galop