Young food entrepreneurs in charge of setting the menu in the Netherlands
Amsterdam, September 24, 2019 - Vegetarian burgers, plant-based patisserie, Korean kimchi and authentic New York style bagels. Just a selection of the many food initiatives, all operating from the shared kitchen of Amsterdam's Kitchen Republic, that contribute to a more colorful and sustainable culinary landscape. The passionate entrepreneurs' mission is to make food production on a large scale tastier and more sustainable. They challenge the big producers to do the same. With the help of social entrepreneur and investor Willem Treep and Goeie Grutten Impact Fonds, Kitchen Republic and its members can continue working on the advance of craft food businesses in the Netherlands.
Young and ambitious
Today's food start-ups are defining what will be on our plates tomorrow. What started with an innovative idea and the ambition to contribute something, are now initiatives of stature that are making a mark on our diet. More variety and more of Dutch origin is the result. Figures from ABN AMRO show that the number of small food producers has increased by 45 percent over the past five years. They also expect this number to continue to grow, in 2019 this market will consist of more than 4,100 food start-ups. These gamechangers are pushing and challenging large food producers. Even on a large scale, it is possible to produce better food.
Starting in October 2019, Kitchen Republic will offer these entrepreneurs even more space to put their money where their mouth is. A successful crowdfunding campaign and investment round early this year provided enough support to expand to a second Kitchen Republic location and a larger network. The completely renovated warehouse is the solution to the demand for more and certified kitchen spaces. With a total of 2,500 square meters at their disposal, ambitious food entrepreneurs can raise the bar even higher and challenge the industry in their own way. Founder Bart-Jan Veldhuizen says, "The new scale-up kitchen is part of our mission to put better food on the map. The possibilities of our second, larger location show that production can be different, better and more sustainable. We offer the entrepreneurs space, knowledge and collaborations with major parties. This is how we help these food entrepreneurs become as good as possible, as big as possible."
Sustainability as a starting point
Young food entrepreneurs and sustainability go hand in hand. Contributing to the world is not a nice to have these days, but a 100% must-have. Kitchen Republic, strengthened by the new investors, has also tightened its sustainability policy. Social entrepreneur Willem Treep on the partnership: "Kitchen Republic and its members all contribute to increasing the accessibility of responsible and better food for everyone. Challenging and innovating the system is important to make this switch. With great enthusiasm I think along to make Kitchen Republic's activities more sustainable and increase the impact."
About Kitchen Republic
Kitchen Republic, the unique platform for start-up and scale-up food initiatives, has a mission to put better food on the map, literally and figuratively. The regular members of the shared and scale-up kitchen challenge the existing culinary landscape in their own way. Kitchen Republic helps them do this by providing the food entrepreneurs with a unique platform. One where these young entrepreneurs have access to insider knowledge, a large network in the industry and an accessible work, production and event space.