6 action heroes in food: these people make a difference
Every two years, the creators of Food Inspiration Magazine organize the Trend Summit. What is happening in the (professional) world of food & drinks? What are the most important topics of the future?
The recent 2021 edition focused on Do.Great.Things. Because it is precisely in the world of food and drink that you can make a difference if, together, we want to make the world a little better for future generations. As a consumer – by voting with your shopping basket – and also as a producer – by making products that are good for people and the planet.
The team at Food Inspiration selected six inspiring people from the food world who know how to make a difference. Not only in the Netherlands, but internationally as well.
Welmoed Duinum, farmer De Graasboerderij
Together with her parents, this 26-year-old farmer runs an organic biodynamic dairy farm called ‘De Graasboerderij’ in Sondel, Friesland. According to Deinum, organic farming is the future, and as an inspirational speaker she travels around the country to tell as many people as possible about it. With her infectious enthusiasm, she is a wonderful ambassador for the agricultural sector. With happy farmers like these, the food debate becomes far less polarizing.
Daniel Humm, chef Eleven Madison Park
The three-Michelin-star chef behind the world-famous Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York. After the coronavirus pandemic, Humm transformed his restaurant into a place with a fully vegan menu. Because plant-based food is the future, according to him. In the Netherlands, of course, we also have inspiring examples of top chefs who work according to that philosophy, such as Jonnie Boer***, Emile van der Staak* and Niven Kunz*. But the international pinnacle is Daniel Humm, whose restaurant was named the best restaurant in the world by The World’s 50 Best in 2017. It is the first time that a three-Michelin-star restaurant has completely eliminated animal products from its menu.
Nele Bekaert, horseback fisherman
Nele is one of the 13 horseback fishermen in the world. This craft used to be practiced along the entire North Sea coast, but nowadays only in one small town in Belgium: Oostduinkerke. Fishermen like Bekaert ride on horseback into the sea to catch shrimp. A craft that has been practiced for more than 500 years.
Wouter Staal, founder YB
The founder of Yoghurt Barn, now known as YB. Through his company, Staal wanted to examine how he could work more sustainably in every area and operate carbon-neutrally. All production processes and products were thoroughly reviewed. His company has since become one of the first climate-positive businesses. All dishes are vegetarian, and will soon be entirely vegan. All CO2 emissions have been mapped. The remaining emissions are offset by 110% through reforestation projects.
Jouri Schoemaker, founder Pieter Pot
We still throw away a third of all the food we produce. Not to mention the enormous plastic soup we create together. Jouri Schoemaker is doing something about it. He founded Pieter Pot, a packaging-free online supermarket that delivers groceries to people’s homes in reusable deposit jars. A kind of Picnic, but without the plastic. Pieter Pot now delivers to more than 10,000 consumers in the Netherlands and Flanders, with another 30,000 on the waiting list.
Linda Klunder, co-founder Kumasi Drinks
Together with her partners, Linda developed Kumasi Drinks, a beverage made from the juice of the cacao fruit. This juice is often thrown away, which the founders consider a waste. They use the juice to make a drink that is now available at some hospitality venues in the Netherlands. Kumasi also pays cacao farmers a fair price. In a way, they are the beverage equivalent of Tony’s Chocolonely.
Read also:
- Eating vegan within the Arctic Circle is nearly impossible
- The unsettling truth about vegan cheese
- Vegans share the saddest desserts they received on their birthdays
Header image: Eleven Madison Park
