The Reebok Bacon Box
12-8-2014
The sportswear brand Reebok has started a new campaign featuring the Reebok Bacon Box. The Bacon boxes were send to athletes of the Reebok CrossFit games and handed out from a foodtruck at the games itself. Using the motto “who doesn’t love Bacon?” Reebok engages customers who love bacon with their brand. The campaign responds to the athletes who follow the Paleolithic (“Paleo”) diet, where bacon is one of the most beloved treats. The Reebok Bacon is produced in line with the recommendations of the diet and doesn’t contain nitrates, preservatives, msg and sweeteners. We think this campaign is an interesting example of blurring of branches and we are curious which brand follows this example..
Kimchiwawa dried kimchi
11-8-2014
TOP Foodlab developed a new product that adds flavor to your food called Kimchiwawa. It is based on dried kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish. Kimchi has a strong and funky flavor and is made from fermented vegetables and spices. Add Kimchiwawa to a product like vegetable chips or popcorn to give it a typical Korean flavor. When you are not familiar with the taste of kimchi, we really recommend you to taste it. Kimchiwawa can soon be tried at events and bought at several outlets in the Netherlands.
Foodlogica sustainable bike transport
8-8-2014
‘Cities’ known from the book ‘Farming the City’ has launched a pilot project for electric bicycle transportation this summer. The project Foodlogica connects local food, businesses and consumers. Food Logic uses an hourly rate of € 20, – including driver during the pilot. With 300 kg per transport (including the driver), maximum dimensions of 120 x 94 x 120 cm and a radius of 50 km it can be an interesting alternative for small sustainable entrepreneurs.
Participants pilot
The first participants in the pilot are the Chocolate Makers, Bee Box, ‘Van Boer tot Bord’, Willem & Drees and Juice & Salad Cafe.
Instock waste restaurant
1-8-2014
The pop-up waste restaurant Instock is open for a month now and gets positive reviews. The founders, who met at Albert Heijn, put food waste literally on the menu. The cooks in the pop-up restaurant prepare left-overs of the supermarket chain that would otherwise be thrown away. The ingredients depend on the daily harvest and is pciked up at the stores with an electric minibus. Instock is open every weekend for a three-course dinner on Friday and Saturday (17:00 to 23:00) and Sunday brunch (from 10:30 to 17:00).
(Un)avoidable food waste
All the food served is still meets the required quality standards. “You can differentiate between unavoidable and avoidable food waste. Wasting food that is actually no longer consumable is inevitable, but we avoid food waste while it is still suitable for consumption.”
Summer Play area on a roof garden
28-7-2014
The last couple of weeks, I noticed that the car park where I always park wasn’t as packed as usual. In Arnhem, they have a nice solution for car parks during the summer. They created a ‘Roof Garden’. A public place or a all-in-one location, where you can hang-out, drink something, eat a ‘roof’-meal, enjoy the garden and follow a bee workshop. You can even play ping pong, practice ‘roof’yoga, see a ‘roof’-movie and exercise at the underground gym. Furthermore, it is a showroom for creatives and cultural initiatives, such as a silent disco. The design is sustainable, it uses solar energy and for example the furniture is created from wooden pallets by volunteers.
Update: 3 August was the final day, luckily we still got the pictures.
Amsterdam opens first dump supermarket
25-7-2014
In September the first dump supermarket ‘Gekke Gerrit’ will open in Amsterdam. The supermarket sells remnants that brand supermarkets are not allowed to sell anymore and offers left over seasonal products outside the season, such as ice cream in the winter. The dump supermarket sells these products for the lowest prices. The store will be a pilot, but owner Gerrit Hoksberg hopes to open more dump supermarkets.
A Dutch Eataly?
24-7-2014
Last weekend I read a blog by Ciao Tutti about the Mercato Centrale in Florence. Within approximately 3000 square meters above the Mercato Centrale you will find a selection of small restaurants, winebars and tasting rooms that are in place to allow you to try the best Italian delicacies. This in addition to the market where you can buy local products. A type of “foodhallen” that have been popular in South European countries for years. The owners of Eataly were able to also make this concept of a combination of restaurants + retail popular outside of Italy. The growth of Eataly locations seems unstoppable, right now they have 27 locations of which 10 in Italy, 13 in Japan and the others in cities like New York, Chicago, Dubai and Istanbul. Rumors say they are working on a Dutch location.
While reading I started wondering why don’t we have a “foodhall” with Dutch products?
Sleeping in a 120-year-old station
17-7-2014
We have spotted restaurants in old trainstations before, but in Denver a complete hotel opened in an 120-year-old station. The Crawford hotel has 112 uniquely decorated guest rooms that reflect the different eras of the building’s history. The Crawford hotel has amenities such as a spa, fitness area and room service. The Crawford experience starts at the Denver Union Great Hall. This area serves as the main entrance and lobby of the hotel, which features a 65-foot ceiling and houses 13 restaurants and retailers. Watch the pictures to get an impression of this beautiful hotel.
The ‘vegetarische slager’ goes XL
15-7-2014
Since this month, three products from the meat substitute brand ‘de vegetarische slager’ are sold in the XL stores from the Dutch retail chain Albert Heijn. The products are sold in all 36 stores in The Netherlands and can be found next to other meat substitute products.
Gluten free croquette by Restaurant Valuas
15-7-2014
Michelin restaurant Valuas, located in Venlo (The Netherlands), created gluten free croquettes. The croquettes are made of a ragout of corn, rice and 36% pure beef, covered in a layer of rice. The flavor of the croquette is savory and spicy and is has a smooth filling because of the stock that has been used. Valuas, led by master chef Eric Swaghoven, creates unique croquettes and ‘bitterballen’ on request. Check the website from Valuas Kroket to see where you can eat them.
