Ecopoon | Additional funding for the development of their edible spoons
The new spoon at Ecopoon - the Glacette for ice cream
Ecopoon - Touillette spoon - a speculoos coffee spoon
Ecopoon spoon - Aperitive Romarin
Ecopoon, a Belgian company, is further expanding its production of edible and ecological spoons for the hospitality sector. Earlier this year, the start-up raised just over half a million euros that will be used to invest in the further expansion of its product range and production. Ecopoon is also launching another new spoon, ‘Glacette’, specifically for desserts and ice cream parlours this spring. They are thinking of further international expansion.
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The company wants to continue its commitment to a sustainable and ecological alternative to disposable cutlery and single-use plastic. The fundraising was recently announced by the founders from Liège, just in time for Global Recycling Day.
Ecopoon | Solution to festival waste
Founders Maxime Vanderheyden and Cyril Ernst started Ecopoon in 2021, convinced that a solution had to be found for the huge amount of waste at festivals. Ecopoon provides sustainably produced and edible spoons for the hospitality sector. The spoons are made from a mix of flour, oil and water – an edible dough that is then shaped and baked. Custom developed machines are patented for Ecopoon’s production.
This new fundraising – the second round of financing of in total € 520,000 – will allow Ecopoon to further expand the production site in Battice, increase capacity and professionalize. This fundraising was achieved through loans and a capital increase. The four existing shareholders each participated in the capital increase. In addition, a new shareholder also participated in this second capital round. He also joins the operations team and becomes director of operations, a role previously shared by the two founders. The team now employs about 10 people and can produce more than 2,000,000 units per month of the new ‘Glacette’ spoon alone.
Sustainability | Getting rid of single-use plastic
Regulations surrounding the use of single-use plastic, like disposable cutlery, are becoming increasingly stringent. On average, each European generates 177 kilograms of packaging waste annually, and that volume increased by more than 20 percent over the past decade. Re-use fell heavily over the same period. By 2040, the European Commission wants to see the proportion of packaging waste per person reduced by 15 per cent. Companies in the hospitality sector are forced to look for sustainable and high-quality solutions. Ecopoon’s customisable spoons – from aperitif spoons in different flavours, dessert spoons to coffee spoons – have a double advantage: the production is more sustainable and there is no waste. No more kilos of disposable coffee and ice-cream spoons at festivals or on the Belgian coast this summer, the spoons can simply be consumed.
Ecopoon spoons already in use at Van der Valk Hotels, among others
Ecopoon offers products in different variations: an aperitif spoon (Apérette) in different flavours, a dessert spoon (Cuillette), a Speculoos coffee spoon (Touillette) and an ice cream spoon (Glacette). Since 2021, the company has been based in its production workshop in Battice, in the heart of the Herve region in Belgium.
Ecopoon plans to significantly expand its presence in Belgium this year. In addition, expansion in the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg is continuing, and Ecopoon also wants to gain a foothold in Germany. Ecopoon currently already supplies companies such as Darcis, Galler, Lavazza (NL) and Van der Valk Hotels.
We wrote about edible cutlery quite a few years ago for the first time.
Website: Ecopoon
