With the official return to the workplace, spontaneous chats with colleagues and smooth meetings without a mute button are revived. 70% of employees are already satisfied with this evolution. But how do you convince the die-hard teleworking fan to throw his sweatpants aside and leave the cat alone again? Every small adjustment can make a big difference. Meet 6 innovative Belgian start-ups that make the return to the office more pleasant.

1. Gus Foods

Those breaks with endless lines at the local supermarket or sandwich shop, tasteless cafeteria meals, and unhealthy snacks. Sound familiar?

Pauline Geldof and Andreas De Ridder felt the same way. In 2020, the two colleagues embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure and founded Gus Foods together. The idea behind their Brussels startup: a smart refrigerator with fresh, healthy, and local products available 24/7. Yogurt, fresh sandwiches, hot meals, desserts, and more are spread across the shelves.

Every day, the fridge receives a fresh supply of breakfast and lunch options, snacks, and drinks. Flexible catering, so to speak. The products are as natural as possible, lovingly made by Belgian suppliers. Is your mouth watering yet?

Source: Gus Foods

2. JustBite

Fighting that famous afternoon dip with some source of quick sugars, who isn't guilty of it?

As an avid athlete with a passion for nutrition, Kevin Ringoot discovered that snacks are often not as healthy as they claim. That's why, in 2018, he launched healthy snack boxes under the name JustBite. He handpicks snacks with high-quality, natural ingredients, such as cookies, healthy alternatives to chips and popcorn, loose nuts, seeds, and freeze-dried fruit. These are produced by custom-made companies or other local brands and wrapped in sustainable packaging.

With a subscription, you'll receive a personalized box every month, tailored to your diet and allergies. A portion of JustBite's proceeds goes to SuperKrachtig Lekker, a project run by the Children's Cancer Fund, which supports sick children with a healthy and balanced diet.

Source: JustBite

3. Upfront

At Upfront, they believe that honesty wins. Their product is an open book, with all ingredients clearly listed on the front of the packaging. They also strive to be healthy, but also fuel your body. More energy, focus, and productivity. Looking better and living a longer, healthier life. Isn't that what we all want?

Source: Upfront

4. District

You want to reward your employees for their hard work with a healthy lunch or snacks. You enthusiastically get to work: contacting suppliers, comparing quotes, and following up on subscriptions… Before you know it, you're wasting time you don't actually have.

Rayon to the rescue!

In 2021, meal box supplier Foodbag introduced a brand-new offering for businesses. Rayon is the first Belgian one-stop shop to provide a complete package of ready-made food and drinks. The company collaborates with local producers to develop its product range. Two days a week, you'll be served ready-made lunches, a mix of fresh salads, fresh soups, and fish, meat, or vegetarian dishes in recyclable packaging.

You can also opt for a box of seasonal and exotic fruits or a varied selection of vegan, raw, and gluten-free snacks. Or how about a drink package made with 100% natural ingredients? Depending on your preference, all you need is a microwave and some refrigerator space; the Rayon team will take care of the rest.

Source: Rayon

5. Northern Wonder

Coffee without the aftertaste of deforestation. This is the new coffee, made without real coffee beans. This decaffeinated coffee looks like coffee, tastes like coffee, and you brew it just like you're used to. Enjoy your daily brew, without deforestation.

We love coffee. But we also love our planet. Because food technologists are successfully making meat without animals, they've wondered: "Can we make coffee without beans that only grow in the tropics?" What if they could make their favorite elixir from local ingredients? The initial results are delicious, and they're just getting started.

Source : Northern wonder

6. Kriket

How do you add a touch of adventure to your daily routine?

In 2018, Michiel and Anneleen Van Meervenne launched Kriket. The brother and sister duo started with gluten-free bars made with organic nuts, grains, seeds, and… crickets. They use cricket flour from the Brussels cricket farm Little Food. Since then, their range has expanded to include nutritious granola and crispy, flavored crickets. You can serve the latter as an appetizer or add them as a crunchy topping.

In case you didn't know yet: their generous dose of protein, fiber, iron, and zinc make crickets a healthy food source. They also contain more vitamin B12 than salmon, more iron than beef, and almost as much calcium as milk. These little heroes are also good for the planet. They emit fewer greenhouse gases and are more water-efficient than livestock.

Source: Kriket

7. Foodm

Headquartered in Kontich, Mathias and Bram strive for a healthy lifestyle in the workplace by creating a personalized offer of everything you can dream of. They do this thanks to Foodm.

Their mission is to facilitate a healthy lifestyle for employees by offering a personalized selection of meals and snacks 24/7. Thanks to the Foodm Smart Fridge, employees can make the most of their time. Fancy a hot meal, salad, poké bowl, or just a snack? In just a few easy steps via the app, you can choose your meal from the smart fridge and enjoy a delicious and healthy meal. Keep an eye on what's in your smart fridge at any time of day thanks to the mobile app.

As their slogan says: your favourite food, always nearby. Isn't that great?

Source: Foodm

8. Falafal

Food leftovers always end up in the trash, but they can be perfectly reused. With Falaval falafel, made from green waste streams, they want to show everyone that a lot of food waste isn't actually waste at all.

It's time to put an end to massive food waste; our entire food system must and can become more sustainable and fairer. They share a passion for this with The Hunger Project. We are incredibly proud to be working with them towards a future with both zero waste and zero hunger. Because we know from experience that food tastes better when it's good!

Source : Falafal

9. Dripl

Dripl is a Belgian scale-up founded by Lucas Moreau and Colin Deblonde with a clear goal: to completely reinvent the soft drink industry based on sustainability, health and convenience!

The Refill Point is the perfect example of that vision in action. This smart device filters, cools, and carbonates tap water locally and mixes it with natural, sugar-free flavors. Depending on your choice, you can boost your immune system or boost your energy levels.

It is intuitive, low-maintenance and effortlessly links to sustainable objectives such as ISO 14001. Plus, the Refill Point measures in real time how much packaging your company is avoiding.

The success is tangible: Today, more than 500+ companies in Belgium and the Netherlands have a Refill Point installed. Together, they already avoid more than 12 million packages, with the ambition to avoid 1 billion packages across Europe by 2030. 💪

What makes these Belgian start-ups so special?

Innovative and sustainable as they are, Gus Foods, JustBite, Canteen, Kriket and Dripl have a number of similarities:

• What you eat and drink affects your health and performance. Then comes the "but": the average workplace unfortunately pays little attention to this. By making delicious, nutritious products within easy reach, startups are lowering the barrier to healthy eating and drinking habits. This ensures that your employees feel fitter and more energetic. And improved performance has a positive impact on the entire company.
  
  
• A break at your desk doesn't count, but a social break with colleagues does. All five companies contribute to this. Such free time energizes and strengthens connections. And afterward, your team can get back to work feeling refreshed.
  
  
• Through their collaboration with local producers, the start-ups opt for a short food chain. This approach guarantees fresh, high-quality food, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes transport and packaging waste. Moreover, a short supply chain ensures a fair price for both the supplier and the consumer.
  
  
• With their sustainable offerings, these companies strive to minimize their impact on the environment. They do this, among other things, by reducing their CO2 emissions and using sustainable, recyclable, or even no packaging at all.

Participate in the Refillution

Want to try Dripl's packaging-free drink dispenser? In 3 simple steps to a healthier and tastier alternative to traditional soft drinks:

1. Choose your flavour and intensity: a dash of ginger-lime or maté? Or prefer an intense dose of cranberry or iced tea?
2. Select still or sparkling water
3. Fill your glass or reusable bottle

Request your tasting box today!