About Beelong

Why Beelong ?

Why Beelong?

With 30% of damage to the environment generated in Switzerland by food*, caterers and players in the food industry (producers, transformers, distributors, etc.) have a crucial role to play.

Whether in terms of CO2 emissions, pollution, impact on climate and biodiversity, waste or even working conditions and food safety, the choices made each day by professionals in relation to food have major consequences. Due to the volumes of meals served each day by restaurants, whether institutional or commercial, the entire branch must assume certain responsibilities in respect to their partners, customers and the environment.

But to buy in a more sustainable way, there must be access to information! Beelong thus wishes to contribute to the development of transparency on the food market by making accessible environmental information on products.

* Source: Office fédéral de l’environnement (OFEV – Swiss federal office for the environment), 2011

History

Created on the campus of the École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL – Lausanne Hotel Management School), the Beelong indicator attempts to reply to a simple question: how to choose food products that are more environmentally friendly? How to help the professional buy on the basis of criteria other than price, quality or packaging?

Initially supported by EHL between 2012 and 2014 for a pilot stage with 15 restaurants in the region, subsequently consolidated scientifically, the indicator then won the 1st Prize in the HES-SO 2103 Genilem competition for its innovative and applied aspects.

The enthusiastic welcome given to the indicator led to the creation of the company in 2014. Between 2015 and 2016 more than 70 firms were already working with Beelong, thanks notably to its integration into the strategy of the Canton of Vaud for sustainable food, then the interest of the other cantons in French-speaking Switzerland.

It was in 2017, seeing the market’s increasing interest and caterers’ new demands for greater transparency, traceability and sustainability, that Beelong developed its services for food product brands and distributors.

Beelong today works with numerous caterers, brands and distributors throughout Switzerland, all players concerned about the future of our planet and the transparency of the food industry.

We all belong to the same planet

Bees are victims of over-intensive agriculture and are dying around the world. The bee is a powerful symbol of human impact on the environment; an essential insect that our agriculture and food chain depend on (watch Markus Imhoof’s film “More than honey” – See trailer on the right).

The verb “belong” is also apparent in the name as we belong to the same world, the same eco-friendly community. And finally, the world long implies longevity and sustainability, in line with our mission to reduce the impact of food on the environment.

Team

Charlotte de La Baume

Managing Partner

Passionately interested in all aspects of the food industry, I became more closely interested in food products notably during my studies at EHL.

Also aware of the agricultural challenges of tomorrow, I feel that caterers and all players in the food industry have a major role to play in promoting quality, healthy and sustainable food consumption.

After being in contact over several years with the various players and beneficiaries of the food industry, I became particularly interested in the traceability of foodstuffs and the new challenges facing the industry.

Through Beelong, I wish today to better train and inform professionals and consumers on the products that they buy and consume each day, provide them with concrete solutions and thus help chart the future of the industry from the sustainability perspective.

Mathias Faigaux

Managing Partner

Having been exposed to the restaurant industry through my work and family, I am aware of the new challenges facing this industry, in particular, the growing gap between consumers' expectations, professional training, and the increasing pressure on prices and food safety.

After developing my skills in the financing of SMEs at the service notably of entrepreneurs in the catering sector, I am now making available both my personal and professional experience for the development of innovative solutions for catering, from both an economic and sustainable point of view.

Florence Diserens

Scientific and Quality Manager

Aware of the significant impact of our food choices on our planet, it is the need to make our food system sustainable which motivated my study in Agronomy at the ETH Zurich, as well as my work experience at the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). The projects completed to date underlined the fact that in order to act in a sustainable way, one must first understand how the different elements are interconnected. Thus, for me, the challenge is now to improve the understanding of our food system’s impact among key stakeholders.

For this purpose, I contribute to the continuous improvement of the Beelong indicator, in particular its scientific model, by using my agronomical skills, my understanding of our food system, as well as my personal values to support our clients in improving, as soon as possible, their own environmental impact.

florence.diserens@beelong.ch

Nathalie Fayet

Operations Coordinator

A graduate of the University of Lausanne from the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, my curriculum and personal interests have always been oriented towards issues related to environmental management. The way our current food system is implemented represents a considerable challenge for restaurant owners who wish to buy sustainable products, and I am delighted to be able to use my knowledge and skills to help improve the traceability of food products.

As Operations Coordinator, my role is to ensure the quantity and quality of information collected on food products from all stakeholders in the system – from the origin of each ingredient to the place of production or to the fishing technique employed – by cultivating a constant exchange with distributors, producers, brands and restaurant owners. This allows us to offer top quality, personalized advice to our customers, and to gradually improve the transparency and sustainability of the entire system.

nathalie.fayet@beelong.ch

Partners

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Advisory board

 

The following members have come together in order to bring their scientific, strategic, political and practical support to Beelong.

Rémi Walbaum

Chief Innovation and Valorisation Officer, École hôtelière de Lausanne

Rémi Walbaum is currently the Chief Innovation and Valorisation Officer at EHL, President of the CGN (Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman) & CGN SA since 2012 and President of Innovaud since 2013. In 2004, he joined Venturelab where he coached young entrepreneurs. He also worked as a professor at HEC Lausanne (teaching SME Management) from 2005 to 2014.
Rémi’s entrepreneurial mindset has led him to found a number of start-ups including Axe Communication in 1989, leshop.ch in 1998, Usability Europe in 2000 and Fleur de Pains in 2005. He is also actively involved in numerous start-ups in the region. His experience and entrepreneurial skills are real assets for Beelong.

Christian Hunziker

Campus Development Manager, École hôtelière de Lausanne

Christian’s specialist skills and strong dedication to ecological and sustainable solutions has allowed him to initiate numerous projects such as a photovoltaic plant, a permaculture-inspired vegetable garden, innovative waste management solutions and a sustainable mobility plan at EHL. Christian is also a Municipal in Corcelles-sur-Chavornay, where he has implemented numerous green energy solutions.
Christian’s professional experience and his network within the field of sustainable development are hugely beneficial to Beelong.

Philippe Vollichard

Sustainable Development Manager & Coordinator, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Philippe Vollichard is a forestry engineer by training and has always been interested in sustainable resource management. The first half of his career was dedicated to promoting the use of wood originating from Swiss forests.
Since 1995, Philippe has been actively managing the campus environment at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and in 2008, he took on the role as Head of Sustainable Development.
Philippe has opened up his network to Beelong and shares his professional experience to facilitate project implementation.

Benoît Frund

Vice-Rector for Sustainability and Campus, Université de Lausanne

In 1999, Benoît Frund, Geogapher, commenced his career within an SME dedicated to geoinformatics and development support, where he later became director. In early 2004, he returned to UNIL to create and direct the building department. Upon the management’s request, he built a team in charge of putting a sustainability strategy in place for UNIL.
In September 2011, he joined the Management team at UNIL as Vice-Rector. With his team, his goal is to “put sustainability at the forefront of the institution’s concerns” with regards to teaching, research and the campus itself.

Viviane Keller

Head of the Sustainable Development Unit, Canton de Vaud

Since 2004, Viviane Keller, Architect, has directed the Canton de Vaud’s Sustainable Development Unit (UDD). This cantonal department is a center of expertise, resources and support for the region including state services, communes and semi-public institutions.
The UDD is concentrating on disseminating tools such as Boussole21, le Guide des achats professionnels responsables and les Actions pour la durabilité dans les communes where their focus is on the use of local products in institutional catering.

Caroline Coquerel

Entrepreneurship Coach

Caroline Coquerel dedicates her energy and experience to accompanying entrepreneurs and helping them unmask and develop their skills, particularly in business management and business development.
She is an engineer by profession with a Masters in agronomy and technology of spatial information. Caroline has had increasingly demanding responsibilities in different countries in project management, consulting, business development and management.
Caroline shares her expertise in the sales of services and IT products, as well as her experience in environmental projects.

Adrien Hermann

Sustainable Development Coordinator, Fédération des Hôpitaux Vaudois

Adrien Hermann has coordinated projects linked with sustainable development within FHV (Fédération des Hôpitaux Vaudois) member establishments since 2011. He provides strategic and operational support for projects including energy-use strategies, sustainable procurement, industry-specific reference documents for sustainable development, as well as mobility plans.
As Project Manager, Adrien helps FHV members develop sustainably. His vision and objectives are aligned with Beelong’s.

Célia Vaudaux

Quality & Hygiene Manager, Hôpitaux Universitaire de Genève

Célia Vaudaux holds a Masters in food processing, bio-medical and environmental microbiology from the Université de Lyon. At the end of her studies she focused on training and consulting in food safety for private companies and microbiological analyses at the “CLS” laboratory.
In 2010, she joined the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève as head of quality and hygiene within the Catering Department. Since 2012, she has been part of the hospital’s sustainable development initiatives as cheffe de projet Terrain « Manger Local ».
Célia is aware of the importance of sustainable foods and has acquired in depth knowledge and understanding of the relevant constraints that hospital’s face, which is greatly beneficial to Beelong.

Jean-Claude Seiler

Head of Service d'accueil de jour de l'enfance, Ville de Lausanne

Since 1998, Jean-Claude Seiler holds the position as Head of day care services for children for the Ville de Lausanne. He also runs Lausanne’s day care network (Réseau-L) including 45 private subsidised organisations. After training as a teacher, he obtained a Postgraduate diploma: “Diplôme exécutif en Action publique” (DEAP) from IDHEAP (Institut des hautes études en administration publique) in 2004. He is a member of the Board and the Advisory Board of the FAJE and sits on various other boards and committees regarding Day Care. Jean-Claude is also President of Ortra Santé Social Vaud.
He is concerned about the quality of food served to children and shares his knowledge in his field and understanding of the changes in consumption habits with us at Beelong.