Presentation of the exchange:
Ellis De Meester wants to start a healthy food bar, called O’YO : organic yoghourts, sweet & savoury. All ingredients come straight from the local farmer. She spent 2 months with “The Happy Pear”, a very well known food bar in Ireland. Since 10 years, 3 brothers have turned a small vegetable and fruit shop into a full concept of growing their own food in sprouting farms, having their own kitchen, bakery, fermentation cuisine, coffeeroasting, juicebar, with products that they are selling in the whole of Ireland.
The atmosphere was very good, the HE was used to work with interns, volunteers and temporary back-up. As they are so well know, people stand in line to work with them.
The biggest challenge was to get used to the rather chaotic way of working, no fixed planning nor organisation, different from day to day, even though they are employing around 30 persons. Elles needed to be proactive and flexible.
She stayed with an inspiring and open minded host family, a very nice experience. One of their daughters also just started a business of her own, so they could advise Ellis in setting up O’YO.
Since she came back to Ghent, she and her business partner managed to get funding from the bank and found a location in the dynamic centre to open officially in August 2016, after some try outs in Pop-Up shops.
Profile of the entrepreneurs:
NE: Ellis De Meester: planning to release a cooking book at the occasion of the first year of her business.
HE: Darragh Flynn: youngest brother of 3, responsible for the farm. The other 2 twins are running the other activities of “The Happy Pear”. A 4th brother is living in Berlin.
Quote of the NE:
“I learned a lot about the power of a having strong brand. The importance of a Youtube channel, of using snapchat and to be very present on social media.”
New and experienced entrepreneurs shall apply for the programme via the web page www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu
For further information about the programme:
Ms. A. Sarateanu, CSCS
This article was funded by the European Union’s COSME Programme (2014-2020).
The content of this article represents the views of the author only and it is her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Executive Agency of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.
