21 March 2024
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The startup Fresh for Today gives artisan fresh entrepreneurs the opportunity to sell leftover products to consumers through an app. And that for a fee 70% higher than existing alternatives! Joep Gommans, founder and owner, says: "Vers voor Vandaag puts the entrepreneur at the center. I want to create a world where the power goes back to the craft."
Baker family
Joep grew up among the smell of freshly baked bread and the sound of rotating bakery ovens. Even as a child he was fascinated by the hustle and bustle of his parents' bakery. In those early years, his passion for the craft combined with entrepreneurship was born. "From childhood, I saw how much food is thrown away. For most people, that's just a figure or percentage. But for me it was always a real picture of the amount of piles of crates and garbage bags. Surely that does something to you. So I had that awareness from a young age."
Entrepreneurial blood
Through the bakery trade school route, studying marketing and business administration, Joep rolled into his parents' business. Together with his brother, he owned Gommans Bakery in Sevenum for 12 years. "I was in charge of marketing, finance, sales and hrm for the 50 employees. In 2015, I founded Bakery Support, a company that supports artisanal bakers with various marketing services."
"I want to create a world where power goes back to craft."
Making a difference
After 8 successful years, Joep feels it's time for a new challenge. Not only does he want to help bakeries grow, he also wants to have a direct impact on reducing food waste. Joep: "All my life I have been walking around in the baking world. The willingness of artisan bakers to do something about waste is definitely there. But the existing solution(s) are not interesting enough. This is due to several factors, for example the fee a baker receives for his residual products. This fee is so low that it doesn't cost them any money and doesn't make them any money. But it does take time. That's why people are not willing to get the most out of it now.
In addition, supermarkets and gas stations, among others, are also affiliated. A quality fresh produce entrepreneur does not feel at all at home in that. I want to create a world in which the power goes back to the craft."
No match
The current app(s) are big platforms with a lot of power. They make the rules of the game and determine what a baker gets for his leftover products while he does all the work. "That's just the feeling a lot of bakers have," says Joep. "For years it kept me busy. I thought it was a shame that there were such great solutions, but such a shame that the connection with the industry was insufficient."
Some time later, the idea arose to build an app specifically for the fresh crafts, i.e., baker, butcher, vegetable, fish and cheese farmer, to better connect with artisan fresh specialty stores. With the residual value that products still have, but also the quality features. And that's how it all started.
The idea
"I pitched the idea to several bakers and went to an app builder. Then I ended up at LIOF. The Business Innovation Program Food (BIPF) turned out to be an interesting option. After the first introductory meeting, I decided to temporarily scale down my own business in order to participate in the program. That has been really valuable. Looking back on it, Fresh for Today has given me at least a 1-year head start. Especially the validated insights into what the customer wants. Both the baker and his consumer. I am extremely happy with this. After all, you can only make a good start once."
Focus
Finding the right course is essential from day one. Joep has learned that. "Everything is about making choices: do you want to grow fast or grow slowly? Do you want to do difficult or easy? A crucial decision for any startup," Joep says. "I decided to focus on bakers first. After all, therein lies a very important group: the 'earlyvangelists,' or in other words, your most potential customers whom you are going to serve in the very short term to validate your business model."
Creating connection
In addition to fighting food waste together, the strength of Fresh for Today lies in the connection between businesses. Joep: "Fresh entrepreneurs can strengthen themselves. The triangle of baker, butcher and greengrocer is traditionally very strong. Partly due to the shrinking number of branches, this has become less so. Every town used to have a local greengrocer, butcher and baker. They often worked together. Now that is more difficult. But through the app you can bridge slightly greater distances and you don't have to be physically in each other's street."
Great ambitions
In the meantime, Joep has sufficient funding to have a first version of the app developed. Later this year, a pilot will be launched in about three bakeries. After that, the initiative will continue to expand. Joep: "In five years we hope to be a mature and nationwide platform where fresh entrepreneurs can offer all their leftover products. With the ultimate goal of no more food being wasted at all!"
Any tips?
"Explore opportunities and also participate in the Business Innovation Program Food (BIPF). Hold lots of customer interviews and find out who your real 'earlyvangelist' is. Look closely at what his problem is before you work on a solution. Chase your dreams. And: don't surround yourself with 'yes-men'."
