MONO SHOPS

After the flagship stores, more and more mono stores have been opened in  the Netherlands. These are super specialty retailers that specialize in only one product. For example there is a ‘pepernoten’ shop offering ‘pepernoten’ in fifty different flavors. Meanwhile, there are also peanutbutter-, nutella-, popcorn-, duo penotti-, macarons-, omelet– fries-, stores and hamburger bars.

Back in the days, there were no super specialty stores. There is a difference between the super speciality stores and for instance the butcher, the greengrocer or the bakery. For a mono- store, the greengrocer can for instance only sell apples, the baker only bread and the butcher only sausages. If you compare the old greengrocer with a supermarket, it is a specialist but not THE specialist (lbbrhzn).

Over the years, have slowly been replaced by the big chain stores where consumers could find different product groups under one roof. But the subsidiarisation of the shopping streets is declining for the first time in years and that gives more space to the independent retailers.

Most mono-stores nowadays are from small entrepeneurs,  but it actually began as a way for big companies to become more visible and gain customer loyalty. In today’s society, there is an increasing demand for perception and service. Because they only offer one product in endless variations, it is unique and not available anywhere else. A mono store can respond quickly to the changing market conditions especially those from its specialization.

These single-product companies mainly arise in Amsterdam. Retail expert Cor Molenaas sees Amsterdam as an ‘internatiol display of a shop’. And he thinks it’s fun for tourists, but not efficiënt for the residents in Amsterdam.

Food watcher Anneke Ammerlaan notes that ‘we want to move away from the standard. We will choose the creative and thereby we are drawn to the cuddly, accessible products like peanut butter and chocolate’, she says.

 

 

 

 

Social Campaigns

(Jantje Beton)

Do you remember the times when you went from door to door to sell lottery tickets for your sports club? I always skipped some houses from which I knew that they would slam the door in front of my face or never donate money and at others I found it fun to go to because of the piece of candy I often got there. My parents are both collectors and once a year they go from door to door to raise money for the ‘dutch heart foundation’ and the ‘skin burn foundation’.  They note that less donations have been given every year, probably because of de reduce of small money that people keep in their pockets.|
I irritate myself often for students who come to the doors or waiting in front of train stations to raise money, they work for big companies such as ‘pepper minds’ and make lots of money with it, while they exchange charities everytime they have to work. I never get the impression as if they really stand behind the charity. I usually end up by writing my bankaccount because I think it’s difficult to say no. But it’s simply not possible to support every charity and that’s why I only want to support foundations which I consider as important. Persuade people to donate money would never by my cup of tea.

I think it’s important to create awareness and to anticipate on social control. You have to face them with social problems, create the guiltiness and the way of approach has a major impact. Once people are unpleasant or won’t tell a good story I will donate less. Another thing, it should be easy for people to donate. And finally we usually would like something in return if we donate, like a gift, or to show others that you are doing a good job and to have a better karma. I want to share some social campaigns with you from which I think they have a good approach.

Hope Locker

When you go swimming, you probably should always have a coin with you for the lockers. And you will always get it back at the end. But now you can also omit the coin.

For example Agency Proximity Londen came with a new Idea. For their charitable customer WaterAid, they wanted to create awareness and obtain donations. To make the goal relevant to the audience and create a donation option, the agency put the focus on the swimming and fitness industry. A place where people are constantly using water; they swim in it. Therefor she developed, together with MediaMonks, the Hope Locker.

The Hope Locker is a locker just like any other in gyms or pools. Here, you also insert a coin to safely store your clothes. However, this system has been made more interactive and sets in a message after your swim. The report responds to the amout of water you’ve swallowed, it’s probably an experience you’d rather forget if it’s happened to you. ‘But it might just make you think about what life is like when you have no choice about the water you drink – which is were the Hope Locker comes from’ (Wateraid). The report will ask you at the end if you’d like to donate it to WaterAid.

Because of the small amount everytime and the and the guilt that they generate, people will donate faster.

A table to end hunger

In Australia, an organization has started with a clever charitable concept. In Australia it’s in the weekends almost impossible to book a table at a restaurant, simply because the demand is too great. Not a first world problem to mention when compared with the 795 million people that are suffering from hunger around the world. Therefore McCann Sydney came with ‘A table to End Hunger’. A concept in collaboration with E-bay where tables were auctioned among interested parties. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to banish the hunger in the world by 2030.

 

MEANS online food bank

MEANS was started with the blief it should be easy for those with excess food to share it with those in need. It didn’t take long to find people who agreed.

MEANS is a web-based, searchable database that lets member food pantries and suppliers share information about whether they need specific products or have an excess of products so that pantries can make better use of resources and avoid waste.’They are now in 42 states and counting, helping divert food from the trash to local emergency feeding services with the ease and speed of the internet’ (MEANS).

MEANS works as following; the donors can simply post what food they want to donate to instanly connect with food distributors in their area and the food banks and pantries get real-time notifications on food donations and can claim what works for them. If they can’t pick up something or don’t won’t it they can just ignore the alert.

 

 

 

REECONOMY.1

Many companies around the world are on board with the concept of waste reduction, reuse and recycling. The challenge is to take the foundational ‘three Rs’ to the next level.

By designing products smarter, extend it’s life and parts to be used again, the circular economy makes an important contribution to the future-making of the Dutch economy.

‘The circular economy is the oxygen of the 21st century. Without oxygen you can not live, and the same goes for the circular economy. We will not have a choice soon, without resources, we have no prosperity, ‘ said Ed Nijpels, chairman of the Commision of Sustainable Development.

The demand for raw materials over the past century has boomed; the world’s population started to use 34 times more materials, 27 times more minerals, 12 time more fossil fuels and 3.6 times more biomas. This process is not tenable. A combination of a rising commodity demand for a growing world population, geopolitical tensions in the mining areas, dining capacity of the eart and rapid technological developments (including robotics) increases the need for more efficient use of raw materials to go.

By circular entrepreneurship, factors that are dependent on primary commidities, have been made future proof and new economic activites has emerged.

In all sectors, companies have started with the circular entrepeneurship and a large number of different initiatives are developed.

Instock

INSTOCK

Instock was a pop-up restaurant where chefs will cook for five months with food that normally does not reach our plate. Because of the succes it opened it’s permanent locations.

Their mission? To reduce food waste! Selma, Merel, Bart and Freke met each at other at the Albert Heijn, one of supermarkets in the Netherlands. They became seperately interested in food waste with INSTOCK foundation as a result.

The first project was pop- up restaurant INSTOCK at the  Westergasterrein. The chefs use disapproved food and show that what would otherwise be discarded, is actually fantastic food. For €22,50 you can eat three courses. The procees will be used to support food related projects.

Instock

One-third of all our food is wasted. ‘We want to combat food waste and create awareness for the subject. We do this with our restaurant. And we also hope to contribute to raise awareness about food waste, in a fun and positive way! Because food is for you to enjoy. Over the past decades we took more and more distance from our food. We don’t need make a lot of effort, we have many choice, and food is plentiful in our western society. We hope to bring food closer. For example trough cooking workshops and fun events around food’ (Instock).

Instock

In the morning the ‘food rescue team’ of Instock passes by Albert Heijn strores in Amsterdam with their electric cars. Overthere they pick up food, that can no longer be sold. These products are by the way never beyond the date; it is for example bread from one day old or a of oranges that has one bad in it but the rest is still fine. At Instock guest are surprised with an ever- changing menu of inventive and tasty dishes.

Another post about the reeconomy will follow.

 

Coolhunt 1 Against Food Waste

Today, we are producing too much food.
Research shows that around 5 to 10 per cent of the vegetables is being wasted because of their shape, color or size.

A few companies have developed a response to this process.

There is an older initative: ‘Kromkommer‘
They bring crazy vegetables – which will be wasted otherwise because of their shape, color, size or overproduction  – back into the food chain.

‘Kromkommer’ is also working on a production line. They connect farmers to wholesalers and horeca, and they are looking at possibilities to get crazy vegetables on the shelves.

”There is not only the throwing away of a lot of vegetables, in Amerika they are discarding fifteen billion dollars of fruit every year” (Lindanieuws.nl) . Mirim Seo came up with a solution: Ugly Fruit. She is making jam, smoothies and dried fruit from the ‘ugly fruit’. She makes these products more attractive through pretty packaging.

The restaurant Biomat let guests pay with waste.

BIOMAT was a POP-up restaurant in Austria. This restaurant offered meals in exhange for biodegradable waste. BIOMAT put the waste into biogas, which they used to cook with.
They asked their costumers to take bags with biodegradable goods with them to the restaurant. Then the bags were weighed and they got an energy value, which was converted into a voucher for the restaurant.

Through the use of crowdfunding they are developing a product that gives you the opportunity to act against food waste yourself.
Within three hours the ‘Food Cylcer‘ turns food scraps into compost, which can be used, for example, in the vegetable garden.

and at last…

Around three weeks ago, the Albert Heijn (that’s a supermarket in Holland) gave away free transparent measuring cups with the purchase of a private label rice or pasta. With this, you can measure how much pasta or rice you need for a one to four persons portion. The article from the ‘Volkskrant’ (a dutch newspaper) mentioned that the measuring cup is difficult to read and that the dimensions are still different for every person. But they came to the conclusion that if the ‘Eetmaatje’ also let people who where never concerned about food waste, think about this dilemma, it was still useful.

Why is it cool?
These initiatives and products ensure that more people are going to think about food waste.

Food waste is a big problem, it creates an inefficient use of energy and natural resources. There are still many people around the world who live with hunger every day and we are throwing food away?!!

I believe that these initiatives will improve the quality of life for people. People are now able to play a part in reducing food waste by themselves.

Within the model of Felce and Perry it will have a positive influence on our emotional well being. People are more satisfied and they are happy because they can do something for others.

The Hälssen & Lyon tea Calendar

Hello again!

When I saw this Coolhunt, I loved it at the very first moment.
Unfortunately, this is not for sale, but I definitely think it’ll be back in the future. I hope you feel the same way about this product as I do!

What is it?
The German Hälssen & Lyon is one of the largest and oldest tea suppliers in Europe. As a gift for co-operating companies,  they made a special calendar this year.
The halssen & Lyon tea Calendar is a calendar made from pressed leaves.
This calendar consists 365 strips of tea (one for each day of the year). You only need to add hot water and it will return into tea.

Why is it cool?
It brings a unique experience, every morning. Each leaf has a unique flavor. And it’s also good for the environment, because you haven’t wasted a sachet for each cup of tea.

It belongs to the phase Living Room Society (experiences which are less over-marketed). Tea is also a moment which you can share with your friends and family. You can all have your own Calendar and bring a leave with you. It’s also an product that brings experience with it, because it’s personalized tea. You are aware of the day of the year, you are standing still at the moments that come and go.

Why does it has future growth potential?
In this time, it is important for companies to personalize products. This is a good example because the entire calendar is intented for one person. Every morning you can take a moment of rest with your own cup of tea. You are reflecting again, on new taste and sensation.

references:

tear-off a daily drink with the halssen & lyon tea calendar

http://www.dutchcowgirls.nl/offline/6570
http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2013/the-halssen-lyon-tea-calendar/