This project was made possible thanks to the support of Vlaanderen Circulair, the government organisation that wants to help boost the circular economy in Flanders.
The pilot case at Roof Food paved the way for a structured method to strengthen circular enterprises.
This method is being developed to support value-driven, circular entrepreneurs in the sustainable development of their organisation. With our pilot partner, Roof Food, we set out to implement the process effectively.
Roof Food wants to bring nature to the city, and as a result, make our cities healthier, more social and more climate neutral. That’s what both Sabien Windels and roof farmer Jonathan advise governments and building promoters who want to become hands on with short chain and sustainable urban agriculture.
In the social impact centre, De Punt, in Gentbrugge, you can take a look at a very unique vegetable garden, which is 500 square meters large, where they grow more than 200 kinds of fruit and vegetables on the roof of the building!
Sustainable entrepreneurship starts in a place which you might not immediately think of: with the entrepreneur.
In order to give Roof Food the best chances of success, it is important that the entrepreneur is able to perform at the highest level. This means that it is best to avoid stress around money, work-life balance and demotivating work.
Therefore, in a first phase, we started working with Sabien in three sessions to see how she was doing in terms of finance, work content and quality of life and what she herself was looking for in order to be able to develop Roof Food sustainably.
Business means money, costs and income. To give Sabien a better insight into her current organisation, we built a simulator (‘the Excel’) on which we mapped out her existing organisation in terms of a ‘costs, income and earnings’ model. In this way, Sabien was able to test her ideas against the financial desirability.
Together, we analysed the extent to which the activities were in line with Sabien’s mission to bring the farm to the city.
Thanks to an extensive zero-measurement, it was mapped out what value was created for each stakeholder (customers, employees, society and Sabien herself). This also gave us the insight to do an upgraded value planning. That was when the Corona virus came along and it was back to the drawing board.
An organisation is only as strong as its team. That’s why we worked together with the employees of Roof Food to identify areas for improvement, talent and concerns within the organisation. Roof Food is also screened on employment law in order to identify any problems.
With Sabien’s guidance, an organisation folder was built that mapped out the most important responsibilities. We also analysed how Roof Food was managed, which tools were used and how the work was being done.
We contributed to Sabine’s story for a full year. Do you want to know what specific steps Sabien has taken to shape Roof Food’s current activities? Read her story on our site.
Stakeholder Methodiekfabriek as a partner of Roof Food Creating a collective vegetable garden is one thing; letting local residents manage […]
Schipperskaai Development, a client of Roof Food as a consulting firm. Roof Food’s consultancy section is growing by the day. […]
For a period of one year, Sabien Windels, the founder of Roof Food, followed a counselling process at Happonomy, the […]
Sabien as an entrepreneur and manager The dynamic of Roof Food has changed recently. The dire financial situation at the […]
Sabien as a friend “Sabien is one of the friendliest people I know. I have never seen her snap at, […]
The Board of Directors Roof Food has been through a lot over the past five years. Fortunately, Sabien has been […]
Roof farmer Jonathan Van Houtte In 2019, Sabien posted the following vacancy: ‘Roof Food is looking for a roof farmer’. […]
Sabien as a student Roof Food is going through a change. After the roof dinners and the catering, the company […]
The city of Ghent is an ideal model for many national and international cities because of its sustainable food strategy. […]
Stakeholders of Roof Food: De Punt Business centre When Sabien was looking for a suitable location for her Roof Food […]
Black tomatoes, wild garlic, wild fennel, wild leek… Roof Food’s range of plants and vegetables looks a bit different from […]
Sabien as a co-worker Sabien Windels and Marie Haspeslagh from the non-profit association (or vzw) Enchanté go a long way […]
Sabine as a shopkeeper Every crisis is an opportunity. Sabien Windels understands this better than most. When the coronavirus crisis […]
Sabien as a girlfriend “On good days, she flies. Then she can take on the whole world. That’s incredibly beautiful […]
Roof Food, from roof to plate… Sabien Windels, a rooftop farmer, feels reborn five years after the start of Roof […]
The first client
The City Farmer
The City of Ghent
Are you brooding on a plan yourself and do you want to start working with sustainable transformation after reading this case? If, like us, you believe that economics is a means to value and not an end in itself, feel free to contact us to see if we can strengthen your sustainable mission.
