Nowadays there are countless legal and technical standards for preparing meals or food. It requires specialized knowledge, financial resources, and a perfectly equipped kitchen. Certainly a major obstacle for starters. Enters: BeCook, which makes its knowledge, expertise and infrastructure available to start-ups in the horeca and food sectors.

Acting under the motto “What you do yourself, you do better”, Sara Dirckx started BeCook! in 2018, together with her husband. BeCook! is a platform that offers expertise and facilities to startups in the food sector. For example, with the help of BeCook!, horeca startups can immediately comply with the strict guidelines and hygiene regulations of the FASFC, without exorbitant investments.

Where did the idea come from? “Our children suffered from specific food intolerances. Therefore, we wanted to make and sell non-allergenic products ourselves. But we couldn’t find a suitable place to do that, completely free of allergens,” explains Sara.

“We then began looking for a suitable production environment and the necessary technical expertise or coaching. But that was virtually impossible to find.” Hence the idea for BeCook!, where we bring all these aspects together. The absolute added value of this concept lies in the bundling of knowledge and facilities: a co-kitchen with refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, storage areas, etc. At the same time, we also focus on the necessary guidance for drawing up a business plan, marketing, hygiene standards, etc. “Our customers are active in all aspects of the food sector. We especially work with a lot of start-ups, such as Foodiz, Mon Bouillon, etc.”

“These days, the success of many companies is based on sharing costs. You see that in car sharing, or digital solutions in the cloud. The Brussels Region strongly encourages this trend. For example, we received the label of ‘Ecodynamic Enterprise’ in recognition of our work.”