Four new products made of 100% locally grown organic soy are the end results of a project in which La vie est belle played a crucial role. From research to agriculture, from production to retail, this unique project bring together all actors in the food industry in one ambitious Belgian project.

Farmer Simon Farmer Simon Colembie from the Flemish municipality of Kruishoutem got engaged to sow the first acre of organic soy in Belgium. Simon manages – together with his father – a farm that grows spelt, wheat, potatoes, beans, corn, clover and beet (for animal nutrition) on a terrrain of 50 acres total.

ILVO & Inagro As soy has never been grown on Belgian ground, the farmers get support of the researchers of ILVO & Inagro. Soy can be very valuable in agricultural rotation. The crop collects nitrogen from the air and saves it in the soil. In organic agriculture where common fertilizers cannot be used and alternative, organic fertilizers are expensive, this technique can show huge added value.

La vie est belle & BioPlanet (Colruyt Group) Once harvested the soy beans will be processed at the La vie est belle plant. As a ccompany we are the ideal project partner to transform the soy into burgers and spread. The total amount of soy will be processed into 4 products for sale in the Bio-Planet from spring 2019. An exemplary pioneering project in the field of short supply chain production of sustainable vegetarian products!

Partners: ILVO – www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be, Inagro – www.inagro.be, Boer Simon Colembie, La vie est belle, Colruyt & BioPlanet – www.colruytgroup.com