Ghent, 28 August 2018
Jean Vandemoortele, chairman of the Board of Directors and Jules Noten, CEO, laid the first 'symbolic' stone of the new head office of Vandemoortele in Ghent, the Food Experience Center, on 28 August.
Enjoy watching our video!
Jules Noten, CEO: "We’re together today to start the building project of a Food Experience Center. And it’s not just about the bricks, but it’s also about our own behaviour, our own working together. We want to create a space where customers, our employees, also international employees can come together, connect and inspire each other to make the best food of the world."
A time capsule: the transition to a new future
We asked each team that moves to the new building to collect one or more items linked to their department and to put them in a 'time capsule'. This capsule symbolizes the transition to a new future. After the speeches were finished, several WOW Stewards (=ambassadors of the New Way of Working) got the chance to present their item(s) before dropping it in the capsule. Once all items had been collected, the capsule was sealed and our chairman of the Board of Directors stepped into the crane to bury it.
Foodtrucks and drinks
Afterwards all employees present were invited to enjoy the food at our foodtrucks (Focaccia and French fries) and mocktails prepared by our culinary advisors.
Shaping a tasty future!
The world is changing at a fast pace. And so are we at Vandemoortele: Shaping a tasty future. "Bringing great taste in your kitchen, at your table and on the go", that's our mission and our value proposition to our customers.
The Food Experience Center aims to bring our products, customers and employees closer to each other and literally in the center of our company. It is an expression of the long-lasting commitment of the Vandemoortele family to build a sustainable, solid and longstanding successful business in the Food industry. Building the Food Experience Center is the hallmark for the company and a big step in our journey of change in many ways. A journey which will change the bricks, the bytes and behaviour at Vandemoortele.
The Food Experience Center is of strategic importance to the business as it will bring customers in-house and make them sense and feel our products 'in the making'. The new building will be State of the Art, in many ways.