Investing in pigs
17-11-2011
Buitengewone Varkens is a Dutch company that aims to attract ‘investors’ that are willing to invest money in their pigs. The pigs are bred sustainably and live naturally outdoors in the Dutch forests and fields. Besides, the farmers are paid a fair wage for their work. By investing 100 euros you will receive organic preservable pork products for the next three years, such as chorizo, dry sausage, pate, ham and two tickets to an event, with a total value of 150 euros.
Chalk with regards to the PLAY Festival
17-11-2011
The Play Festival in Amsterdam is getting ready to PLAY! It is a nice way of (free) publicity by hanging chalk behind a bicycle. Did you spot the stripes already?
Cupcakes Benedict
16-11-2011
The Cupcakes Project renews traditional recipes and recently launched the Cupcakes Benedict. The Benedict has a topping of bacon and poached egg. The cakes are subsequently doused in a velvety Hollandaise sauce. It is without a doubt not the most common way to start you day, but it’s worth the effort. See the link for a recipe.
Flying remote controlled fish
16-11-2011
Air Swimmers swim through the air by the energy of four AAA batteries. These remote controlled fish are available in Flying Shark and Flying Clownfish variant. A cool gimmick for fish restaurants!
Tweetjemee winner of Haarlem Inc. 2011
16-11-2011
Manette Zeelenberg and Maarten Bennis have won the entrepreneurship-contest Haarlem Inc. 2011. ‘Tweetjemee’ became the winning idea of the total 58 business ideas. Tweetjemee.nl is an online market where cooks and eaters can get in touch to be able to buy a meal. With this idea the entrepreneurs have won an interesting package of practical support and additionally they will be provided with free consultancy.
Bolletje Pepernoten Umbrella
16-11-2011
According to Bolletje, the ‘kruidnoot’ stays the most popular type of candy during Sinterklaas. This traditional candy is responsible for 80 percent of the total 21 million euros revenue. Recent years there are more and more variants on the traditional ‘kruidnoten’. This year Bolletje came with a new Sinterklaas gadget; the ‘Pepernoten Plu’. This red reversed umbrella was meant to catch pepernoten or kruidnoten easily. As it was a limited edition, kids had to be fast to obtain such an umbrella.
New sportive restaurant chain
15-11-2011
The first restaurant of Arrêts de Jeu will open this December in Paris, in the shopping mall Le Millénaire. This future restaurant chain targets athletes, people with a passion for sports and sports fans. The establishment in Paris of 400 m² contains a restaurant, bar, terrace and a playground for children.
Dishes based on insects
15-11-2011
Edible insects might be an excellent way to reduce our foodprint. However unfamiliarity is a big barrier to eat these insects. Because of this reason Mónica Martínez set up Don Bugito, a food truck serving dishes based on bugs. Watch the movie for an impression.
Being fed with ‘imperfect’ food
15-11-2011
In the US 21 million children face real hunger every day and in the UK this amount is increasing. However in Europe and the US twice as much food is produced than needed to feed the population. Up to half of this is wasted within the supply chain. Because of these reasons, several organizations organize the ‘Feeding The 5000 event’ this coming 18 November, in which 5.000 people will be served ‘imperfect’ food, to create awareness among the population of how much excellent food is thrown away because of its size, shape or color.
Edible QR-codes
14-11-2011
German biscuit manufacturer Qkies has developed a new application of QR-codes. The codes are printed on edible cookie dough, so everyone can send a message on their self baked biscuits. A package contains dough for 20 cookies and 20 edible QR-codes which can be scanned with a smartphone. The edible code can link to a website or for example a YouTube video. The mix of Qkies can be ordered online at www.qkies.de.
Tea bags with emotions
14-11-2011
Jaeyoung Ha has designed T-Cup tea bags with their own expressive packaging. The different packages express emotions that are enhanced with words like calm, relax, peace, hope, joy and power. In this way the tea drinker is able to choose a flavor that suits the moment.
The best shops in Paris in 1 app
14-11-2011
Blogger, chef and cookbook author David Lebovitz has developed a new application for smartphones that maps out the best shops of Paris. The app is called ‘Paris Pastry’ and focuses on the most popular places of Paris. The shops are arranged by category and location and the app will be updated on a frequent basis. For those who do not own an iPhone, he’ll soon launch an e-book as well.
Low budget campaign Hans Brinker hotel Amsterdam
11-11-2011
The budget hotel Hans Brinker in Amsterdam placed a movie on Youtube in which he challenges his fans and enemies. When a movie is uploaded and tagged with ‘Hans Brinker Budget Hotel’. You can win 10 euros, which is the value of half a night at the budget hotel. There are no set criteria for the form or content, there is no connection needed between the product and movie. They just want as many views as possible through social media. When uploaded videos are watched over a 1000 times, the uploader receives the price.
First shipping container market in the US
11-11-2011
Dekalb Market is the first shipping container market in the US. The stores, housed in re-purposed containers, feature vintage fashion, environmentally friendly goods, and local, handmade items, while others sell food, from soul food to cupcakes to pickles. Before it was a market, it was an empty lot after it was the location of the Albee Square Mall. Dekalb Market is the first phase of CityPoint project, to turn downton Brooklyn into a more liveable, 24/7 community.
Brains in a jar
11-11-2011
Around Halloween many creative desserts arise, of which these brains in a jar are a nice example. The dessert is made of pink strawberry cake, seedless raspberry jam and pinky-grey vanilla butter cream. For those who want to design such a dessert themselves, a blank printable lable is provided so that guests have no idea of what they are muching on.
Starbucks launced augmented reality app
11-11-2011
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Starbucks is launching its first major augmented reality app this holiday season that will let customers animate their coffee cups with their smartphones. Using the smartphone, one is able to make the red Starbuck cups come alive. There are multiple characters that can be found and this can be shared on Facebook. The application is available from 15 November on the App Store and the Android Market.
Vegetarian green dessert
11-11-2011
This Veggie Cake may inspire a few belovers of desserts. This dessert is created to extend the unilateral menu of a vegaterien. The center of the cake is filled with ranch dressing, but the surrounding veggies must be eaten to get to the creamy center. This dessert, with its colorful and innovative presentation will be a nice addition to the lovers of vegetarien dishes.
Helsinki filled with pop-up restaurants
10-11-2011
Helsinki is preparing for the successful event Restaurant Day on the 19th of November. The city will be filled with pop-up restaurants of non-professional chefs, with very various concepts. Sirén and his friends Antti Tuomola and Timo Santala came up with idea for this one-day pop-up catering event. The news was being spread through Facebook and the media picked it up, which enabled the first event to become a major success in which two hundred chefs served thousands of customers.
Shop support on Small Business Saturday
10-11-2011
The second annual Small Business Saturday is a day that is founded to support small businesses in America on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. Millions of Americans are being asked to shop at their favorite stores to stimulate the economy on 26 November. If everybody makes small purchases, the result will be huge. At the website of the initiatiators several methods are suggested to make this a successful day.
Hells Kitchen Farm serves first harvest in church
9-11-2011
The Hell’s Kitchen project is situated at the roof of the Metro Baptist Church in New York and served its first harvest that consists of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. The project is meant to provide food to the busy food pantry within the church. The roof features 1000 square foot space that was previously unused and the entire project is done by volunteers. The many pigeons in New York initially became a problem, however this was solved by placing removable cages.
Daring dessert reinventions
9-11-2011
The Semi Sweet Bakery is a newly opened bakery in Los Angeles that sells tried and true desserts with a new flavor palette. The assortment consists of Ding Dongs and Pound Cakes with an unique twist, that will definitely will be a sensation for your taste buds. From 7-up Pound Cake to prosciutto and goat cheese pastries, it is a perfect location for everyone with a preference for daring flavors.
Limited-edition Chivas Regal
9-11-2011
Chivas Regal co-operated with the New York illustrator Dan Funderburgh to lauch a limited-edition giftbox for its 12-year-old whiskey. The box is inspired by the Chivas Regal logo and provided with a gold image of the lion emblem that’s on each Chivas Regal package. The company worked together with high profile names such as Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen en Vivienne Westwood.
Fairmont teams up with Le Labo
8-11-2011
The luxery hotel chain Fairmont, which operates 60 hotels around the world, announced a partnership with the New York parfumer Le Labo, concerning the in-room amenities. Le Labo’s Rose 31 will form the base of these packages. The “warm, spicy floral and woodsy” products in these packages will include shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion and soap products.
Surprising combination of coffee and cheese
8-11-2011
A while ago we mentioned the surprising combination of tea and cheese (link). Meanwhile the development continued and this is how Betty Koster of l’Amuse and Mirjam Kooij of Simon Lévelt discovered the combination of coffee and cheese… Organizing a coffee-cheese tasting would be a nice idea!
Economic model based on sustainability
8-11-2011
Environmental sustainability will only work if there are financial benefits. UP, a new economic model, shows how to revaluate waste. Producer Droog sees a potential in the remaining stocks in warehouses in the Netherlands. Examples are diningtables of trays, recycled glasses or chairs of cutting boards. These are not competing products yet, but specific examples that can be used to try out the business model.
