Voilà, Edible cutlery

Project

267907

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS RISING STARS : concepts or ideas submitted by young talents (aged 30 or less)

Project title

Voilà, Edible cutlery

Full concept/idea title

Description

Edible cutlery to save the planet. Use and eat. ZERO WASTE, nutritious, gluten-free, vegan, allergen-free, no added sugars, and with the option to customize flavors. Our goal? To end with plastic and waste, to promote a circular economy, and to improve the consumer's dining experience.

Where is your concept/idea being developed or intended to be implemented in the EU?

Please provide a summary of your concept/ idea

Voilà is a company dedicated to the manufacture and sale of edible cutlery, a 360º BIO product, and ZERO WASTE. Voilà is a brand in the food sector born from the need to find a solution to replace single-use plastic cutlery.  Voilà has an international vocation. It will produce and distribute its products all over the world. Volià also has a clear vocation to raise awareness, inform and educate society in the preservation of the environment for future generations. Our challenge has been to find a way to industrialize a product to produce in large masses and that can replace disposable cutlery (that generates waste) in a fun way for the consumer; changing the connotation of cutlery as we know it today, and giving it a feeling of sustainability, emotional, gastronomic, fun, nutritious, healthy and 100 % sustainable.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of sustainability and how these would be met

1. Mission: To reduce the environmental impact and end the plastic that floods our planet. 2. Values: Voilà has criteria of excellence. Since phase 0 when we started prototyping, we had clear requirements that we were always going to meet. Voilà is a product for everyone. Suitable for celiacs, allergen-free, saturated fat-free, vegan, no added sugars and we will always use organic ingredients. Our entire production process follows essential sustainability measures. Our packaging does not contain materials that are harmful to the environment and for this reason, we are in continuous R&D development. 3.Circular economy: The cutlery is 100% ecological, edible, and of course, biodegradable because in case the consumer decides not to eat them, they can throw them away in the organic garbage, or in nature, it will be consumed by an animal or will disappear in a short period. "The Voilà concept introduces a new typology of cutlery that give rise to new ways of handling food. A product designed with the methodology that comes out of the earth and returns to the earth, also providing a gastronomic and nutritious gastronomic and nutritional experience for those who want it." We are aware that there are consumption channels for our product where we are asked to comply with a series of packaging requirements. In the HORECA channel, we are asked for individual packaging as an essential condition to offer the product to the consumer in a hygienic way. In Voilà, we are developing a system to deliver our product with a new cutlery dispenser that allows consumers to serve the product individually without being previously handled, and without adding a paper/plastic packaging that generates waste in this process. The idea is to promote the concept of replenishment and self-service as an approach to the new sustainable changes that we hope will be implemented in the future to reduce waste.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these would be met

Nutritious, delicious, healthy, and resistant. Produced with a base of flour, their production is similar to that of bread crackers, by dehydrating them during baking, which allows them to have more than long shelf life, the necessary rigidity for their function. They are also very versatile, because starting from a neutral recipe (similar in taste to breadsticks), there are many possibilities to customize the flavors according to the consumer's needs. To achieve these objectives, world-renowned chefs and food experts have been involved in this project. In addition, Voilà cutlery has been developed with design criteria that make it fun, pleasant, approachable, and above all: ergonomic, so that its use is versatile and adaptable to different consumption scenarios. By changing the conventional material used to manufacture cutlery, we can promote a paradigm shift in the disposable tableware market and introduce a new concept that is not only 100% sustainable but also allows us to understand this utensil as a product that goes beyond: it becomes more important. Cutlery is a product of necessity, and we Voilà gives LIFE, HEALTH, and JOY to the function it has to fulfill.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of inclusion and how these would be been met

In Voilà we have a conscience towards our planet, and also towards society. Voilà is committed to a work environment that promotes diversity, inclusion, lifelong learning and equal opportunities, including for people with disabilities. We believe in a workplace where there is mutual trust, respect for human rights and no discrimination. As we grow, we will make diversity an essential component of all aspects of our business, from the way we work together to the way we procure goods and services, it is vital to our long-term success.  In addition, during these first months of launch, we are working to donate to soup kitchens for people without resources when we close our first orders.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept/ idea

Eating the cutlery after use is an innovative concept, as to date, there are hardly any companies producing edible cutlery on the market. There are starting to be companies that are developing similar products, especially straws, or cutlery produced in a semi-handmade way.  We have been working on developing a specific production system that allows us to produce in an automated way with a unique and registered design. We have a large production capacity and very competitive prices. We also produce edible ice cream sticks. Currently, in the world market, they are only made of wood or plastic. We are the first to commercialize edible sticks (for polo or magnum type ice cream): resistant to humidity, freezing and contact with ice cream. 

Please detail the plans you have for the further development, promotion and/or implementation of your concept/idea, with a particular attention to the initiatives to be taken before May 2022

After a year of R&D with the industrial manufacturer, we can finally say that we have a REAL product, efficient and ergonomic to be used as a topping, with optimal nutrition for its purpose, and with the quality, we were looking for. Cutlery is generally a product of indirect consumption. We find them in restaurants, coffee shops, or ice cream shops. In airlines, at fairs, events... To launch the product we are closing agreements with clients from the B2B channel, ranging from small companies or local chains that are interested in improving their environmental impact and betting on an innovative product that will pleasantly surprise their customers, to large firms that want to invest in sustainability, image and user experience, and of course generate content.  Our goal is to capture large masses to make noticeable changes at a global level. Our ambition is to create graphics with the companies that trust Voilà, showing the tons of plastic they are saving. And to create a community that promotes this environmental awareness, and that expresses itself with real data. In addition, we are sure that small gestures are powerful, and we want to promote the slogan: better together. In a second phase, we will launch our own e-commerce, because it is an attractive product, and often the final consumer finds it attractive and interesting: for example in parties, picnics, or small events. For this purpose, we are working on designing packaging for smaller cases, always using recycled cardboard and compostable papers to protect the product. Finally, we are also working on offering the product to large consumers through supermarkets and department stores using the same formats as mentioned above.

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed concept/idea has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars Awards more than once in the same category.