Brussels Food Business Center (BFBC), Sara Dirkx

Support member since 2019

“10 years ago, I worked in the development cooperation sector with my husband. Today, I am realising my dream of helping young entrepreneurs develop their offerings in the food sector.”

Their offering

BFBC opens its professional kitchens to new entrepreneurs to allow them to test their concepts under real conditions, modify them if necessary, benefit from expert advice on food processing and pool purchasing services for ingredients, packaging and logistics.

Everything began with the birth of her children. Sara Dirkx felt powerless dealing with their food intolerances and allergies. Unable to find adequate solutions to ensure their health and an excellent diet, she did her research and ended up launching her own line of organic, vegan, zero waste, colouring-free, additive-free and allergen-free meals! “My husband and I entered this market because we couldn’t find any solutions for our children”, explained Sara, who started in a small space lent by “Les tartes de Françoise” in 2015.

She quickly encountered difficulties looking for a space to develop her offering. Attending a GreenBizz workshop in 2018 was an eye-opener. She pivoted her business towards supporting projects.

 “One day, two young people came to us looking for a code-compliant facility to quickly produce an order. We helped them and word spread quickly.

It’s at that moment that we refined our business. I realised that I could accomplish my dream: to create an advice and guidance business and enable young companies to get started in code-compliant facilities, under optimal conditions and at a fair price.” 

Sara then focused Brussels Food Business Center around sharing space and resource pooling. Above all, however, she’s driven by providing guidance and meeting budding entrepreneurs and sharing her expertise with them.

In 2019, BFBC hosted more than ten companies in the food sector and also provided them with support.

For Sara Dirkx, being a member of circlemade means participating in a community of motivated people who believe in the importance of being a pioneer in their sector.

Her aspirations? Meeting more members and creating new partnerships.

Bfbc.be