“That was wonderful,” says Samer in KiCo’s office in De Titaan.“At the same time, it taught us about the many intermediaries in the value chain, about the enormous waste – 40 per cent of food produced globally is thrown away – and how nutrition has gradually become less of a priority. In 2015, we successfully sold the family business. Now, I’m working with my brother again, but taking a different approach. We want to start a food revolution.”

Sami had already moved to the Netherlands before. “I worked in marketing and branding for major global brands in Amsterdam. At the time, Samer was living in Munich, and we both knew what we really wanted: to innovate the food system by empowering restaurants and entrepreneurs to execute their great ideas. Because there are plenty of them. But small parties all experience the same problems: high costs, challenges getting products to market and scaling their businesses. That's why we started KiCo.”

Scaling up

The brothers leave their office and step into the huge kitchen space: 850 square metres of shiny stainless steel, luxury kitchen appliances, and chefs and entrepreneurs who rent space from KiCo to scale up their businesses smartly.

For example, there’s Kaafi, the coffee and brunch bar from Prinsestraat, which rents additional kitchen space here to make their famous Detroit pizza. Sami explains, “Cooking here means you don't have to buy expensive appliances yourself, your energy bills are lower and you avoid making high upfront investments.”

You can rent spaces in the shared or private kitchens. In one private area, a woman from Siro Patisserie is placing a cake in the oven. “She makes 600 a week,” says Samer. “And they’re delicious, believe me.”

Mabel Isado of Siro Patisserie

Sami points to a room where products are fermenting in large barrels. “In the corner is a special Palestinian sauce (Fil), a completely circular product made from parts that would otherwise be thrown away. Customers can also store products here – either chilled or in the shared freezer.”

Creating

Has working together turned out as the brothers had hoped? “We see each other more often than ever now,” Samer laughs. “And we were both used to working with family, so it creates a strong bond.”

Sami adds, “Our kitchen community is like a family too. We offer a network where people share opportunities and knowledge, organise workshops and help give those with good ideas gain access to investors and buyers like Albert Heijn, Bidfood, and the Grote Markt Groep. We provided the catering for the NATO summit at Titaan, which welcomed 800 guests. It was a great chance for many of our customers to present their products.”

Cross-pollination happens naturally at KiCo. Chefs and entrepreneurs in the kitchen community use each other’s products. For example, Fatboysexy uses the seitan made by The Hendrik’s Tasty. Gardens of Eva uses watermelon rind, which would otherwise be thrown away, to make a delicious condiment from the American south. “Delicious, healthy and sustainable,” says Samer. “Moreover, nothing goes to waste. This is how you create a better system – for the planet and the people. That’s why we started KiCo.”

www.kico.kitchen.nl