BLOGGING ABOUT FOOD MANAGEMENT & FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

Our mission is to provide all food companies, from small restaurants to globally active catering companies and food manufacturers with an innovative, all-in-one solution to optimize their back-end kitchen processes. On this blog, you will find different stories about how we do that.

[apicbase]

Perfect dessert for a weekend in autumn! Coffee, vanilla and white chocolate by @restaurant_intens . . #dessert #autumn #fall #shotwithapic #gastronomischgilde #nkkoks2016 #horecava #apicbase #apicstudio #foodphotography #foodmanagement #foodstagram #foodporn #foodpic #foodart #chef #coffee #vanilla #chocolate #weekend #tgif

[apicbase]

Sneak peek! - Be the first one to watch the first teaser of our customer stories

Hi there! Do you remember the Dear Diary blogpost where I talked about my first big marketing project? Well, it’s almost time to reveal everything! Although, you’ll have to wait a few more weeks, I would like to share a first sneak peek with you.

Have a look and let me know what you think!

Greetings,  Anneleen

[apicbase]

Friday = waffle day! Sweet creation by Henri Guittet from @glazed_paris #foodpic #friyay #waffle #celebratingfriday #shotwithAPIC #apicbase #foodstagram #chefstagram #foodporn #food #chef #inspiration #foodart #foodphotography #foodmanagement Discover more on our Instagram account (@apicbase) by clicking on the picture!

[apicbase]

Interview with the CEO: the future of food companies in the digital era

“In the next 5 years, all the food companies will have digitalized their kitchen. The one’s who don’t, will fall behind. We are here to help them.”

Carl Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of APICBASE, sat down with Athol Dipple from the Fast Food Pro magazine for an interview discussing the future of food companies in the digital era.

Read the full article in the pictures or via the online link!

[apicbase]

In honour of the Belgian National Holiday, we share some creations of Belgian chefs. Which one is your favourite?

[apicbase]

#DearDiary: My first month on the job: highlights – Still smiling!

By Anneleen from APICBASE.

17th July 2017

Hi! For those who don’t know me, I’m Anneleen. Some of you may already know me as the email girl ‘Anneleen from APICBASE’. In the #DearDiary series, I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of APICBASE and show you a little glimpse of how we are working hard to get the best product out there, every day again. This time, I’ll start by introducing myself. Curious if I made it through my first month? Keep on reading!

#1: My first month on the job: highlights – Still smiling!

On the 1st June, I started working as the new marketing manager for APICBASE. It has been a full month of learning, new experiences, meeting new people and already my first business trip! Read along to get a glimpse of the highlights of the month.

To Mum and Dad: read this completely to know what I’m actually doing ;)

First things first, what is APICBASE?

APICBASE is an Antwerp based company, that developed the world’s first compact photo studio dedicated to food photography. Besides that, our team also developed a cloud based food management platform to add ingredients to the pictures taken with the APIC Studio, automated allergen tracking, food cost calculation and so on. It’s a B2B (business-to-business) company, so our clients are (Michelin star) restaurants, food producing companies and caterers.

It was a real eye-opener to see how much planning and organizing is involved when running a restaurant or food company, from chef to suppliers to the sales team. At APICBASE, we make it easier for them to manage their kitchen or company and leaving them with more time for the fun stuff like actual cooking.

Commercial Kitchen Show, Birmingham, UK (5-8th June)

Talking about coming in with a bang, after only 2 days in the job, I had to organise our participation at the Commercial Kitchen Show, a Trade Show in Birmingham, UK. It was my first business trip ever, so I was pretty excited!

On Monday 5th June, Carl, my boss, and I drove from Antwerp to Calais to hop on the train to Folkestone. Once arrived at the other side of the channel, it was another 3,5 hour drive to Birmingham. Picture yourself being in a 2m2 box for 6 hours with someone you barely know (and he’s your boss!!), likes to talk a lot, and does not share the slightest bit of music taste as you do… Yes, it was a long drive, but eventually we managed to find some artists we both loved, like Coldplay!

When arriving in Birmingham, we checked in at the NEC to start building up our stand together with Miller, our director of UK Sales. We brought everything with us from Belgium: sockets, spotlights, our APIC studios, screens, tables, chairs, banners …

The show was a real success. In 2 days, we managed to spark the interest of a lot of visitors and we were voted as one of the most innovative products at the show by the visitors! In the final, we received the silver medal for our product. Whoop whoop!

Press release growth capital raise

Back in Belgium, I started preparing everything for the press release regarding our recent capital increase, led by BAN Vlaanderen (Business Angels Network Vlaanderen). Communicating with all different parties, writing and rewriting the press release… ;) And the effort paid off! We were picked up by a huge number of websites and newspapers, like De Tijd, Datanews and Bloovi, which increased our brand awareness and resulted in some hot leads. #missionaccomplished

When I was talking to my friends at a birthday dinner, someone said “oh wait, it was in the newspaper!”. Funny feeling when your friends even saw it in the newspaper and remembered it.

My first big project

As I’m the marketing manager, spending the marketing budget wisely in order to generate the results I have to deliver, is a big part of my time. The great thing about working in a food tech start-up like APICBASE is that it gives me the ability to implement my own ideas. It’s really nice to have some freedom and work independently on a project.

One of the big upcoming projects (but you’ll have to keep it a secret for now) is a series of videos to tell our clients’ stories. On 4th July, art director Ian Segal and I visited Puratos, one of the leading companies in the bakery industry. We had a tour of the company and an interview with one of its top technical advisors Morgan Clementson. It was inspiring to see how our solutions have become integrated in their daily workflow and to hear about the value our products can bring to a large company. At the end of the day, we got a delicious freshly baked bread back home. Food is always the best gift, right?!

The second story we’re doing is a video with Julien Burlat, Michelin star chef, owner of Domestic bakeries and the previous owner of restaurant Dôme and Dôme Sur Mer in Antwerp. He’s also one of the co-founders of APICBASE and when I first met him I was completely (Michelin) star struck! Julien is very passionate about cooking and the life in the kitchen. When Ian and I went filming for the interview he showed us around behind the scenes in his bakeries. Super interesting! To film the process of baking bread, Ian went back the next morning to film…at 5AM - talking about dedication!

I’ve seen some shots that Ian took and – oh boy – he’s a very talented art director. Keep your eyes open! The videos are coming very soon.

That sums up the main highlights of my first month at APICBASE. As you can read, every day brings something new. It’s a challenging job, where I have to put my knowledge to the test, but most importantly, I’m loving it to the max! The food industry is my passion and I could not be happier.

Thanks for reading!

Anneleen

[apicbase]

Press release: Belgian startup APICBASE collects expansion capital worth 700.000 Euros to accelerate European growth

Belgian food tech startup APICBASE.COM has collected 700.000 Euros (£615,000) in a financing round, led by Business Angels Network Flanders (BAN Flanders). APICBASE, co-founded by star chef Julien Burlat, develops cloud based software which allows professional kitchens to manage and optimize their processes from raw ingredient all the way to ready-to-serve dish. The startup will use the collected funds to expand the team, further develop the software and accompanying hardware and to properly market the product and brand.

APICBASE is part of the Start it @kbc incubator, which supports innovative and scalable entrepreneurship. The startup’s technology links information about dishes to images and visualizes the whole preparation process. This allows the food industry to record the knowledge of its chefs, improve the quality inside the kitchen and train new employees faster. APICBASE also records all information regarding ingredients, dishes, and menus, resulting in more efficient management of allergens, ordering lists and cost calculation. All data will also be useable as product catalogue for commercial teams.

Carl Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of APICBASE, explains: “Without the powerful and smart software APICBASE.COM provides, food processes are quite labor intensive and require continuous manual actions. Our solution allows food companies to automatize and optimize these processes.  We are helping restaurants, hotels, restaurant chains and food manufacturers so they can provide a premium customer experience at any moment.”

Photo studio for professional food images

What makes APICBASE unique is its APIC Studio. It’s a compact photo studio, specifically designed for taking images of food. Chefs can capture their culinary creation in high resolution with just a click on a button.

“Thanks to our photo studio”, according to Carl Jacobs,” companies are able to create visual, step-by-step manuals for the team in the kitchen, which keeps the consistency and quality of meals identical across several branches. The biggest advantage of our software and hardware is that they have been developed with user-friendliness in mind, making it a favorite among chefs and food managers who have to use it on a daily basis.”

Capital round logical result of strong internal growth

APICBASE was founded in April 2014, building on an idea of star chef and co-founder Julien Burlat. He was looking for a way to make professional pictures of his creations and to create a visual archive of these creations, all without any knowledge of photography and without losing too much time in the kitchen in the process.

Since its founding, APICBASE has had more than 200 customers from over 15 countries, including some big players in the food industry: Sodexo, Unilever Food Solutions, LSG Sky Chefs, Puratos and Cuisine Solutions. APICBASE also enjoys the trust of several gastronomical first-class restaurants- and chefs like El Celler de Can Roca*** (Spanje), La Mère Brazier** (Frankrijk) and the Thomas Keller Restaurant Groep*** (USA).

The recent capital increase gives APICBASE the possibility for further expansion. Jan Verbeke, lead Business Angel, explains: “through a strong network alliance like BAN Flanders, young entrepreneurs are given the chance to get in contact with a large number of business angels at once. We were immediately persuaded by the impressive journey the APICBASE founders’ team already have had so far, and it convinced us of the feasibility of their ambitious expansion plan. The entrepreneurs can not only count on financial support but on years of experience gained by the complementary investors’ group as well.”

///////

For more information and media contact

PR & Communication APICBASE: Anneleen Hanssens – GSM: [phone] –  e-mail:  [email protected]

PR & Communication BAN Flanders: Benita Dreesen – GSM: [phone] – e-mail:  [email protected]

About APICBASE (www.apicbase.com)

The mission of APICBASE is to provide all food companies, from small restaurants to globally active catering companies and food manufacturers with an innovative, all-in-one solution to optimize their processes. The several modules offered will improve efficiency and quality significantly, not only for teams in the kitchen but for marketing, commercial teams and management as well. APICBASE operates out of Antwerp and is the first in the world to have built a photo studio, specifically for the professional kitchen.

About BAN Flanders (www.ban.be)

BAN Flanders is the platform to connect fund-seeking entrepreneurs and private investors with each other in order to have entrepreneurs, through transfer of funds and knowledge, take their company towards success and improve the overall development of the knowledge-based economy as well. Both investors and entrepreneurs can enter the network, with the help of a coordinator in each of the seven local antennas, after which investment projects are discretely being presented through anonymous project chips and presentations at matching events. BAN Flanders also launched the www.angel4me.be portal to connect fund-seeking companies and investors with each other. Currently BAN Flanders has 225 members, including some VC-funds and it presents over 100 selected projects annually. This results in 20 to 30 effective investments per year.  

[apicbase]

Honouring French chefs on #14juillet! Swipe left to discover a selection of French creations by @ninametayer , @gregorymarchand , @thierrymarx , @jeromedeoliveira and @christophegasper #frenchcuisine #chefstagram #foodporn #France #nationalholiday #apicbase #shotwithAPIC #ladoucefrance #foodphotography #foodpic

[apicbase]

Press Release: "Vlaamse startup APICBASE haalt 700.000 euro groeikapitaal op om Europese expansie te accelereren"

De Belgische food tech-startup APICBASE.COM heeft in een kapitaalronde 700.000 euro opgehaald, geleid door Business Angels Netwerk Vlaanderen (BAN Vlaanderen). APICBASE, onder meer opgericht door sterrenchef Julien Burlat, ontwikkelt een cloud software waarmee professionele keukens hun processen kunnen beheren en optimaliseren van ingrediënt tot afgewerkt menu. De startup zal het opgehaalde geld gebruiken om het team verder uit te bouwen, de software en bijbehorende hardware verder te ontwikkelen, en om het product en merk sterk in de markt te zetten.

APICBASE maakt deel uit van de incubator Start it @kbc, die innovatief en schaalbaar ondernemerschap ondersteunt. De technologie van de startup linkt gegevens over gerechten aan foto's en geeft het hele bereidingsproces visueel weer. Daardoor kan de voedingsindustrie voortaan de kennis van zijn chefs vastleggen, de kwaliteit in de keuken verhogen en sneller nieuwe medewerkers opleiden. APICBASE slaat ook alle kennis over ingrediënten, gerechten en menu’s op, wat leidt tot efficiënter beheer van allergenen, bestellijsten en kostprijsberekening. Bovendien zijn alle gegevens ook inzetbaar als productcatalogus voor commerciële teams.

Carl Jacobs, CEO en co-founder van APICBASE, legt uit: “Zonder de krachtige en slimme software van APICBASE.COM zijn food processen heel arbeidsintensief en vereisen ze constant manuele handelingen. Onze oplossing laat voedingsbedrijven toe om al deze processen te automatiseren en optimaliseren. Zo helpen we restaurants, hotels, restaurantketens en voedselproducenten om op elk moment een hoogwaardige klantenervaring te bieden.”

Fotostudio voor professionele food foto’s

Uniek aan APICBASE is de APIC Studio. Dit is een compacte fotostudio, speciaal ontworpen voor het fotograferen van voeding. Chefs kunnen zo met slechts één druk op de knop hun culinaire creatie in een hogeresolutieafbeelding vastleggen.

“Dankzij onze fotostudio”, vertelt Carl Jacobs, “kunnen bedrijven visuele, stapsgewijze handleidingen maken voor het keukenteam waardoor de consistentie in de kwaliteit van de maaltijden over verschillende vestigingen heen dezelfde blijft. De grootste troef van onze software en hardware is dat ze ontwikkeld zijn met gebruiksgemak in het achterhoofd, waardoor ze extra geliefd zijn bij de chefs en foodmanagers die er dagelijks mee werken.”

Kapitaalronde logisch gevolg van sterke eigen groei

APICBASE werd opgericht in april 2014, bouwend op een idee van sterrenchef en medeoprichter Julien Burlat. Hij zocht naar een manier om zonder enige kennis van fotografie en zonder tijd te verliezen in de keuken, foto's van professionele kwaliteit te maken van zijn creaties en zo een visueel archief aan te leggen.

Sinds haar oprichting telt APICBASE meer dan 200 klanten in meer dan 15 landen, waaronder enkele grote spelers in de voedingsindustrie: Sodexo, Unilever Food Solutions, LSG Sky Chefs, Puratos en Cuisine Solutions. APICBASE geniet ook het vertrouwen van verscheidene gastronomische toprestaurants en -chefs zoals El Celler de Can Roca*** (Spanje), La Mère Brazier** (Frankrijk) en de Thomas Keller Restaurant Groep*** (USA).

Met de recente kapitaalverhoging ligt voor APICBASE nu de weg vrij voor verdere expansie. Jan Verbeke, lead Business Angel, legt uit: “Via een sterke netwerkorganisatie zoals BAN Vlaanderen krijgen jonge ondernemers de kans om een groot aantal business angels in één klap te bereiken. Wij waren onmiddellijk overtuigd door het indrukwekkende pad dat het founders team van APICBASE reeds heeft afgelegd, waardoor we sterk geloven in de haalbaarheid van hun ambitieuze groeiplan. De ondernemers kunnen niet enkel rekenen op financiële steun, maar ook op de jarenlange ervaring van de complementaire groep van investeerders.”

///////

Voor meer informatie en contact media

PR & Communication APICBASE: Anneleen Hanssens – GSM: [phone] – e-mail:  [email protected]

PR & Communication BAN Vlaanderen: Benita Dreesen – GSM: [phone] – e-mail:  [email protected]

Over APCIBASE (www.apicbase.com)

APICBASE heeft als missie alle foodbedrijven, gaande van kleine restaurants tot globaal actieve cateraars en voedselproducenten een innovatieve all-in-one oplossing te bieden om hun processen te optimaliseren. Niet enkel keukenteams maar ook marketing, commerciële teams en management kunnen aanzienlijk efficiënter en kwalitatiever werken dankzij de verschillende modules die worden aangeboden. APICBASE opereert vanuit Antwerpen en heeft als eerste wereldwijd een fotostudio uitgebouwd, exclusief voor de professionele keuken.

Over BAN Vlaanderen (www.ban.be)

BAN Vlaanderen vzw is hét platform waar kapitaalzoekende ondernemers en privé-investeerders elkaar vinden om via kapitaalinbreng en kennisoverdracht deze ondernemers een traject te laten afleggen naar succes van hun onderneming en de verdere ontwikkeling van onze kenniseconomie. Via een coördinator in elk van de zeven lokale antennes kunnen zowel ondernemers als investeerders in het netwerk binnenkomen, waarna op discrete wijze investeringsprojecten worden gepresenteerd via anonieme projectfiches en presentaties op matching events. Ook heeft BAN Vlaanderen de portal www.angel4me.be in de markt gezet om kapitaalzoekende bedrijven op efficiënte wijze met investeerders in contact te brengen. Momenteel telt BAN Vlaanderen 225 leden waaronder ook enkele VC-fondsen en presenteert jaarlijks meer dan 100 geselecteerde projecten. Dit resulteert in 20 à 30 effectieve investeringen jaarlijks.

[apicbase]

Shooting day at Domestic Bakery in Antwerp with chef Julien Burlat and his story of capturing creativity with the APIC Studio. Video coming very soon!

[apicbase]

Our APIC Studio in full action! @puratosgroup #foodphotography #capturingthemoment #capturingcreativity #bakery #patissery #puratos #apicbase #apicstudio (bij Puratos Group)

[apicbase]

Así se elaboran las preparaciones más complejas de la alta cocina

Desvelamos los secretos detrás de la alta cocina, las preparaciones más complejas y los utensilios más sofisticados que se usan para elaborarlas

We’re in the Spanish press! “Have you already heard about the APIC? It’s a camera...and a time machine. Ideal to capture the preparation and composition of your fabulous looking plate, plus easy to control the weight and costs of every dish”. 

[apicbase]

#chefsache #2016 a selection of dishes by @albert.adria.acosta #inspiring #inspiration #discover #foodie #50best #ff #chefstagram @foodinspirationmagazine @foodandwine @schmackofatzo.de

[apicbase]

Andreas Döllerer (Döllerers) - #Goose liver with parsley, macadamia nuts & #duck greaves @doellad @chefsache #chefsache #chef #food #chefstagram #foodporn #foodie #eatclean #discover #inspiration #inspiring

[apicbase]

#inspiration #spices #food #chefstagram #chefsache

[apicbase]

#today #chefsache Poul Andrias Ziska (KOKS) - Fulmar with beetroot and thyme @poulandrias @carola_ruhl @apicbase @koks_restaurant #ff #foodporn #food #chef #chefstagram #apicbase #inspiration

[apicbase]

#today at #chefsache Felix Schneider (Sosein) #2016 #food #like4like #ff #foodstagram #apicbase @apicbase #