Rutger Anema – Good Chef

Rutger Anema is the founder and CEO of Good Chef, a Dutch business that aims to increase the accessibility of nutritious plant-based meals for daily consumption and sold via their website goodchef.nl. He shares his views on CSR and their approach to becoming an environmentally conscious business.

what is a good chef?

Good Chef produces boxes that can be delivered right to your doorstep, containing deliciously prepared meals and completely vegan recipes. Rutger explains: “I am not a chef, but I love to cook, and I found it difficult to make excellent vegetarian meals, let alone vegan ones. This motivated me to spend a lot of time learning new skills to create more innovative vegan meals that tasted great and were simple to make which inspired me to help others that might also have a hard time. That is how the concept for Good Chef was created. Healthy meals without any additives are the key point for the brand.”

He further elaborates: “We ended up working with Uit de Keuken van Maass, a company that provides premium vegan and vegetarian meals, where we currently have seven chefs from all different nationalities preparing delicious fresh meals every day. We also have an ongoing range of 24 unique products, including 18 meals, salads, soups, and snacks.”

IMPORTANT KPIS FOR BRAND GROWTH

Rutger then discusses his thoughts on the KPIs that Good Chef is currently using. “The most significant KPI that we are focusing on right now is the level of client satisfaction with the meals we offer. Each customer receives a mail asking for a review, and we maintain and track by using Trust Pilot as a measurement tool. Even though not everyone will complete the survey, we can still evaluate the quality of our items based on the responses we get. The retention rate and acquiring new clients are two more KPIs that we are focusing on. Once the customers are there, we calculate the number of people who continue to buy meals from us by looking at the retention rate.

We primarily concentrate our marketing efforts on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram to increase brand awareness and draw in fresh customers. We are currently focusing on setting up a Google Advertisement Campaign, with a particular focus on SEO and SEA, as our marketing plan is still under development. Finally, we are putting a referral marketing feature in place on our website so that pleased consumers may tell their friends and family about the goods.”

“Every company should consider its impact on the environment, instead of focusing purely on profit and stakeholders they should strive to give back to the world.”

THE ESSENCE OF CSR

“Being a purpose-driven company is of high importance to me.” Rutger explains. “I believe that in the future, customers will be less likely to purchase products from large corporations that exist only to satisfy their shareholders and more likely to choose smaller businesses that make an effort to give back to the community. Especially the younger generations, millennials, and Gen Z have a completely different mindset as they must tackle our climate issues and take responsibility for sustaining our earth for the future. As a father of four kids, I can’t help but worry about their future and the current conditions of the planet. There are different things that we as an individual can do to be more sustainable. Consuming a little less meat daily is the simplest method. Of course, everyone has their own right to decide how they wish to reduce their carbon footprint and Good Chef is my way of doing that.” Rutger clarifies.

“In terms of CSR, I firmly believe that every business should consider its impact on the environment. No longer focusing purely on profit and stakeholders but instead striving to give back to the world around you. I believe that B-Corp certification will become a standard in the future, and this is something that we at Good Chef are aiming to achieve. If your business is not purpose-driven, you can still engage in these CSR activities by exploring your business critically and considering the environmental impact you are having.” Rutger states.

“The early adopters are the ones who are truly moving forward, but all businesses should consider their influence on people, animals, and the environment.”

Rutger then continues “Other than our wishes to reduce carbon emissions, we are also implementing other CSR strategies. When looking at the Uit de Keuken van Maas, we seek to create a work environment that values diversity and equality. Our chefs come from all over the world, which creates a space with many different cultures and experiences. For instance, we have people who needed to escape their motherland for certain reasons and we as Good Chef can offer them employment and assist them in pursuing a better future.”

CSR FOR THE FUTURE

“Our brand purpose is ‘More greens, less meat’. In terms of actual CSR, we are still working on our strategies and the implementation of B-Corp certification as we are still a small company. We are working with what we have and what we stand for rather than setting many specific goals.” Rutger explains.

“CSR is the responsibility of the entire company, and the implementation should not be dependent on one department. If we delegate the task to the marketing department, for example, there is a danger that our actions will be interpreted as greenwashing. Companies shouldn’t view CSR as a threat; rather, they should consider the numerous chances and opportunities it presents for improvement and innovation. As the emphasis on sustainability grows, I think that eventually, all businesses will have to begin developing CSR strategies. As our knowledge of how businesses affect the environment grows daily, so does the urge to transform unfavorable effects into favorable ones.” Rutger discusses.

“Differentiate yourself from your competitors by working consistently on creating a more positive impact on your surroundings.”

“Doing research on the topic of CSR within your company should be a fundamental step. Within Good Chef, we are striving to conduct more research to get a better understanding of our target group and their views on sustainability and promoting healthy lifestyles.” Rutger defines.