Success stories in Brussels: Enprobel and Skyfarms

Nahla el Mernissi, Imad Mouakkat and Augustin Nourrissier present their success stories, from the collection of waste oil by Enprobel to urban agriculture by Skyfarms.

By Cécile Balavoine Photos Ludovic Maisant -

Published on 01/10/2019

Nahla el Mernissi and Imad Mouakkat, co-founders and managers of Enprobel

Elsewhere, we would not have been able to benefit from such precise monitoring.

How did you come up with the idea of founding Enprobel and what does the name mean?

Nahla el Mernissi and Imad Mouakkat - Enprobel is an acronym that stands for "Clean Environment for our Belgium". Our idea was to create an activity with an ecological and social impact on the Brussels region. Our starting point was the observation that Belgians love chips, but all too often neglect used frying oils and fats. What's more, one litre of oil poured down the drain can contaminate up to a thousand litres of drinking water. That's how our desire for sustainable entrepreneurship came about! Imad and I, who are a couple in private life, joined forces to launch Enprobel in 2017.

Who do you work with and what impact does your company have on the environment?

N. el M. and I. M. - At the moment, we are working with around a hundred customers in Brussels., restaurants, snack bars, nursing homes and social action centres... But we also collect used oil from people's homes. We are convinced that by equipping a building with a special container for frying oils, residents will no longer have any reason to dispose of them down the drain. In this way, we are taking action against drinking water pollution.

Does Brussels encourage this kind of initiative?

N. el M. and I. M. - We were lucky enough to be supported very quickly by institutions such as hub.brussels, finance.brussels, Groupe One and Funds4Good, which enabled us to win major contracts. What's more, thanks to greenlab.brussels, we were able to develop and enhance our business model and business plan. There's no doubt that we wouldn't have been able to benefit, outside Brussels, from such precise and precise monitoring in the circular environment. For the moment, there are only two of us, but we hope to be able to create around twenty direct jobs and have the opportunity to control the entire oil chain in Brussels. And then, why not, create a franchise. Let's dream a little!

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/enprobel
Internet : www.oncollectevoshuiles.be

Augustin Nourrissier, Co-founder and co-manager of Skyfarms

Urban agriculture as part of corporate well-being

How did the idea of Skyfarms company gardens come about?

Augustin Nourrissier - The project was born in 2016 when I met Véronique Dewever. We both wanted to launch an urban agriculture project as part of a corporate well-being programme. This meeting gave rise to the Skyfarms corporate kitchen garden concept. We managed to get into the Greenlab incubator in the summer of 2016 and found our first customer, Engie, with whom we have been working since 2017. A
big project that launched the adventure.

What are you proposing in concrete terms?

A. N. - We offer organisations - companies, public authorities, schools, etc. - the opportunity to create urban vegetable gardens on their premises, with coaching programmes to enable employees to get their hands in the soil. Our aim is both their well-being and health, but also to raise awareness of the challenges of sustainable food. In April 2019, we also launched the Skyfarms Shop website, which targets private individuals and enables them to order everything they need for urban vegetable gardens. We also offer training courses for everyone.

What are your objectives?

A. N. - By definition, our project is local and on a human scale. There are currently four of us and we are starting to expand. We launched our activities in Luxembourg in 2018 with a local team and a network of local suppliers and trainers. Because each region has its own specialists. And we are planning new sites in Belgium and Luxembourg. Our aim is to make urban agriculture an integral part of the urban planning of the 21st century.^e century.