Boqion De Pooter & Camille Dubios, Camionette

Boqion De Pooter and Camille Dubios, owners of Camionette in Antwerp, to what extent do you use organic produce?

– Almost 100 percent. Our vegetables, wines, olive oil, and even distilled alcohol are organic. We source all the vegetables from small, local farmers who apply environmentally friendly working methods. And for the small amount of produce coming from outside of Belgium – nuts, seeds, and the like – we always choose organic.

Tell us about the relationships with your farmers.

– We have WhatsApp groups where we speak daily, and they deliver their produce themselves, so we see them often. Sometimes they bring something extra they can’t sell, on which we make jams and lemonades. Being close to our suppliers is very important to us. We import the olive oil from friends who worked here before moving to Malaga, so we have visited them and their production many times.

Do you communicate around your sustainable efforts?

– Actually, we are challenging ourselves this year to improve! Share the story behind the produce and why people have to pay the price they pay. We have always operated this way, so it’s natural to us; it’s easy to forget that it’s not so for everyone.