Circular cocktails

Dik & Schil is, in their own words, 'the fruit of the minor Entrepreneurship at the University of Amsterdam'. Stijn Fischer (the young man behind the bar), together with Branco Bolsius and Luc van Niftrik, studied psychology at this university. The assignment they were given was to set up a sustainable project. From their shared experience and passion for the hospitality industry, circularity quickly emerged as a topic. Stijn: “There is a perception that sustainable and circular products are not attractive or sexy. We want to prove the contrary and make a product that is fun, tasty and cool, without compromising on quality and product experience. We know that coffee grounds (Dutch: koffiedik) and orange peels (sinaasappelschil) are common residual flows that are separated well in the hospitality industry. That separation is important for the production process, so we started with those. Hence the brand name Dik & Schil.”

In addition to coffee grounds and orange peels, the men started working with a number of Koppert Cress residual flows. Stijn: “We ended up at Koppert Cress in a crazy way. A friend of mine is a cook and he has worked at Central Restaurante in Peru and Restaurant de Kas in Amsterdam, among others. In these kitchens he came into contact with Koppert Cress products. When he wanted to do the Food Design course in Eindhoven, I helped him film a video application. We also visited Koppert Cress for this, because the company was forced to throw away product in the first corona wave since all restaurants closed. People were invited to pick up these products. We actually came to the greenhouse because of the video, but we ended up talking to culinary advisor Eric Miete, who started a conversation with us about tinctures. These are alcoholic solutions in which herbs are often used. He told us what we could do with plants and one thing led to another. We had discussed different flavor combinations in no time. So, in addition to the existing liquors, we also started working on a gin made from Shiso Leaves, Kaffir Lime Leaves and Cardamom Leaves." 

Stijn learns from liquor retailers that although the products are popular among a diverse audience, they are certainly popular with women and especially older people. Stijn: “They are liquors, so they are often a bit sweeter. We try to give it a naughty and younger twist, because we also want to organize parties and (cocktail) events to bind the young audience.”

The practical applicability is also considered. Stijn: “We know from experience that everything we do behind the bar cost money, so we look for solutions in which few actions lead to a great experience for the customer. Just look at the Orangecello Spritz, a variation on the Aperol Spritz. Very easy to make, very tasty and it arouses interest: the beautiful orange color certainly attracts attention. The Gin Tonic is also interesting; as soon as you place it on a tray with a Cardamom leaf in the glass and stroll across the terrace with it, you notice that the other guests are looking back.” So it is that easy to offer customers that extra feeling of luxury.