La vie est belle

What La vie est belle does

La Vie Est Belle BVBA is a Belgian family-owned producer of 100% organic, plant-based food products, headquartered and manufacturing in Oostkamp, West Flanders. Founded in 1992 by Stefaan Deraeve and Katrien Steeman — former nurses who first explored vegetarian cuisine during civil service in Rwanda in 1981 — the company has grown from a home-kitchen rice-ball operation into a specialty producer offering 40+ SKUs across seasonal and year-round burgers, falafel variants (Original, Italian, Mexican, Greek), seitan products, spreads, protein toppings, and savory strips. All products are organic-certified and incorporate locally sourced Belgian ingredients, with named farm partners including De Lochting in Balen, a Gent-area farm, and Marc Verhofstede for the first Flemish organic quinoa used in the award-winning Kinowa Burger.

The business operates a dual go-to-market: direct B2B food service sales (led by Sales Director Lieven Deraeve) targeting professional foodservice operators in bulk, and B2C distribution through Belgian bio-winkels (organic specialty retailers). Revenue mechanics are transactional with no publicly disclosed pricing. Management transitioned to the second generation in 2020, with Lieven and Karel Deraeve joined by external director Matthias Blanckaert, and the company now employs 25 people. Marketing is content-led, combining an extensive recipe library, newsletter, and organic social presence across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Strategic activity has intensified since 2020: La Vie Est Belle was selected in 2021 as one of 15 participants in the Food Pioneers Accelerator (FPA), a cross-border Interreg program supporting scaling of food companies across Flanders and South Netherlands, and is collaborating with Dutch Structuring Technology (DST) on Shertex 2 feasibility. The company remains privately held under family control with no external investors, has won multiple regional awards (Bioburger van het Jaar 2017, Bio Vlam 2021, Juryprijs Diversiteit op de Werkvloer 2012), and continues to operate as a bootstrapped, single-country specialty producer rather than a scaled CPG platform.

Name

La vie est belle

Legal name

La Vie Est Belle BVBA

Website

https://lavieestbelle.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Vie Est Belle is a Belgian family-owned producer (founded 1992) of 100% organic, plant-based foods including falafel, burgers, seitan, spreads, and protein toppings, serving Belgian foodservice operators via direct B2B sales and consumers through organic specialty retail (bio-winkels).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-based Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant-Based Meat Manufacturers (End-to-End Brands) (AFANAKAA)

Keywords

• Plant-based food production
• Vegetarian protein products
• Organic meat alternatives
• Vegan burger manufacturing
• Food service supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Oostkamp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food Service B2B Sales: Selling products in bulk to professional foodservice operators. Direct B2B sales channel with dedicated food service contact.
2. Organic Retail Distribution: Products sold through organic/bio shops across Belgium to end consumers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La Vie Est Belle is a Belgian family-owned food manufacturer producing 100% organic, plant-based vegetarian and vegan products including falafel, burgers (seasonal and year-round), seitan, spreads, protein toppings, and savory strips. The company sells these products in bulk to professional foodservice operators and through organic specialty retail shops (bio-winkels) across Belgium.

Product overview

La Vie Est Belle is a Belgian plant-based food company offering a diverse portfolio of vegetarian and vegan products. The core product lines include seasonal burgers (Lenteburger, Zomerburger, Herfstburger, Winterburger), specialty falafel varieties (Original, Italian, Mexican, Greek), seitan products (Gehakt and Stukjes), spreads (Curry Spread, Tartin'O, Zeesalade), protein toppings (Seeds and Nuts), and savory strips (Shoarma and Curry Reepjes). The company operates as a unified product portfolio rather than a platform-with-modules architecture, with products distributed across categories including Burgers, Falafel, Seitan, Spreads, Toppings, and Reepjes. All products are 100% organic/plant-based, with seasonal offerings rotating throughout the year and specialty lines differentiated by cuisine (Italian, Mexican, Greek).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Broccoli Mini Burger A mini-sized plant-based burger made with broccoli, designed as a vegetarian/vegan addition to meals for retail and foodservice customers.
• Seitan Gehakt Belgian seitan in minced form with a soft texture, rich in taste and fully vegan, suitable for various dishes.
• Seitan Stukjes Plant-based seitan pieces designed to bring plant-based eating to new heights with rich flavor.
• Protein Topping Seeds A carefully selected mix of seeds that serves as a nutritious and crunchy flavor enhancer for dishes.
• Protein Topping Nuts A nut mix providing a natural boost of proteins and flavor for meals.
• Zeesalade A nutritious plant-based salad spread made with Wakame seaweed, with a distinctive sea taste and rich mineral content including iodine.
• Curry Spread A vegan curry salad enriched with fresh marinated vegetables sourced from organic farm De Lochting.
• Tartin'O Original A plant-based spread based on tomato, carrot, and capers, ideal for appetizers or sourdough sandwiches.
• Falafel Original Classic falafel made with chickpeas, sesame, and fresh local parsley and coriander, coated with a crispy crust.
• Italian Falafel Falafel with a tomato heart and pieces of basil, featuring marinated tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, 100% plant-based.
• Mexican Falafel Mexican-style falafel with jalapeño and grilled halloumi-style cheese (Berloumi from Berlare), featuring Mexican spice blend.
• Greek Falafel Falafel combining feta-style cheese with fresh dill and zucchini pieces, evoking Greek cuisine.
• Gierst-sesamburger Millet and sesame seed cake burger featuring millet, Emmentaler cheese, and parsley, with crispy sesame seeds on the outside.
• Hazelnootburger Vegan burger made with bulgur, onion, roasted hazelnuts, and parsley, with a crispy breaded coating.
• Kinowa

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food Pioneers Accelerator (FPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Vie Est Belle selected as one of 15 innovative companies in Food Pioneers Accelerator, a cross-border Interreg program supporting food companies in Flanders and South Netherlands. The program helps companies scale their products or production processes, find production partners across borders, and contributes budget for scaling projects. Company working on Shertex 2 feasibility with partner DST.
• DST (Dutch Structuring Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner for Shertex 2 feasibility project within Food Pioneers Accelerator program. Collaboration focused on product/process development and scaling.
• Bioboerderij De LochtingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic farm supplier providing marinated vegetables for Curry Spread product. Represents company's commitment to local organic sourcing.
• Marc Verhofstede (Bio Farmer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic quinoa farmer from whom La Vie Est Belle sourced the first Flemish organic quinoa for Kinowa Burger, which won Bioburger van het Jaar 2017.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vivera: Dutch plant-based meat manufacturer producing burgers, strips, schnitzels and other meat alternatives for European retail and foodservice. Directly comparable in product format (burgers, strips, slices), European retail distribution, and mid-sized privately-held positioning.
• Rügenwalder Mühle: German traditional meat company that has pivoted into plant-based meat alternatives (burgers, minced, strips, sausages). Comparable as a European mid-sized manufacturer with a diversified protein product portfolio spanning both meat and plant-based categories.
• Impossible Foods: US plant-based meat manufacturer with burgers, sausages, and ground products distributed in select European markets via foodservice. Comparable in core product category (plant-based meat alternatives) and foodservice channel focus, though at vastly larger scale.
• Beyond Meat: US-headquartered plant-based meat manufacturer with burgers, ground, and strips distributed across European retail and foodservice. Comparable core product format (plant-based burgers) and foodservice channel, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• The Vegetarian Butcher: Dutch plant-based meat brand founded by Jaap Korteweg, now owned by Unilever. Closely comparable to La Vie Est Belle as a specialized plant-based meat-alternative manufacturer with a founder-led origin, European foodservice and retail presence, and broad SKU portfolio (burgers, strips, minced products).
• Quorn: UK-based manufacturer of mycoprotein-based meat alternatives (burgers, pieces, strips, fillets). Comparable as a specialized plant-based protein manufacturer with broad SKU portfolio and major European retail and foodservice distribution.
• LikeMeat: German plant-based meat-alternative brand offering burgers, sausage-style products, and strips across European retail. Comparable as a specialized plant-based meat manufacturer with a founder-led European positioning and retail-channel focus.

Broad incumbents

• Garden Gourmet (Nestlé): Nestlé's plant-based brand offering burgers, grounds, strips and prepared meals across European retail. Comparable as a plant-based meat-alternative brand, but operates as part of Nestlé's broader portfolio with significantly larger scale and distribution muscle.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LVEBveggie
• Facebookfacebook.com/LavieestbelleVeggie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-vie-est-belle-bvba
• Instagraminstagram.com/lavieestbelleveggiefood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La vie est belle