Opération Thermos asbl

What Opération Thermos asbl does

Opération Thermos asbl is a Belgian non-profit association (asbl) founded in 1987 that provides free hot meals and social support to people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Brussels. Each evening during the winter season (November 1 to April 30), the organization distributes 200 balanced, complete meals — soup, hot dish, water, dessert, and hot beverage — at the Botanique metro station, with over 20 volunteers rotating through preparation, distribution, accompaniment, and back-office roles. Since 2024, it has supplemented this with a weekly Saturday distribution on the esplanade of the Tour des Finances during summer, and operates a year-round Frigo Solidaire (community fridge) in central Brussels open daily 10h-19h. Additional services include clothing and blanket distribution, empathetic listening, and referrals to medical, social, and legal services, with monthly hygiene-kit visits from asbl Bruzelle for women in precarity.

Operations are coordinated through four official sections — Thermos Linkebeek (founded 1985-1986 by the 118th Scout Unit), Thermos Berlaymont (since 1992, under Prof. Gérard Lahouste), Thermos Soupière Sans Abri (since 1997, formalized in 2008), and Thermos Akuna Thermostat — plus independent teams from scout groups, schools, companies, and associations. The organization is governed by 5 staff with a broad volunteer base; no parent company or external investors exist. Revenue comes from individual donations (tax-deductible from €40), corporate donations and team-event sponsorships, section-led fundraising (red-coin collections, stoemp meals, concerts, truffle sales), merchandise sales (Belgian chocolate truffles, apparel, accessories), and food recovery from supermarkets. Key institutional partnerships include STIB-MIVB for distribution location, Fondation Roi Baudouin for institutional legitimacy, Fédération des Scouts Cathiques de Belgique as founding sponsor, and service partners such as Bruxelles Propreté, Lions Club Charlemagne, Nihoul, Restaurant Le Mess, and Paroisse Saint-Joseph. The organization reported 32,002 meals distributed in the 2025/26 season and has publicly stated plans to reorganize the ASBL and relocate to new premises closer to Botanique to enable year-round activity.

Name

Opération Thermos asbl

Legal name

Opération Thermos asbl

Website

https://operationthermos.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Opération Thermos asbl is a Brussels-based Belgian nonprofit (founded 1987) that distributes free hot meals and social support to people in precarity, serving 200 beneficiaries each winter evening at the Botanique metro station and 32,002 meals across the 2025/26 season.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual donations: Financial donations from individuals, with fiscal attestation provided for donations of minimum 40 euros. Donors must provide their national number (NN) for tax deduction purposes.
2. Corporate donations and team events: Companies sponsor entire distribution evenings, taking responsibility for menu selection, meal preparation, and distribution. Also receives general corporate donations.
3. Merchandise sales: Sale of merchandise including Belgian chocolate truffles, t-shirts, polar fleece, thermos items, bracelets, pens, and pocket knives. Special items for children such as Smurf watches are also sold.
4. Section fundraising: Individual sections conduct their own fundraising activities: Linkebeek section collects 'pièces rouges' (red coins), receives food recovery from supermarkets, and organizes annual stoemp meals. Soupière Sans Abri organizes concerts, manages truffle sales, and receives support from Saint-Joseph parish.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Opération Thermos asbl is a Brussels-based nonprofit that distributes 200 free, balanced hot meals each evening during the winter season (November 1 to April 30) at the Botanique metro station, plus a weekly summer distribution on Saturdays at the esplanade of the Tour des Finances. It supplements meal distribution with a year-round solidarity fridge, clothing and blanket handouts, and listening/referral support, all delivered by over 20 volunteers per evening across four official sections and rotating independent teams.

Product overview

Opération Thermos asbl is a Belgian nonprofit organization (asbl) operating as a solidarity and volunteer association that provides free meals and support services to people in precarity in Brussels. The organization operates a single unified service model centered around meal distribution, with a core winter distribution program (November 1 to April 30) at the Botanique metro station serving 200 meals nightly, supplemented by summer weekly distributions. Additional services include the 'Frigo Solidaire' community fridge, clothing and blanket distributions, and empathetic listening support. The organization also sells merchandise (Belgian chocolate truffles, apparel, accessories) for fundraising purposes. The operations are structured around four official sections (Thermos Linkebeek, Thermos Berlaymont, Thermos Soupière Sans Abri, Thermos Akuna Thermostat) plus independent teams, coordinated by volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thermos Linkebeek: Historical section founded by 118th Scout Unit of Linkebeek, operating since 1985-1986
• Thermos Berlaymont
• Thermos Soupière Sans Abri
• Thermos Akuna Thermostat

Products and services

• Winter Meal Distribution (Distribution de repas) Daily distribution of 200 balanced, complete meals (soup, hot dish, water, dessert, and hot beverage) each evening during winter (November 1 to April 30) at the Botanique metro station in Brussels, provided free of charge to people experiencing precarity and homelessness.
• Summer Meal Distribution Weekly meal distribution on the esplanade of the Tour des Finances every Saturday at 1:30 PM during summer months, continuing free meal access for beneficiaries outside the winter season.
• Frigo Solidaire (Solidarity Fridge) Open-access refrigerator located in central Brussels, available daily from 10 AM to 7 PM, allowing people in need to access food year-round and helping combat food waste through recovery of unsold items.
• Clothing and Blanket Distribution Distribution of warm clothing and blankets to people in need through collaborations with partner organizations, supplementing the meal-distribution mission with material support for vulnerable populations.
• Listening and Support Services Volunteers provide empathetic listening, emotional support, and referrals to appropriate social, medical, and legal services for beneficiaries encountered during meal distributions and at the solidarity fridge.
• Merchandise Sales (Fundraising) Sale of merchandise including Belgian chocolate truffles, t-shirts, polar fleece jackets, thermoses, bracelets, pens, pocket knives, and children's Smurf watches, with all proceeds supporting the organization's mission.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• STIB-MIVBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTIB-MIVB (Brussels public transport authority) hosts Opération Thermos at the Botanique metro station, providing the primary distribution location for evening meals during winter.
• Bruxelles Propreté (ARP-GAN)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrussels cleanliness agency partners with Opération Thermos to support operations at the distribution location.
• Lions Club CharlemagnesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerService club partner that supports the organization through fundraising, volunteer engagement, and community advocacy.
• NihoulsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner business that contributes to Opération Thermos activities and distributions.
• Restaurant Le MesssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner that supports the organization's mission through food-related partnerships.
• Fondation Roi BaudouincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe King Baudouin Foundation provides institutional support, funding, and legitimacy to Opération Thermos as a recognized charitable organization.
• asbl BruzellesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation fighting menstrual poverty that visits monthly to provide hygiene protection kits to women in precarity at the Botanique station. Women can also donate specific items or hygiene protections.
• Paroisse Saint-JosephsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaint-Joseph parish supports the Thermos Soupière Sans Abri section through donations and community engagement.
• Fédération des Scouts Cathiques de BelgiquesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian Catholic Scout Federation initiated the original Thermos operation in 1985 with tartines and coffee distribution at Gare du Nord, leading to the founding of Opération Thermos asbl in 1987.
• Various supermarket partnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Linkebeek section recovers unsold food from a major supermarket to supplement their meal preparations, reducing waste and costs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Médecins du Monde Belgique: Belgian branch of the international medical-humanitarian NGO providing healthcare and social support to vulnerable populations, including undocumented people and the homeless. Comparable as a broader humanitarian incumbent in Brussels offering integrated care plus social support to a similar beneficiary base.
• Croix-Rouge de Belgique: Belgian Red Cross, a large humanitarian organization providing emergency aid, social support, and food assistance across Belgium. Comparable as a much larger incumbent operating in the same humanitarian and food-aid space in Brussels, with institutional funding and broader programmatic reach.

Emerging players

• FareShare: UK charity redistributing surplus food from retailers and food producers to a network of frontline charities. Comparable as an organizational analogue for Opération Thermos's food-recovery angle (Linkebeek supermarket recovery, Frigo Solidaire), scaled to a national redistribution network.

Direct peers

• CAW (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk): Belgian network of social welfare centers providing support to people in vulnerable situations, including housing, financial, and material aid. Comparable because it serves a similar beneficiary population across Belgium with direct, in-person social services, complementing Opération Thermos's food-and-listening model.
• Pierre d'Angle: Brussels day center for people experiencing homelessness, offering meals, showers, laundry, lockers, and social support. Highly comparable to Opération Thermos in offering free, unconditional in-person services to the same population in central Brussels.
• DoucheFLUX: Brussels center providing free showers, hygiene facilities, meals, and support services to people experiencing homelessness. Comparable as a Brussels-rooted, volunteer-supported nonprofit offering dignity-restoring services to the same precarity population.
• Samu Social Bruxelles: Brussels-based public utility providing mobile outreach, shelter, and food support to homeless and precariously housed people. Directly comparable because it serves the same Brussels beneficiary population with meal, shelter, and referral services, often at the same hours and locations.
• Les Petits Riens: Belgian nonprofit operating shelters, day centers, and social enterprises serving homeless and vulnerable people in Brussels. Comparable because it combines food aid with broader social integration services, funded through donations and merchandise (secondhand shops), paralleling Opération Thermos's hybrid support-plus-fundraising model.
• Banque Alimentaire Bruxelles-Brabant: Regional food bank redistributing surplus food to charitable organizations in Brussels-Brabant. Comparable because it operates the upstream food-recovery-and-redistribution function that complements Opération Thermos's downstream meal service, and shares reliance on volunteer networks and supermarket partnerships.

Regional players

• Les Restos du Cœur: France-based nonprofit founded on the same community-meal-distribution model for people in precarity, with merchandise fundraising and large volunteer networks. Comparable as the European flagship of the 'free meals + volunteer sections + donated goods' model that Opération Thermos replicates in Belgium.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OperationThermos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/op%C3%A9ration-thermos-asbl
• Instagraminstagram.com/operationthermos/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Opération Thermos asbl