Our story started more than 11 years ago. I had a number of interior assignments at the time and was looking for curtains. Not the umpteenth prefab that you can buy everywhere, but I was looking for special fabrics and tailor-made advice. I accidentally ended up with Fabienne and Filip Cleyhens from De Wesp. . My first idea was that De Wasp stood for fly screens, but nothing could be further from the truth. De Wasp stood for Wespelaer, a village near Werchter.
We immediately noticed that we were like-minded souls. In addition to designing and dressing interiors together with curtains, blinds and screens, they are also our ‘partner in crime’ at bARK.
Circular entrepreneurs even before the child was given a name.
De Wasp has meanwhile become an oversized SME and they moved from Wespelaer to new premises on the industrial estate in Tildonk about 6 years ago. This was also an excellent opportunity for Fabienne and Filip to fully play the sustainability card. Pioneering is in their blood. Working, living and living differently are therefore extremely important, especially for the next generations. The word ‘circular entrepreneurship’ was absolutely not an issue at the time. But it stood like a pole above water. The roof would be full of solar panels. The waste would be recycled or reused as much as possible. All beauty products are made ‘in house’. They get food from the local picking garden, but it was inevitable… even on their own company site, the piece of greenery was arranged in a quirky way.
Edible piece of industrial estate
It just shows how you can create a true ‘biodiverse Earthly Paradise’ in a small area. The chickens have fun and if you are very quiet you can hear that the birds, bees and bumblebees feel at home here. Usually Filip walks around with the pruning shears. Just get something delicious from the garden and a nice salad is made in no time.
In the meantime, Filip Cleynhens is on board and is a member of the board of directors of bARK vzw. He wants to inspire other entrepreneurs to also organize their business premises differently. Ok, trees are not allowed because there are natural gas pipes, but you can do so much more than just lay a lawn and especially spray a lot to nip every piece of green between the pavers immediately in the bud. Imagine that you can give your employees something tasty from the company garden. Has your interest been aroused? We’ll be happy to visit.
