As I mentioned in my first “Entrepreneurship” article – everybody can become one if you just believe in yourself and your idea. You would be surprised what you can achieve if you just take that first step. In this article, I want to give you another great example - a brilliant young BUas student who started her own path to success.  See how Lucy Brandt became a brand owner during her study.

Even though this social innovation student didn’t necessarily begin her BUas journey with the idea of creating her own healthy food brand fate seemed to have had another thing in mind. Third-year student – Lucy shared that her love for food began at home and that during quarantine she caught herself cooking more and more. It was actually her parents who suggested to her she could do something more with her talent. Coming back to BUas Lucy pitched her new idea to her fellow social innovators and teachers and got a green light for her great concept.

With her interest and love for food and a healthy lifestyle, she took it upon herself to share her passion with the world. And as fate would have it, a contest for a free place at Breda’s Food Hall had opened up. She pitched the idea in front of a select jury, municipality representatives, and the organization BANK15 and she got the location! And that is how the story of Servelle begins.

Servelle which will be a kitchen at Breda’s Food Hall will offer its customers a break from unhealthy foods with various delicious meals which not only taste great but are also good for your body and mind. The young entrepreneur shares that she wishes to be transparent with the customers about the ingredients and what positive effects meals can have on their bodies. Servelle not only wants to feed the body, but it wants its customers to also feed their minds by taking away something valuable from the meals and learning.

You may be wondering what the name means? Cervelle is a French word and can be best translated as “the composition of the brain”, by replacing the “C” with an “S” you get the word “serve” in English. That is how Servelle was created. Saying in a way that they serve the brain. Pretty clever if you ask me. After consulting a graphic designer, the logo and colour scheme of the brand came to life.

Lucy shared that she does have to give thanks also to her study – Leisure’s social innovation, as they really push their students and show them the way to becoming their own entrepreneurs. It was actually one of the teachers who suggested the Food Hall competition to her. She shares that the teachers supported her the whole way. She says she would definitely recommend the study to students wondering which one to pick. Another organization Lucy gave a special shoutout to is BANK15 who is an organization that helps finance and give advice to small passionate and motivated entrepreneurs to make their dreams come true. Without them, a lot wouldn’t have been possible.

The special thing about Servelle is that it stands out from all of the rest of the restaurants at the Food Hall. Not only is the brand not specifically a country-related brand (Mexican, French, etc.), it’s also to share a passion and create a space where Servelle can make an impact on people’s lives. Not just to serve the customers but to create a place where people can benefit from the food and have a nice sustainable meal. Even though Corona has given Lucy and her brand quite the hard time with the opening, she hasn’t given up and is just as excited as ever to bring her creation to life. And the time has finally come!

Lucy shared with me about the future of the brand and that she is keeping an open mind to see where life will take her. All she knows for now is that even if Servelle does grow bigger, she never wants to stray away from her values and forget her initial intent. She shared what she felt is the best part of becoming a brand owner – the ability to make her creations, passions, ideas into real things and having the freedom to do so.

To future entrepreneurs, Servelle shared this advice – envision your passions, focus on them, and work towards them no matter in what time span, be brave and surround yourself with people who support and lift you up!

As students or staff of BUas, Servelle’s story should be taken as an example that anything is possible when we truly want and work for it.

Let’s give our fellow students some support and make sure to check out Servelle on the 25^th of June (Friday) at Breda Food Hall Reigerstraat 24, 4811 XB and have a taste of their delicious food for thought!

Find Servelle on Instagram at @servellebreda