Meet new colleagues Sylvia Raijmakers & Eva Berends

We are very happy to welcome two new Project Coordinators: Sylvia Raijmakers & Eva Berends. Both have been working at Foodvalley NL for several months. Below you can read what drives them and what their role is at The Protein Community.

What drives you? Why do you work for The Protein Community? 
Sylvia: Since I was young I have always been concerned with animal welfare. With the environmental impact of the livestock industry, and thus meat consumption, becoming more and more apparent, I became even more interested in plant-based diets. Therefore, during my master thesis I researched the establishment of protein-rich Fabaceae in the Dutch food system. I am very happy that by joining Foodvalley NL and supporting TPC and its partners on their journey, I can contribute to a more sustainable food system, where we rebalance the amount of plant and animal proteins in our diet.  

Eva: Having run a small start-up myself, I have experienced first-hand the importance of having a strong network, finding the right connections and collaborating with different parties. Without it, my company would never have been able to produce or market our product. I do my best to help TPC-partners find these connections too, within The Protein Community and beyond. I strongly believe that we need each other to accelerate the protein shift. That is why I am happy to be part of the TPC team.

What will be your roll at TPC? What can people contact you for?  
Sylvia: I will mainly be supporting the TPC team by organising events and composing interesting programs, such as the Germany Program. More specifically, I am organising the acceleration session on texturization to be held on the 15th of February at SmaakPark in Ede. I look forward to seeing many of you there! If you have any questions about this event or any other TPC-related question, please feel free to contact me. 

Eva: I am working on the website, on mailings and the onboarding of new partners. You will hear from me online and will most definitely see me at most of the TPC events. You can always contact me with question related to the mailings you receive (or should receive) or an TPC event.