{"id":111631,"date":"2020-03-30T09:32:03","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T07:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=111631"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:37:07","slug":"this-student-is-running-a-food-delivery-service-that-offers-work-experience-for-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/03\/30\/this-student-is-running-a-food-delivery-service-that-offers-work-experience-for-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"This student is running a food delivery service that offers work experience for refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, the Netherlands has received thousands of refugees, most of whom have chosen to stay in the country and pursue their personal and professional lives here. Yasmina Khabibi, a 25-year-old MYSOC student, saw an opportunity to create a career platform for them, whilst also benefiting students. Her small venture, Freshtable, provides students with fresh, nutritious and affordable food cooked by refugees.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Yasmina loves cooking and baking. She worked as a professional sushi chef for five years and brought a treat to the interview: freshly baked fluffy vegan brownie. \u201cEvery time I brought my food to the university, people kept saying: \u2018Oh my god, did you really make that?!\u2019, \u2018Where do you find the time?\u2019, \u2019I wish I knew how to cook\u2019. And that inspired me\u201d, says Yasmina about the moment the idea for Freshtable was born. \u201cI started by asking how much students spent on an average meal. The prices were ridiculous, around 15 to 20 euros. I wanted to help these students by providing them with an affordable option that would also be sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does it work?<\/h2>

Freshtable is not a typical food delivery service. It offers weekly meal planning. You get your order delivered in two parts, containing three meals per delivery. \u201cEverything needs to be good and fresh. This doesn\u2019t mean that we don\u2019t make pizza or pasta, but it has to be made from nutritious products. We don\u2019t add any additives or any weird ingredients that we can\u2019t pronounce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yasmina added that, knowing how much international students can miss their home, she tries to include a variety of cuisines in their menu. \u201cWe offer Moroccan dishes, Syrian, South African, Chinese, Indonesian, etc.\u201d All the meals are delivered via campus pick-up points. Due to the corona measures, Freshtable is temporarily running a contactless delivery service. \u201cNormally we don\u2019t have a home delivery service because it isn\u2019t sustainable. But also because we value human interaction. Our goal is not just to provide food, but also the story that comes with it. You can come and talk to the people who have prepared your meal, ask questions and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her own story is this: \u201cI am a Dutch Moroccan. As a child of migrants, you were always considered to be different or one of the outcasts. I always had that urge to make sure that other people would never feel the same way. My heart lies where I can make an impact, contribute to society and help them improve their lives. This is something that my parents taught me by example. I remember that we had a family from Libya living in our home in the early nineties. It always sparked my interest and I\u2019ve also always worked with refugees in volunteering programmes.\u201d Yasmina decided to combine all the causes and set the three goals for Freshtable: sustainability, affordable meals and social inclusion.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Employing refugees<\/h2>

\u201cThe refugees who have entered the country in recent years have a high level of intelligence, but only 7 percent find a job. They almost always perform under their qualification level. So why not capitalise on that and help each other?\u201d To gather funding and start the business, Yasmina addressed the EU solidarity corps, which provided Freshtable with a small subsidy. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a good idea to help society, not necessarily refugees, but the elderly for example, you might be entitled to get a small amount of money from the organisation. You only have to gather five likeminded people and fill out a lot of forms\u201d.<\/p>\n

Freshtable currently has twelve employees, six refugees and six students and has already served 43 meals. The aim is to double the existing customer base within the next six months, as well as help at least twenty refugees obtain valuable work experience and social integration.<\/p>\n

Each Freshtable team member works at all levels of the organisation. \u201cI didn\u2019t want refugees to only do the production work, cook and go home. So, we started offering internships, mentoring programmes and even giving Dutch classes\u201d. At the moment, each Freshtable employee gets to mentor a few refugees. \u201cAlthough Freshtable offers opportunities to others, I feel like it\u2019s a win-win for both of us. We\u2019ve actually learned so much from them regarding many aspects of business, their valuable experiences and their outlook on life.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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You can get your weekly subscription via Freshtable’s website<\/a>. Each meal box is under 30 euros, halal, and vegan options are also available.<\/p>\n

For more information, follow Freshtable on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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