“We are super proud that we were able to create a fresh herb experience in collaboration with Leaf: a herb greenhouse and a fresh tea garden,” explained Renée Peeters of Vitacress Real. The greening provides extra fresh experience for guests in aroma, color and taste.

In La Place's new concept, guests no longer walk past a buffet, but can order directly from a food or barista bar. The order is freshly prepared there on the spot. Guests can also place an order in the restaurant via a QR code, checkout directly and receive the order at the table. The La Place menu offers classics as well as new favorites. Guests can go for the meal salads, juices, fresh herbal teas and sandwiches, as well as plate pizzas with salmon, chicken or grilled vegetables, for example, and vegetarian pitas with falafel or peppers and feta.

For the story around herbs and their perception, Vitacress Real came into the picture. Renée: “La Place wants to offer healthy and tasty concepts, and our Vitalicious catering concept is completely in line with that.

In cooperation with Leaf, a new and sustainable way of presentation was sought. “The arrangement and grow light were developed by Leaf which ensures a longer shelf life of the herb plants. Leaf supplies the so-called hardware, the herb trays with water basins. We supply the software: herb trays with basil and mint from Dutch soil, for in the herb greenhouse. The chefs use the herbs to make fresh pesto and the baristas to prepare mint tea. In addition to the widely known mint tea, other herbal teas from Vitalicious are offered, such as lemon thyme and lemon balm. Guests can choose from tea recipes created by the baristas.”

In La Place's new concept, guests no longer walk past a buffet, but can order directly from a food or barista bar. The order is freshly prepared there on the spot. Guests can also place an order in the restaurant via a QR code, checkout directly and receive the order at the table. The La Place menu offers classics as well as new favorites. Guests can go for the meal salads, juices, fresh herbal teas and sandwiches, as well as plate pizzas with salmon, chicken or grilled vegetables, for example, and vegetarian pitas with falafel or peppers and feta.

Storytelling has also been added to the new concept. Guests are taken inside the restaurant into the stories behind certain products, and the steps La Place is taking in terms of sustainability. For example, the mushrooms in the ragout are grown on “circular coffee grounds. Similarly, the herb salad is grown on a compost stream. Leftover croissants are used in a homemade bread pudding.

With a complementary and innovative offering of these lesser-known fresh tea herbs and tea recipes, it builds on the popularity of mint and ginger tea. “There is still a huge gap, if you see with what has happened with coffee in the hospitality industry in recent years, there is still a lot to be gained with fresh herbal teas and flavors. The coffee trend has blown over from hospitality to the home situation. We think that a lot is still possible with fresh herbal teas; there is still a lot to gain in terms of experience. That makes this collaboration extra valuable,” says Renée, who is already busy thinking about convenience concepts for consumers.

The Vitalicious herbal experience concept has already been rolled out at the first pilot La Place branch at Hema in Hilversum. It will soon be joined by a second branch in Alkmaar. If successful, Vitalicious's greening and tea concept will be introduced at all La Place restaurants.