Rikolto is born! Vredeseilanden/VECO changes brand name

As of 30th September 2017, the first of several events worldwide took place to launch VECO’s new name: Rikolto. Rikolto is the Esperanto word for ‘harvest’. We want farmers to have a brilliant harvest, and we want to especially harvest great new ideas and solutions to improve our food systems.  

“First of all,” says Madeleine Tsimi, co-director, “there was a practical reason. In Belgium, we are known as Vredeseilanden. Everywhere else, we are known as VECO. This double name often created confusions. Changing our name allows us to create a strong, recognisable, international brand for our entire organisation.”

Having started as an organisation in the 1980s in Belgium, today the organisation is on 4 continents and 8 regions around the world with both global and diverse local perspectives on how to improve food systems. As of the 1st of January 2017, decision making takes place through 8 regional offices that manage the organisation together, building on the same values.

“So secondly, the decision to change our brand name was motivated by Rikolto’s transition into an international network organisation. We wanted a brand name that suited this new phase of our organisation, and that matched our mission."

Worldwide, strong teams of local experts are striving to answer one question: what will we eat tomorrow? This is a crucial question for consumers, farmers, agri-food companies and policy makers alike. For some, it is about the choices they make to improve our food system. For others, facing food shortages, it is a ‘literal’ question they struggle with every day. And for Rikolto, it is a means to invite everybody to join in a conversation, about finding solutions for the world’s food systems, and ensuring they are sustainable. To change the recipe of our food system, together.

“Smallholder farmers remain one of the key actors we work with,” adds Chris Claes, co-director. “Along with supermarkets, retailers, policy makers and consumers, to guarantee affordable, quality food for all. We still believe that we cannot do this alone: building bridges between different stakeholders in the food system continues to be at the core of our work.”

In the coming weeks, Rikolto will be officially presented to our stakeholders:

• 4/10/2017 - Sustainable Rice Conference in Bangkok
• 12/10/2017 - Tegucigalpa, Honduras
• 11 - 15/10/2017 - Jakarta, Indonesia - Rikolto presented at annual Trade Fair
• 15/10/2017 - West Africa - start media campaign
• 16/10/2017 - Jakarta, Indonesia - official launch at the Belgian Embassy
• 18/10/2017 - Lima, Peru
• 19/10/2017 - Managua, Nicaragua
• 26/10/2017 - Quito, Ecuador
• Nov (date still to be confirmed) - Hanoi, Vietnam
• Nov (dates still to be confirmed) - Mbale, Uganda and Arusha, Tanzania
• Nov (dates still to be confirmed) - Butembo, Bukavu, Goma and Bunia in DRC

We are very excited about our new name, but we understand that you might need some time to get used to us being Rikolto. For this reason, we will still mention VECO below Rikolto for a little while. Also, our logo comes back in the design of our new name, so we hope this will make it easy for you to recognise us. Nevertheless, if you have any questions about our new name, do not hesitate to get in touch!