Founded and inspired by...
format_quote
My driving force is my love for nature. In 2009, after a busy professional life in my native Belgium, I decided to settle in the Pyrénées Orientales at the foot of Mont Canigou in France. The new environment gave rise to a passion for agriculture, and more specifically for the unique flavours of the local peaches, nectarines, apricots, tomatoes and many other fruits. In 2010, together with Jean-Paul Margalet and some local producers, I started exporting ripe harvested fruit as there was a clear international demand for good quality and tasty fruit and vegetables. “Les goûts d'avant, maintenant” was born and became a success. In 2016, I took on the challenge of growing tomatoes and special citrus fruits myself. This experience made me humble and gave me even more respect for the expertise and dedication of the producers. In 2020, I met Frank Van Gelder. Together we decided to share and spread our shared passion for delicious fruit and vegetables. That's how Passion for Taste was born. It is my dream and personal mission to let as many people as possible enjoy the passion for taste, to share it and cherish it. That way we can preserve the unique flavors of fruit and vegetables.
Josse Houben
format_quote
Since my young age I have enjoyed the taste and art of a good and fresh kitchen. Bringing together the quality of products with the creativity to a fantastic dish is essential for me. Together with my love for Africa and their fresh products, the idea of "Passion for Taste" was only a matter of time before it would become reality. The combination of extraordinary taste, zero waste and charitable initiatives is an obvious one.
Frank Van Gelder
format_quote
I was born and raised in this region, what you call 'un Catalan pure sweet'. For years I was a producer of peaches, nectarines, apricots and also a producer of planting material. At a certain point I was looking forward to spreading our savoir-faire in a different way. In 2010 I met Josse and we started "Les Goûts d'Avant, maintenant". Passion for Taste is for me the icing on the cake in this exciting adventure that brings new challenges every day. I wish you much pleasure in your taste.
Jean-Paul Margalet
format_quote
Nick has been working as a chef for over 10 years. It is from his experience in Japanese cuisine and his Filipino origins that he draws his ideas to create dishes with fresh quality products. Over the last 2 years, he has developed a passion for photography that focuses mainly on cultural travels and people. Sara has been traveling for several years, trying to discover other cultures and studying alternative ways of life. For a year now, she has been in Belgium trying to change her way of life, her way of consuming and her vision of the world, not only for the planet, but also for her body and mind. During our many travels, we have found that eating together and preparing food together is a good way to communicate and share culture. Thanks to "Passion for Taste", we can share and highlight the discovery of certain products and at the same time make people aware of the way they can be consumed. This project is a way for us to combine our passions: traveling, cooking and photography.
Nick & Sara Escobar
format_quote
Hello, I am Jennifer. Belgian at heart, but living and working in Valencia, Spain since 2008. When I first met Josse, she came up with a beautiful concept: “Going back, moving forward” or in other words, reconnecting the end users with the field and the original taste. Just a nice slogan you would say… Not at all. We worked very hard to turn this romantic vision into reality, focusing at all times on internal quality and taste. It was an interesting start though. At first, our current partners did not understand how we would manage to load small quantities with mixed products of non-standard fruits. Well… we did. Now 8 years later we want to take this concept to the next level. In this new lifestyle of social distancing and the importance of online shopping, it makes sense. I am very passionate about this concept, because I believe we can reach many more families than before.
Jennifer De Wever
