Enjoy 50% off a healthy juice or snack with every "menu" purchase!
Everyone’s talking about healthy eating at the moment…workshops are popping up all over Geneva and Vaud about how to live more healthily, and invariably this includes making sensible choices about your diet. We all know it makes sense, but do we have the time required to research the recipes, buy the food and then prepare it? How much easier it would be if that could all be done for us!
One local company which does just that is TAKINOA. Knowitall.ch met with Sales Manager, Delphine Graf, at their boutique restaurant in Nyon to find out more and the company and discover the secret behind its huge success in this region.
Founder, Eric Lebel
Launched officially under its current name back in 2013, TAKINOA is the brain child of Eric Lebel, a passionate mountaineer who was constantly searching ideas for healthy food that would give him the energy he needed when walking in the mountains.
Delphine told us, "As Eric researched various food options for his hikes, he soon realised that he was not alone in wanting to know more about healthy eating…indeed, it wasn’t just sporty people who were looking for healthy food, people from all walks of life were keen to improve their eating habits by introducing more healthy, balanced meals into their diet."
TAKINOA is born
So in 2011, Eric set about launching a health food business, which would meet the needs of all those people living busy lifestyles, with no time to think about food. He catered for the restaurants of local health-conscious businesses, and set up distribution points that would allow the general public to benefit from his take-away meals.
So successful was his business idea, that in 2013 he officially launched his business under the name of TAKINOA….an aptly chosen name where TAKI and NO represent the absence of speed, i.e. serenity, which is a founding principal of Eric’s business, giving customers the oppportunity to enjoy healthy food that they wouldn't otherwise have had the time to prepare themselves. Likewise the logo, with its Swiss cross and flower of life, was carefully chosen to represent the idea of locally sourced, organic food.
At the same time as the new brandname was launched, a production site was opened in Gland, where Eric was able to produce his delicious-tasting food, using recipes that take into consideration our current knowledge about food intolerances, nutritional deficiencies, and stress.
Eat-in or take-away
In 2014 TAKINOA opened its first “boutique” restaurant in Lausanne, offering customers the opportunity to eat in or take-away. In 2015, four more boutiques were added in Gland, Nyon and Geneva (at Fnac).
In 2016, two more boutiques were opened, one in Geneva and one at the Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne, which is proving very popular with EPFL students.
If you step into any of the TAKINOA restaurants, you are immediately struck with how calm, minimalist and peaceful they look...these are definitely places to unwind and take the time to appreciate your food!
TAKINOA food principles
When setting up his business, Eric created a simple but effective food strategy that defines the recipes behind all his dishes.
- They should be “home-made”.
- There should be no additives, colorants, or preservatives.
- Sugar and salt should be limited.
- Dishes should have minimal environmental impact, therefore they should aim to incorporate locally sourced food where possible, and use seasonal fruit and vegetables.
- They should be prepared using best cooking practices for preserving the nutritional value of food, such as: steaming; low temperature preparations for meat; no frying
- Use bio produce where possible.
- Use more fruit and vegetables.
- Avoid refined food and use, instead, integral cereals, first cold-pressure oils, and raw sugar.
- Select fats carefully: favor high quality fats rich in omega 3,6 and 9 and use a diversity of fats (rapeseed oil, cold-pressed olive oil, and grape seed oil). Use saturated fats, like coconut fat, for cooking. Whilst butter is not used in preparations, TAKINOA recommends eating about 10g of raw butter a day.
A colorful menu
TAKINOA’s food not only tastes good, it looks good too! Its menu is large, varied, and colorful, and includes special “formules” designed to include all the ingredients for a balanced diet in one carefully-selected 3-course meal. Individually, the menu includes:
- Juices
- Smoothies
- Home-made soup
- Fresh salads
- Cereal salads
- Multi-cereal bread
- Hot and cold wraps
- Bocal balanced meals
- Desserts and snacks
If you visit the TAKINOA website and click on the “menu of the week”, you can see the full range of dishes available, each carefully labelled to identify their suitability for individual customers. You can choose from:
- No lactose
- Naturally gluten-free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Flexivore
A holistic approach to health
So what makes TAKINOA different to all the other health food companies in this region? Eric told us,
"From producer to plate, everything about us says wholesome. At TAKINOA, we nurture your body and soul with hearty goodness – while leaving a positive impact on our planet. We fuel your inner warrior with essential nutrition that’ll leave you delightfully satisfied, all day long!"
He continued, "Our goal is to lead you to a healthier lifestyle, based on diet, but also on physical activity and the balance between your private life and your professional life. In order to achieve this and provide you the necessary tools, we surround ourselves with nutrition professionals and sports coaches, but also experts in nutrition and micro-nutrition. We are committed to providing our customers with top quality products that help them optimize their daily health."
Eric went on to explain the special relationship between diet and homeostasis; the physiological balance of the body.
"Our body's systems are both distinct and interactive and are always working to maintain homeostasis. To contribute to the overall physical balance that supports life, each system must meet its metabolic needs, thanks to the nutrients that food provides you. Dietary proteins, carbohydrates and fats provide both caloric energy and elements such as the amino acids that are used to form cells. Minerals and vitamins can act as hormones or catalysts in the reactions needed for the body's functions, such as the regulation of blood pressure."
He concluded, "At TAKINOA we seek, above all, to make you aware about the importance of good nutrition for preventive purposes. We believe that prevention is the key to good health over the long term. That's why our research and development team works every day to find innovative and pioneering products in the healthcare field, to offer our customers ever-healthier recipes!"
Additional services
In addition to its restaurant and take-away services, TAKINOA now offers customers the option to order dishes online. For business orders over Fr. 200.-, TAKINOA will deliver the food to your premises, including large trays of wraps, buns and muffins, ideal for lunch meetings. For individual orders, pick-up is at your nearest restaurant.
TAKINOA also has a growing catering business and, for corporate customers, offers team breakfasts, coffee breaks, lunch buffets, and a juice bar, perfect if you’re looking for some live entertainment as well as delicious drinks! Think about using TAKINOA's services the next time you organize a meeting for employees or clients!
To encourage more customers to try out their dishes, TAKINOA is kindly offering knowitall.ch readers 50% off a healthy juice or snack with every "menu" purchased at one of their boutique restaurants. Just present the voucher at the end of this article when you place your order at the counter …you can use as many vouchers as you like before the offer expires on 28 February 2018.
Client recommendation
If you’re looking for a client recommendation before taking any decision to visit TAKINOA, then this recommendation from local food blogger, Nouhad Monpays, says it all, “This is an amazing food brand, with food spots I particularly like here in Geneva - they propose fresh, daily, local and organic food with several vegan and veggie options, and also lots of "no lactose", and "gluten-free" ones.”
She concluded, “I discovered this brand a year ago, and since then have become a huge fan - as their own slogan says, TAKINOA - Food for Joy", they give me joy whenever I eat, especially when I have their vegan chocolate fondant....yummy!!”
You can read Nouhad’s own blog about TAKINOA’s Fnac Café in Geneva (in French) by clicking here.
TAKINOA - Food for Joy!
www.takinoa.com
GENEVA
1) Rue du Nant 12
With terrace
2) Fnac Café by TAKINOA
Rue de Rive 16
NYON
Place Bel-Air 5
With terrace
GLAND
Chemin du Vernay 72
LAUSANNE
1) Rue du Grand Pont 4
2) EPFL, Rolex Learning Center
Click here for current opening hours.
