Maartje Nelissen

Maartje-Nelissen
“I'm trying to bring about change on everyone's plate by making food more futureproof.”
Maartje Nelissen
Alumna Hotel Management School

Maartje Nelissen describes food as her passion, as a powerful tool and the one universal language we speak all over the world. It’s led her to work that aims to bring change to everyone’s plate by making food more futureproof.  Her enthusiasm was triggered when she met a businesswoman setting up a new catering company that wanted to change the way we eat at large-scale festivals. Setting up its corporate events business, she joined the company, The Food Line-up. Its aim is to provide good, healthy, honest food for everyone using local chefs, producers and farmers. It’s a mission that has earned it, as first caterer in Europe, a B-Corp certificate, a sustainability award that says they use business as a force for good.

Becoming the norm

The company’s no-nonsense approach to food is supported by Maartje’s desire to add meaning and her sense of hostmanship, the art of making others feel welcome, and is something she aims to achieve at every event The Food Line-up organises.  

This desire to add meaning was nurtured during her studies and her urge to be a driver for change has led to the development of innovative concepts with the company. With the conviction that the food system currently in place in the world is not sustainable, these concepts aim to create a new norm for food sourcing and consumption in the short term.  

In her work, Maartje frequently draws on the broad nature of her degree. On the one hand, the programme is niche as everything is related to hospitality and food services, but on the other hand, topics such as marketing, revenue and ethics make it applicable to practically every sector. The combination means graduates are able to work in a wide variety of sectors – creating a valuable network Maartje continues to enjoy. 

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