Meet The Founder: Coffee with Vegan Fish Chunks with Simon Visscher

Hello, Simon Visscher: can you tell us who you are?

“My name is Simon Visscher, with double s – c – h – e – r. And no, that’s not my vegan stage name or a marketing trick; it’s my real name. But who knows, maybe the DNA of vegan fishermen has secretly always run through my veins. I grew up in a family with 6 children. At the age of 14, I started my first job, which also turned out to have been the beginning of my career in the hospitality industry, as I quickly discovered my passion for food and drinks. My next steps were immediately clear, so I continued my path at the hotel management school in Zwolle.”

“The connection with gastronomy and hospitality has since been the common thread in everything I’ve done. I spent almost 15 years of my working life involved in wine import at LFE. I enjoyed doing this within that organization until my entrepreneurial spirit started knocking on the door, making me decide to start my own business three years ago. Once that idea got planted in my head, a bell rang when I saw the rise of plant-based meat substitutes as I simultaneously noticed that there was still little attention given to alternatives for fish. “There must be a market for that,” was the thought that sparked me from then on.”

Was that the ‘aha-moment’ that led to Vegan Visboer?

“That is indeed how the idea for Vegan Visboer was born. After this, together with Kramer Fish, the producer of Vegan Visboer products, we developed the products. We did everything we could to make our plant-based fish simulate animal-based fish as much as possible in terms of taste, texture, and also nutritional values. My background and network within the foodservice industry helped us to get our first products to major customers like Fletcher and De Beren Restaurants.” 

“And major caterers like Vitam and Vermaat also played a big role during our initial growth spurt. And they still do, because they like working with our vegan fish. This allowed us to move on to wholesalers like Hanos, Sligro, Bidfood, and all VHC members, giving all restaurants access to Vegan Fisherman. Then followed the giant leap into events, festivals, and retail. And we’ve also become a private label producer in the meantime. Did you know that some of the plant-based products in Dutch supermarkets are actually secretly Vegan Fisherman fish?”

So you’re saying that Vegan Fisherman is actually world-famous?

“Well, that would be an overstatement. But it definitely is the dream I have for the future of Vegan Fisherman: to make our products accessible to everyone, both for at home use and in hospitality. The products are currently available in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, but we want to continue to grow in all directions. So, not only to get bigger within the Netherlands, but also to expand to other European countries like Spain, France, and England. It’s challenging, especially since we’re also building a completely new category at the same time.” 

“You have to keep telling your story continuously and build everything up brick by brick. And sometimes a brick falls out, and you have to rebuild it. That’s part of it all. For now, our focus is on increasing awareness, visibility, and creating positive consumer moments. A huge task, but with our team, who are all passionately behind the vegan fish and the ideology, we will get there.”

Have you ever experienced funny things as a maker of plant-based fish? I can imagine you’ve encountered challenging situations.

“What I found to be a funny discovery was that when seasoning a product, the approach is to start with ‘as much as possible’ and then adjust downwards: exactly the opposite of the approach when cooking. Well, I can tell you that as a result the first pieces of vegan fish I tasted were really awful. As the seasoning was completely exaggerated, it was genuinely disgusting. Fortunately, that’s a normal part of the very fun process, and it all turned out fine.”

“During the many tastings and events, we experience all sorts of things, too. For example, we’re often seen as activists, and we’re also ‘attacked’ with discussions about why veganism wouldn’t be a good thing. I think those people are not yet familiar with the phenomenon. And because the vegan market is growing fast, it makes other producers worry about their offerings and this makes them feel uncomfortable about the change that is inevitable anyway. Or has been for a while already. Ultimately, I hope it’s only good inspiration for them.”

Speaking of which: are you yourself vegan? Or a sustainability activist?

“I’m not 100% vegan, but I call myself 75% vegan. I honestly find it difficult to take that last step to being 100% plant-based. It’s a choice, of course, and I’m aware that there are still many ingrained habits. But I have to say that the longer I am working with these products and the more I know about the whole vegan movement, the more the share of plant-based food in our household grows and the animal-based part decreases. For my work, I want to keep tasting things and comparing flavors. This also plays a role.”

“I don’t identify as an activist, although I am happy with the less harmful effect of our vegan fish compared to animal-based fish, and I hope that with Vegan Visboer, I can contribute to this movement. I hope that this will lead to a shift towards more plant-based eating. It seems like a more achievable goal to get a lot of people to eat a lot less animal products than to make a lot of people completely vegan.”

Okay, Simon Visscher, back to you as a non-Vegan Fisherman. Who are you at home?

“At home, I’m more Simon the Chef, because that’s where I am ruling the kitchen, cooking for my wife Karin and our two children, Isa (3) and Sem (1). I’m incredibly grateful for my family and I like to spend as much time as possible with them, as well as with the rest of my family and friends. But to be honest, I’m incredibly busy with Vegan Visboer every day. I simply enjoy the process so much, especially to see its effects. Yes, it’s hard work, but I have fun whilst doing it, especially as it has such a good purpose.”

Last question: what’s your favorite Vegan Fisherman product and how do you like to eat it?

“That’s an almost impossible question: how can I choose between them?! I’ll make it easy: I’ll give you my top 2 favorites. The Vegan Fish Chunks (*these are based on a recipe for a typical Dutch fish dish called ‘kibbeling’) are made with a classic ‘kibbeling’ batter and seasoned like every good fishmonger in the Netherlands would. This is a true pride of mine. I prefer to bake them in the oven because the batter stays nice and fluffy. And then, you just eat them on the go, as its done traditionally, or dressed as ‘fish and chips’ with fries on the side and a tasty topping like a remoulade or ravigote sauce and some kibbeling seasoning on top. You can easily make a vegan version of both. Google it.”

“The Vegan Fish Fillet is my favorite for weekdays when we want to eat healthier. We fry those in the skillet, alongside the Vegan Fish Sticks for the kids, and we eat them with potato garnish, rice and vegetables, or a salad. That’s probably also a bit traditional. Maybe, despite becoming a ‘woke’ Vegan Fisherman, I’m still quite down-to-earth!”