Interview

The Black Cow Shop

11 October 2023
0 Comment

When transitioning from an omnivorous or vegetarian diet to a vegan lifestyle, cheese often remains the final challenge to overcome. This transition will now be significantly facilitated thanks to a passionate and vegan advocate entrepreneur, Inès Lazzerini of “The Black Cow Shop.”

Maison Marmite met Inès recently and she shared her personal journey, her transition to a vegan lifestyle, and her involvement in the animal rights movement. She also took us behind the scenes of her online store, “The Black Cow Shop,” where she offers a variety of high-quality vegan products. From managing stock to the challenges of online entrepreneurship, Inès provides a unique insight into her professional life and her mission to promote delicious and accessible plant-based alternatives. Discover her flagship products, her advice for future online entrepreneurs, and the positive impact of her collaboration with traditional cheese producers. Welcome to the world of “The Black Cow Shop.”

What was your background before opening THE BLACK COW SHOP?
When the idea of starting my own business was still a distant dream, I studied management engineering at the University of Namur, and I now hold a Master’s degree specializing in Supply Chain Management, Digital Marketing, and Finance. I worked in the logistics sector in the brewing industry for a while, but it wasn’t very fulfilling. It was after that experience that the idea of creating a project that I am passionate about, and that truly makes sense, came to fruition.

In parallel, I have been involved in the animal rights movement for over 10 years, both in the field and on social media. I became vegan in 2013 during my studies, when I stumbled upon an article about laying hens for an assignment I had to submit the next day. The following year, I created a sharing group on social media. Then, in 2017, I volunteered at a farm animal sanctuary called Le Rêve d’Aby.

Why this name?
This name and logo have a symbolic aspect. During the development of the project, I had just met Edith, a majestic black cow who quickly became very special and dear to my heart. It seemed obvious to me to use her as a symbol! By choosing this name, I wanted to dedicate the business to her and symbolically have a part of her in everything I do.

Beyond Edith, THE name and logo also refer to all the other cows and animals in the shadows, whose lives are taken in slaughterhouses. Animals are the reason for this business’s existence, and it was clear to me that I needed to highlight them.

But this name also has an activist aspect. In the collective unconscious, when we use the symbol of a cow (or a pig, or a chicken, for that matter), it doesn’t refer to the animal but to the ingredient it represents. We’re used to seeing a cow as “food” and not as an animal! However, farm animals are not ingredients; they are animals to be considered and cared for just like dogs and cats.

By choosing this name, I wanted to counteract this image of “consumer goods” and challenge the industry that exploits and treats them as commodities.

For once, it’s not about using their image to refer to the products for which they are exploited, but simply for themselves, because I love them immensely as a species, as individuals, and because I find them fascinating and beautiful!

Hence, it seemed logical to symbolize my vegan cheese shop with a cow, because this species is exploited for both its meat and its milk, and these are precisely the two main products for which I offer alternatives! So, being further inspired by Edith, I found it beautiful to dedicate it to her. It was a bit like “Edith’s Vegan Cheese Shop,” the cheese shop that wants to save all cows, not kill them.

Before embarking on this adventure, you were already a vegan activist. What was your journey in activism?
When I became vegan in 2013, there weren’t many “local” spaces for exchange, so I created the Facebook group “Les VÉGANES de WALLONIE” to bring together as many people from the region who are sensitive to animals, to try to raise awareness about animal exploitation, and TO encourage them to change their habits, by sharing advice and support. For me, it was a way to take action on my own scale. This group now has more than 5000 members!

After that, I participated in various demonstrations here and there, including in France. But it didn’t really suit me. For example, raising awareness in the street is not easy, and it clearly wasn’t for me. Yet I needed to do more and be useful, to take action.

During a demonstration in front of a slaughterhouse, I met volunteer workers from a sanctuary, and it made me want to help them. This sanctuary was also the one where I had entrusted a rescued piglet a few months earlier, along with other members of my group.

That’s how I started my journey as a volunteer at this farm animal sanctuary, where I still am today, and where I met Edith: Le Rêve d’Aby!

This is the type of activism where I feel in my element. Being on the ground, in action, getting to know the animals has completely changed my life!

Then, a few years later, once I had my diploma in hand, I found a new way to do more: to leverage everything I had learned during my studies and use my professional life to make a difference and change people’s attitudes! That’s how THE BLACK COW SHOP was born.

You run THE BLACK COW SHOP entirely by yourself. Can you explain what a typical day looks like?
The advantage of being solely in charge is that there is no typical day! Over the course of a week, here’s what it looks like: I receive new goods in the morning, I enter all the relevant information, then I prepare the parcels for shipping. I send invoices, track parcel transportation, look for new products, contact new producers and professionals to introduce and offer my products, organize tastings, manage social media, and more.

So, you handle everything, from product selection to orders, deliveries, social media, accounting, etc. Which area do you prefer?
I have to say that what I enjoy most is managing the stock and new products. In fact, that’s exactly the area I specialized in during my studies! Since most of my products are fresh, with a limited shelf life, it’s very challenging to order the right quantity. Because each order involves delivery costs below a certain quantity, I have to order enough but not too much to avoid unsold items! It’s a big forecasting task.

I also really enjoy managing social media, but it requires a lot of creativity that I don’t necessarily have by nature!

And which one gives you the most trouble?
The one that challenges me the most is the one I like the most ^^’ Stock management is truly the most complicated! For a small business like mine, every unsold item is a loss, and it’s even riskier when some products have a shelf life of 1 or 2 months…

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an online business?
The advantage is that I don’t have to pay rent for a physical store, and I don’t have to be present from 9 AM to 6 PM in a store. I can do other things. Another advantage is that I’m not limited to one city or neighborhood, and everyone can access my products! But the disadvantage is that in Belgium, people don’t appreciate the shipping costs very much, and sometimes I have to cover them to compete with other larger and well-known web shops, which is not always easy!

Do you have any advice for those who want to start an online business?
The advice I would give to someone looking to start an online business, or any project, is not to aim for perfection before launching! Even if it seems perfect, we will always make mistakes, and that’s normal. That’s how we learn! And most importantly, I always recommend going through an organization that helps with business development. There are plenty of them in Belgium!

Are all your current customers vegans?
No, not all my customers are vegans! There are also many people with intolerances, curious individuals, and people who want to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet!

You recently started delivering to Saint-Octave cheese shops that originally sold animal-based products. Do you think this type of collaboration is positive for the vegan movement?
Absolutely! My goal is to promote plant-based alternatives and make them accessible in as many places as possible throughout Belgium. I think it’s fantastic and essential that cheese shops are introducing vegan aged cheeses into their selections. Firstly, it shows that plant-based alternatives are of comparable quality to animal-based cheese (in fact, they are made in the same way). Secondly, because every business has its own clientele, and that will help us reach even more people!

What are the flagship products of THE BLACK COW SHOP?
My flagship product at the moment is clearly my “Gorgonzola” style cheese, the “Simply Blue” from the Nutty Artisan Food brand! It’s a producer I collaborate with directly and exclusively distribute in Belgium! There’s also the “Petit Boucan” from TyK Affinage and the “Calabizo,” a plant-based chorizo made from pumpkin!

And what is your favorite product?
Well, I was a big fan of blue cheese, and I’m of Italian origin, so my favorite product is inevitably the “Simply Blue,” which has an amazing gorgonzola-like taste!

Is there a product you dream of having in your catalog?
A flagship product for each season, but I haven’t found it yet 😀

Practically speaking, do you only deliver in Belgium?
I deliver to Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and upon request, anywhere else in Europe!

If I place an order today, how many days will it take for me to receive my products?
In general, I send parcels within 24-48 hours, and you receive them the next day or the day after! If you order before noon on Wednesday, you’ll receive them before the weekend; otherwise, I send them the following week. In any case, you’ll receive updates from me by email or SMS.

What products would you recommend to someone who has never tried vegan cheeses? Your top 3?
Well, that’s easy!
1 – Simply Blue (gorgonzola-style)
2 – Petit Boucan (brie-style)
3 – Pebeyec (blue x goat cheese-style)