Working at Biotalys

Company culture and values

The sustainability of our planet is our highest priority to secure the well-being of our families and future generations. We strive to provide safe and sustainable alternatives to protect our food and ensure productivity and quality while preserving our environment, our soils, and our health. Through excellence in execution, we forge our growth and deliver value for our Company, our employees, our shareholders, and our customers.

Our dynamic and entrepreneurial Company culture is reflected in our values: Teamwork, Accountability, Well-being, Innovation with Impact, and Passion.

Teamwork

We seek strong collective outcomes by leveraging our diversity and expertise. We work together to understand and integrate di erent points of view to achieve superior results. We respect each other and create an atmosphere of trust and urgency. We ensure each person feels safe to express their opinion. We learn from each other, challenge and support colleagues and deal respectfully with any di erence.

Accountability

We take action to reach the goals and objectives set ahead of time, asking for help when needed and escalating any di iculties. We show commitment to the agreed vision, strategy and goals and embrace decisions made. We frequently monitor progress of the achievement of our objectives and what we’ve learned along the way.

WELL-BEING

We participate in creating a supportive work environment that fosters trust and healthy interpersonal boundaries. We act with authenticity and consistency, looking out for each other. We provide opportunities for connection and actively contribute to building an inclusive workplace.

Innovation With Impact

We cultivate curiosity and explore new ideas before deciding the course of action. We question, challenge and manage ambiguity and certainty. We balance out-of-the-box thinking with scientific rigor, focusing on impact for our customers and for Biotalys’ value. We value ideas for their potential, leaving our ego and bias aside.

Passion

We are connected by the vision and mission of our Company. We stay connected to ourselves and to what drives us and inspires us. With our knowledge and enthusiasm, we inspire others to act. We embody the Company values on a daily basis and work towards realizing the Company vision. We stand for Biotalys’ mission in our external contact and are the ambassadors of our values.

Sustainability initiatives

While Biotalys as a company has developed an ESG strategy in the course of 2022, initiatives and ideas of how we can do things more sustainably also came from the employees themselves. Our newly appointed Sustainability Manager organized a sustainability brainstorm which led to the establishment of five working groups: sustainability in the lab, green environment, green mobility, wellbeing, and re-use/re-cycle. The five working groups meet once a month to discuss and implement various ideas into concrete actions.

In the month of October, for instance, we launched a call to our employees to come to work by bike. For each ride cycled, Biotalys sponsored an amount to Bike for Life. With the money that was collected Bike for Life supports “a bike for everyone” so persons who can’t a ord a bicycle receive one or can use a shared bike. Bike for Life also supports companies in their bicycle-friendly personnel policy, checks the quality of cycling routes, and helps governments to make the right investments.

Other concrete ideas include replacing single-use plastics with reusable glassware in the lab, sorting organic waste in the kitchen, printing on recycled paper, reusing ice packs a er transport, and introducing 50-minute meetings so people can build in breaks in between di erent meetings.

Cucumber growing contest

All employees could also participate in a cucumber growing contest. Each employee received a bag of cucumber seeds and some fertile soil to grow these. Awards were handed out for those with the biggest plant, the highest plant, the heaviest cucumber and the funniest shape.

Biotalys Field Tour

In September, our employees visited the greenhouses of our research partner Botany in The Netherlands. It o ered them a great opportunity to see the performance of Evoca™ on tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers and to discuss and exchange thoughts with growers and distributors of fruit and vegetable production.

Our company values also guide the activities of our in-house social commi ee “well.com”, which has representatives from all divisions. The commi ee played a crucial part in our contribution to the community. For the second year in a row, this group of volunteers organized a food fundraiser to support the local food banks. During the end-of-year period, our colleagues donated 54 kg of food – doubled by the Company to 108 kg – to the local Federation of Food Banks (Voedselbanken).

We also enjoy sharing lunch together. Every month, there is a dedicated Lunch at Work event where colleagues can bring home-made dishes to the o ice to share during lunch hour.

Other activities this year included a fantastic Summer BBQ, a cold Ice Cream break, a festive quiz, a Secret Santa event and regular A er Work Drinks.