Queen Mathilde of the Belgians visited an organic shop in Jette, Belgium, on Thursday in her role as an advocate for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The Queen travelled to The Barn that sells mostly packaging-free products and spoke to spoke to one of the business investors. It was founded in 2017 and now has locations across Belgium; it boasts that it sells the cheapest range of packaging-free products.
The business was created to have a positive impact on the community and prove that organic products don’t have to break the bank.
Regarding The Barn, one of the co-founders told Belgium’s Belga news agency, “We set up this project because we wanted to have a positive impact on society and break the image of inevitably expensive organic products. The sector is growing, but it remains a niche market. Only 5 to 10 per cent of the Brussels population consumes organic food.”
Queen Mathilde was also given a tour of the fresh market and was given some products to take home. She told the owners that she planned to return in the future but “more discreetly.”
Queen Mathilde was named one of the United Nations Advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals (as part of the 2030 Agenda) in 2016. About the SDGs, the Queen has said: “Agenda 2030 requires citizens, civil society, academia, scientists, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector to work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Ownership and participation are key.”
Mathilde is joined by 17 other advocates including the Prime Minister of Norway and Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar.