Duration: 24:05
🧾 Analytical Summary
🍪 Context & Mission
Alexandon, co-CEO of Maison Dandoy, presents a compelling vision for how a nearly 200-year-old Belgian cookie company is reimagining its role in addressing environmental and social challenges. Founded in 1829, Maison Dandoy is older than Belgium itself, yet faces the same urgent questions as modern enterprises: how can business contribute to building a better world when confronted with climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, and social inequality?
The presentation centers on a fundamental premise: companies cannot continue operating solely for shareholder value. Instead, they must embrace a triple-bottom-line approach focused on people, planet, and profit—in that order.
🌍 Relocation & Environmental Commitment
Maison Dandoy has undertaken a radical relocation strategy. The company stopped exporting beyond Europe and consolidated 90% of its sales within the Brussels area. More remarkably, 70% of raw materials now come from Belgium, a conscious decision driven by several factors: reducing carbon emissions, ensuring food security (the CEO met with Belgium's army general who warned of potential conflict by 2030), and preserving local identity against the homogenization of global commerce.
This commitment to locality extends to craftsmanship. The company operates 17 shops in Brussels and one small atelier where artisans still handcraft large speculoos using 200-year-old wooden molds. This dedication to low-tech, traditional methods represents a deliberate rejection of industrialization in favor of quality, heritage, and human connection.
💼 B Corp Certification & New Corporate Structures
Maison Dandoy became a B Corp certified company, joining 10,000 organizations worldwide that have chosen to be "great" rather than merely "big." The company adopted a mission-driven legal structure, embedding impact commitments directly into corporate statutes—moving beyond the traditional mandate to create value exclusively for shareholders.
The company introduced innovative governance structures, including a Regeneration Advisory Council alongside the traditional board. This council gives voice to nature itself (represented by an advocate), future generations, and elder wisdom—ensuring decisions consider long-term impacts across multiple stakeholder groups.
🌱 Regenerative Agriculture & Transparency
The company committed to bio and regenerative sourcing because industrial agriculture has degraded soil to the point where future food security is threatened. Alexandon describes visiting farms with all 100 employees, literally putting their hands in the soil to reconnect with the source of their ingredients. This experiential learning created profound understanding of agriculture's role in the living world.
New cookie products include detailed explanations of sourcing, production methods, and the people behind the ingredients. This radical transparency helps customers understand the true value chain and the company's commitment to regenerative practices.
🔮 Long-Term Thinking & Legacy
The presentation emphasizes transgenerational responsibility. As seventh-generation family leadership, Alexandon's primary mission is ensuring Maison Dandoy exists for the next seven generations. This 200-year forward vision stands in stark contrast to quarterly earnings cycles dominating most businesses.
The talk references the planetary boundaries framework (the "donut economy"), noting that humanity has breached seven of nine planetary limits. With 75% of living biomass lost and the stark reality that 100% of food production depends on nature, the stakes could not be higher. Alexandon frames this as not just an environmental crisis but a crisis of democracy and collective action.
🎯 Practical Recommendations
Several actionable concepts emerged:
- Chief Future Officer: Appoint someone whose role is advocating for long-term thinking and future generations in executive decisions
- Start at the margins: Change doesn't come from the center—it emerges from those willing to experiment at the edges
- Reconnect with nature and elders: Breaking out of algorithmic bubbles and engaging with wisdom outside one's immediate context
- Steward ownership: Explore legal structures where profits serve the mission rather than external shareholders
- Be a good ancestor: Ask what legacy you're creating for those who come after
💬 Key Philosophy
The presentation challenges growth-at-all-costs mentality. "Big is not better," Alexandon insists. The company deliberately limited expansion, reduced sugar content in products, and discourages daily consumption—acknowledging that premium, handcrafted cookies should be occasional treats, not commodities.
Ultimately, the message is one of radical responsibility: if not us, who? If not now, when? With full awareness of climate science and social challenges, this generation cannot claim ignorance as previous generations might have. Every company, every individual has agency to contribute to building a better world—even through something as humble as a cookie.
🧠 Viewpoint: Odoo Perspective
⚠️ Disclaimer: AI-generated creative perspective inspired by Odoo's vision.
What strikes me about Maison Dandoy's approach is the elegant simplicity beneath apparent complexity. They've discovered what we've always believed at Odoo: the right tools and the right mindset eliminate false choices between excellence and responsibility. When Alexandon speaks of reconnecting employees with soil, with craft, with purpose—this is exactly the integration we pursue. Business software shouldn't be about maximizing extraction; it should enable organizations to operate with full awareness of their impact.
The seven-generation thinking, the regeneration council giving voice to nature and future generations—these aren't romantic gestures. They're governance innovations that companies of all sizes can adopt. If a 200-year-old cookie company can embed impact into its legal structure and still thrive, any Odoo customer can ask: what governance experiments would unlock our own sustainable path? The question isn't whether to prioritize mission or profitability, it's recognizing they're inseparable when viewed across the right time horizon.
🏢 Viewpoint: Competitors (SAP / Microsoft / Others)
⚠️ Disclaimer: AI-generated fictional commentary. Not an official corporate statement.
Maison Dandoy's story is admirable but highlights the complexities enterprise systems must navigate at scale. When Alexandon discusses 70% local sourcing and bio-regenerative supply chains, the traceability and compliance requirements multiply exponentially. Companies operating across dozens of countries need robust ERP systems that can handle diverse regulatory frameworks, complex supplier verification, and comprehensive ESG reporting.
The "start small, be great not big" philosophy works for heritage brands in specific niches. But for multinational corporations serving millions of customers, operational excellence requires different tools and approaches. The governance innovations—regeneration councils, steward ownership structures—demand sophisticated stakeholder management and reporting capabilities that go far beyond what boutique solutions typically provide. The challenge is making purpose-driven business possible at global scale, where the stakes of getting compliance, auditability, and supply chain integrity wrong are substantially higher. Still, there's much to learn from companies willing to experiment at the margins, even if the solutions don't directly translate to enterprise contexts.
Disclaimer: This article contains AI-generated summaries and fictionalized commentaries for illustrative purposes. Viewpoints labeled as "Odoo Perspective" or "Competitors" are simulated and do not represent any real statements or positions. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.