- 28/5/2025

Atelier Co-Pains wants to make even more oven-fresh bread

2 min

The early days

Serge Lamoral was named “Starter of the Year” by Unizo in 2019 for his innovative concept of semi-finished goods, specifically the fillings for cakes. But he lacked the resources to produce them himself. This led him to search for a production facility, which ultimately brought him to Brood & Banket Service (BBS).

"I managed to persuade the manager to hire me as a self-employed contractor to help scale up BBS," Serge explains. "But the COVID-19 pandemic put a spanner in the works. When a well-known bakery in the neighbourhood went bankrupt, we saw an opportunity and decided to take it over. We sold BBS's bread and cakes, complemented by my new patisserie concept. This marked the beginning of the first Atelier Co-Pains shop.

McDonald’s as source of inspiration

"When the bakery recovered and became a success, we decided to open a second shop," continues Serge. "Around that time, I saw the film “The Founder” about the rise of McDonald's and it inspired me to start a franchise chain. From then on, things moved very fast: we grew from two to ten shops in two years."

Meanwhile, BBS had also doubled in size, but the managing director at the time was thinking of winding down. For Serge and his business partner (and wife) Nicole Hendrikx, it was crucial to have their own production facility with a focus on craftsmanship. They didn't just want to acquire BBS for operational reasons. They were looking for a partner who shared their vision. That's when they met Bert Meeussen and his wife Lisbeth Lenaerts, who were already customers of BNP Paribas Fortis. Bert and Lisbeth introduced Serge and Nicole to relationship manager Kristof Michielsen.

Thinking outside the box

But on 8 July 2023, disaster struck: 90% of the production facility burned down. The acquisition was then in full swing and there was a lot of uncertainty about the existing figures. "We had a lot of help from Kristof back then," says Serge. "He kept his cool and was a sounding board for us. We always felt that the bank stood behind us, despite our difficult story. And I really appreciate that."

"Sometimes you have to think outside the box especially when unexpected things happen," confirms Kristof. "An AI computer model might not have financed the acquisition, but luckily we work here with people and could draw on our experience. For me as a banker, the person behind the company takes precedence in every application. If we can trust them, a lot is possible."

“After the fire, we were able to double our production capacity,” concludes Serge. "Now it's a matter of continuing to grow. And we will work on that, together with Kristof."

 “We always felt that the bank stood behind us, despite our difficult story. And I really appreciate that."
Serge Lamoral, Director of Atelier Co-Pains