We Are 1520

We are 1520 (that is fifteen twenty), a young company based in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.

We started 1520 to combine all of our passions - marketing, concept and strategy development and hospitality - into one company and to apply our unique viewpoints and talents to them. In practice that means we operate under two banners: '1520 Consulting' focuses on millennial and Gen Z marketing as well as concept and strategy development while '1520 Veggilicious' offers a specialized service that advises restaurants on the adoption and integration of vegetarian and vegan options into their existing offer.

All of our activities are tied together by the way we think, talk and work. We have been shaped by our international backgrounds (one Swiss, one German, both a little Dutch), our diverse education, our families and friends, their businesses and by urban youth culture. Consequently, ‘1520’ is derived from ‘1520 Sedgwick Avenue’, an apartment building in the Bronx, New York City, that is known as the birthplace of Hip Hop.

You could say we are quintessential millennials, if millennials would ever admit to being that. In any case, we have found that our way of doing things often speaks to other young people, as well as to people of other generations that live their lives with open minds (we see you).

If you are a company that is looking to attract millennial and Gen Z customers or employees, we’re here for you. If you need help developing a concept or formulating a strategy, we’re here for you too. If you are restaurant that is looking to expand its vegetarian offer - well, we can help you with that too. Just scroll down and you might find what you're looking for.

We are happy to answer your questions, so feel free to contact us!

What We Do

1520 Consulting involves Millennial and Gen Z marketing as well as concept and strategy development development. Our consulting activities are primarily aimed at businesses or individuals looking to start one.

Millennials & gen Z

The focus on millennial and Gen Z consumers lies at the core of 1520. We use the term “millennials” in a psychographic sense, meaning that we focus on a state of mind rather than an age group. Although the majority of what we call millennials were born in the 80’s and 90’s, the mindset that defines them has spread far beyond that particular generation. Millennials are also the most important tastemakers, which makes them a gateway target group. Gen Z is the generation following millennials and, although similar to millennials in many ways, has its own unique qualities and needs. 

We help you and your company understand, reach and retain millennials and members of Gen Z, as customers and as employees.

They can not be reached with homogeneous, inauthentic messaging or by using style cues. To reach them, you have to know their language and understand their mindset. Authenticity, aspiration and a sense for perpetual cool lie at the heart of their mindsets and are therefore the foundation on which a company must build. This means that the frantic modernization of a company is usually not necessary and often counterproductive. Individual companies need individual solutions.

We help you find the right touch points and show you how to utilize them in order to make your company more attractive to millennials and members of Gen Z.

Concept & Strategy Development

We develop complete or partial concepts, primarily for companies and project developers in the hospitality industry and related industries. This takes many forms and may include tasks such as helping you plan your offer and positioning, finding your style or coming up with a business concept from scratch. We like to partner with others - graphic designers, architects, photographers, etc. -  to cover our bases and achieve the best possible results.

We can also help you formulate strategies to tackle a variety of business related problems. Contact us and we’ll tell you what we can do for you.

What We Do

With 1520 Veggilicious, we advise restaurants on the adoption and integration of vegetarian (and vegan) options into their existing offer.

We help you to create vegetarian dishes that fit your concept and menu (that means no hassle and no extra costs), and provide you with useful tips that enable you to develop veggie options by yourself in the future.

Why vegetarian?

The number of vegetarians is higher than you think - NL: 800.000 (4,7%), DE: 7.800.000 (10%), UK: 7.741.320 (12%) - and growing. Because vegetarians are a growing target group themselves, there is an increasing chance that groups of potential customers, such as families and friends, have vegetarian members that influence the demand of those groups. Not offering attractive vegetarian options at your restaurant therefore is becoming an exclusion criterion for more and more customers.

How does it work?

We evaluate your existing menu and processes (sometimes in an on-site visit if not too far away) and based on that provide you with recipes and guidelines for your own vegetarian offer.

If you change your menu regularly and don’t want to wrack your brain over those veggies, we are also happy to help you with seasonal adaptations in the future, for reduced prices. Depending on the situation and your wishes, we can often help and improve a menu with just a few tips and tweaks.