Who is the Banque Alimentaire Fribourgeoise?
Banque Alimentaire Fribourgeoise is an important cantonal structure that fights hunger and food waste daily. Its mission is simple but essential: it collects surplus food from its partners and distributors that would otherwise be thrown away and redistributes it to those in need. The aim is not to “take the work off their hands”, but to support them and enable them to devote more time to what really matters, caring for the underprivileged. This meets the need of some associations that suddenly have a large amount of food but do not have the necessary means to sell the stocks. BAFR addresses this need. BAFR is an association with four employees and numerous volunteers who regularly support its actions. This daily work helps many families and individuals facing difficult circumstances. It is also active in the field of professional reintegration.
Before our project, their digital presence was limited, making it difficult for potential donors and those seeking help to find information about their services.
How this project came to life
Our collaboration with the BAFR began through Liip's internal Liipers' Fund, an initiative that supports projects with social and environmental impact. The Liipers' Fund enables us to allocate resources to worthy causes without creating a financial burden on the organisations we help. Christelle Desobry played a key role in making this project possible. As Business Developer and Product Owner, she created the initiative, increased its visibility within Liip, established the crucial connection with BAFR, and ultimately facilitated our apprentices' involvement in this meaningful project. Furthermore, Christelle ensured the internal resources were guaranteed for this project.
When we learned about BAFR's need for an improved digital presence, it aligned perfectly with our values and presented an ideal learning opportunity for our apprentices. The project allowed us to provide professional web development services to an organisation that might otherwise not have the budget for such an investment, while creating a valuable hands-on experience for our new apprentices.
A new website built by new apprentices, guided by new apprentice trainers
This project was especially valuable because it was designed and developed by our apprentices, with Severin Kilchhofer and me providing guidance as their apprentice trainers. It was important to us to provide a real-life project for the apprentices where they could see that their work had an immedaite impact. We started as apprentice trainers for Interactive Media Design in summer 2024 with our first apprentices Laura Lutumba in Fribourg and Jana Radosavljevic in Zurich. Loëlia Christen and Julien Testaz, first and fourth year of their apprenticeship in Fribourg in IT, reviewed and implemented what had been designed. It was a great opportunity to show how designers and developers work together from an early stage.
“As an apprentice, it's very rewarding to contribute to a meaningful and impactful project. A big thank you to the whole team for their support, and to Christophe and Robin for their valuable collaboration.”
- Julien, IT, 4th year
Our development process
From the beginning on, we approached the project with a strong focus on User Experience, recognising that an intuitive website would be crucial for BAFR to effectively connect with those in need and potential donors.
The process began with a discovery phase. The two apprentices, Laura and Jana, participated in a small workshop with the client to understand the diverse needs the website should fulfill. These conversations provided valuable insights that shaped our approach to the design and their current branding.
Based on the research findings, the apprentices teamed up and created moodboards and prototypes in Figma, refining them through iterations based on feedback from us apprentice trainers and the BAFR team. We coached them to present their own work to the client and their good job came to fruition.
“Creating the design for Banque Alimentaire Fribourgeoise was not only a lot of fun, but also a great educational experience that helped me progress in my training!”
- Jana, IMD, 1st year
For the developing phase, Loëlia and Julien, came into play. Christelle ensured that the project ran smoothly while coaching the two apprentices on all development-related matters. The team worked with modern web technologies and implemented responsive design principles to ensure the site would function well on all devices. We held regular reviews and problem-solving sessions, which allowed the apprentices to learn from each other and from more experienced developers.
“I learned a lot about collaboration and communication within a team when you are part of a project. It was meaningful to do something for a client even as an apprentice.”
- Loëlia, IT, 1st year
Lessons learned: Real-life projects make the difference in every apprenticeship
This project marked one of my first experiences as an apprentice coach for a comprehensive web development project which was only elaborated by apprentices. Managing a client project done by apprentices and my own projects is an act of balance – I think this struggle is known to every apprentice trainer. Ultimately, it all came together, and watching the apprentices develop their skills and confidence throughout the project was particularly rewarding. For the apprentices, this project provided real-world experience that complemented their formal training. They had the opportunity to work directly with clients, present their work, manage project challenges, and see how their technical skills could create meaningful impact. The project exposed them to the entire web development lifecycle – from initial concept to the final deployment and launch.
“During the redesign of Banque Alimentaire Fribourgeoise, I was able to learn and experience a lot in terms of design and the whole process. Creating the design was a great experience and a great project with a team of awesome apprentices.”
- Laura, IMD, 1st year
How you can support the Banque Alimentaire Fribourgeoise
If you're interested in the work of the Banque Alimentaire Fribourgeoise, there are several ways to contribute. You can volunteer your time or make a financial contribution through their website. The apprentices gained valuable experience, BAFR received an improved digital tool to support their mission, and I had the opportunity to guide this collaborative effort.