Zappa Stefan
Organization: Stiftung Blind-Liecht
Year Founded: 1998
Country: Switzerland
Website: www.blindekuh.ch
Geographic Area of Impact: Switzerland.
Model: Social Business
Focus: Communication / Media,Disabilities.
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Switzerland, 2007 The Innovation The Blind-Liecht Stiftung (translated as Blind Light Foundation) was set up by Stefan Zappa together with Andrea Blaser, Thomas Moser, and Jürg Spielmann in 1998. In 1999, the Foundation opened the first “dark restaurant” in the world in Zurich. The founders were inspired by the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition concept. They transferred the idea from an exhibition to a restaurant, still with the goal in mind to create an experience for the sighted, which would allow a closer identification with the world of the blind and thus reduce barriers between the blind and the sighted. Since its inception, more than half a million people have used the services offered by Blindekuh. While dining in the dark, visitors experience a role reversal between them and the blind waiters, which become their guides. This reversal of reality stimulates dialogue and empathy between the disabled and the sighted. More than 90% of the visitors state that they are regular visitors and don’t see the experience as a one time adventure. Blind-Liecht has 63 employees, of which 37 are blind or visually impaired. The Foundation is the largest private employer of this group in Switzerland. All employees receive a salary at regular market rates and thus significantly reduce the dependence on state subsidies. Blind-Liecht differs from the jobs traditionally offered to the blind, as these are not protected jobs in the secondary market financed by the state. In addition, the blind do not have to adjust to a normal environment, but the environment is adapted to them and their needs. The Blind-Liecht Foundation opened a second restaurant in Basel in 2005, also under the name “Blindekuh” and is looking into expanding into the French part of Switzerland in the near future. The concept was the basis for more than 18 dark restaurants around the world, which are operated by other organizations. In 2001, “Unsicht-Bar” opened in Cologne, Germany, followed by other dark restaurants in Paris, Frankfurt, London, Hamburg and Moscow. A series of plagiates opened in China, which are not based on the original concept of employing the blind. Instead, they use sighted waiters using night vision equipment. The Blind-Liecht Foundation has hosted most of the operators of the restaurants around the world and provided free consulting services. It is looking into professionalising them for a fee in the future. Next to dining in the dark, Blind-Liecht offers a series of cultural events and educational programs and management training in the dark. Background Around 180,000 visually impaired people live in Switzerland. Close to 3,500 people are blind, most of them are above the age of 60. Most of the 350 blind people below 60 work in protected public organizations, which are financed by the government. The financial dependency and the special treatment of the blind hinder the integration of the handicapped into society. Few if any programs exist to foster the integration, dialogue and mutual understanding between the sighted and the blind. To be blind is still equated with being helpless and dependent. Strategy The Blind-Liecht Foundation is operating two restaurants in the dark in Zurich and Basel in Switzerland. Both restaurants have a weekly changing menu with three different choices (a meat, a fish and a vegetarian dish). The restaurant in Zurich is open seven days a week, the one in Basel on five days a week. All waiters in the restaurants are either severely visually impaired or blind. In the kitchen, blind and seeing employees work side by side. Visitors to the restaurant still make their menu choice in the light and hand in any device that can create light such as watches and mobile phones. Guests are then led to their table in the dark by their waiter. The restaurant also features an adjacent bar for spontaneous visitors while the restaurant is typically booked several days or weeks in advance. Blindekuh offers concerts, theater plays and other cultural shows on a regular basis, combined with a dining experience in the dark. In addition, companies or groups of people can book the educational offers of the Foundation. These primarily consist of targeted team building or non-visual communication trainings. Blindekuh enjoys a strong brand name and a high recognition among the Swiss general public thanks to a hugely successful exhibition during the “Expo 2002” in Switzerland. The Blind-Liecht Foundation does not receive any public or government subsidies. Close to 90% of the income is generated through the sales of services; the rest is covered by private grants. Both restaurants reached a turnover of more than USD 2.6 million in 2006. While the Zurich restaurant is close to break-even, Blind-Liecht is still investing in its Basel operations. The Entrepreneur Stefan Zappa is one of the founders of Blind-Liecht and currently the President of the Foundation. During a Dialogue in the Dark exhibition in Zurich, Zappa and the co-founders developed the idea of a dark restaurant and a special exhibition for the Swiss Expo 2002. Together with the Managing Director of the blindekuh restaurants, Stefan Zappa built up the original idea into a successful business concept with a social mission. Stefan Zappa also founded a consulting firm in 2003, which offers advice for companies, public institutions, and schools on organizational psychology. Next to consulting, he runs seminars on communication, team building, and leadership. All the courses take place in the dark, which allows breaking out of the traditional patterns. In addition, he is the Vice President of the Swiss Association for the Blind. Originally, Stefan Zappa studied design and worked as an independent interior architect. He started to reorient himself after gradually losing his eyesight. He also studied organizational psychology next to starting the Blind-Liecht Foundation. He is deeply motivated in his work by the chance to create radically new opportunities for the visually impaired.
<< back