Antoine Dubois
male · 32 ans · In a relationship
Saint-Lambert, Liège, Belgium
Program and partnerships officer in sustainable food and social enterprise · full time permanent contract
"If you cannot show me where it comes from, I assume it is marketing."
About
Antoine is a 32 year old sustainability and food systems professional living near Place Saint Lambert in central Liège, known among friends for being the one who checks labels and asks farmers direct questions. He cycles for most errands, collects a weekly veg basket, and does deep research before buying, often choosing second hand and local makers over convenience. He feels constant tension between wanting the most ethical option and the limited time and mental bandwidth he has after work, especially when prices spike or information is vague. He converts when a brand can prove provenance with clear standards, local validation, and zero greenwashing language.
Power
Why is this persona strategic?
Antoine is strategic because he acts as an informed validator for his peer network in Liège’s green progressive circles, and he rewards brands that provide verifiable supply chain detail. He is reachable through high trust public service and quality news ecosystems in francophone Belgium, and his purchase decisions tend to influence collective buying through AMAP style groups, local Facebook communities, and word of mouth. Winning him requires transparency and consistency, but if convinced he becomes a long term advocate who explains the why behind the product, not just the product.
What defines his socio-economic situation?
44%
of Belgians aged 25 to 34 listen to podcasts, so he is in a peer heavy segment that over indexes on audio on demand information habits
Trustmedia, 2022, 25 to 34White collar role in a mission driven sector, comfortable but not high income; tends to spend selectively on values aligned goods.
Mid income for a full time urban worker; enough for targeted splurges on food provenance, but he still arbitrages on price by buying second hand.
ISCED 7 equivalent, consistent with a policy focused postgraduate path and comfort reading long form sources.
Urban rental close to services and markets; prioritises walkability and cycling over space and ownership.
Central Liège rent plus charges in a modest renovated flat.
Higher share goes to seasonal produce, organic top ups, and occasional specialty items.
Stays modest to keep flexibility for ethical purchases and travel.
Coffee, museums, cinema, small concerts; prefers low waste venues.
Mostly second hand via Vinted and local groups; fewer but better items.
Low frequency, prefers train based trips in Belgium and nearby.
Bike centric; includes maintenance, occasional TEC tickets, and rare train trips.
Basic out of pocket, supplements, occasional physio if cycling strain.
News and a music service; avoids bloated bundles.
- Traceable food
- Local makers
- Durable clothing and repair
- Amazon like marketplaces
- Over packaged convenience food
- Fast fashion
He avoids payment methods that feel like debt or aggressive growth tactics, and he prefers local payment rails when possible.
What drives his decisions?
81%
think immediate spending for climate adaptation avoids higher future costs, which mirrors his preference for paying more now for resilience and integrity
EIB Climate Survey, 2024, Belgium- Trust is earned through proof, not slogans
- He rewards brands that publish sourcing, audits, and clear trade offs
- He tolerates imperfection if it is acknowledged and measured
- He disengages quickly when claims are vague or defensive
What cultural context shapes his expectations?
12.4%
of Belgium’s population sits in the 25 to 34 bracket, making this cohort a visible cultural engine for new consumption norms he helps normalise in Liège
DataReportal, 2025, BelgiumAntoine embodies a Liège style of engaged consumption where the act of buying becomes a small political decision. He mixes deep reading with very concrete routines like cycling, market shopping, and basket pickup, and he uses mainstream institutions for news while relying on niche communities for product discovery.
In Belgium, especially in urban Wallonia, sustainability is often framed as practical daily choices rather than grand gestures. People value competence, moderation, and proof, and they react badly to moralising or imported hype.
Central Liège blends student energy, working professionals, and strong neighbourhood identity. Markets and small traders matter, and local pride makes short supply chains feel like culture, not just ethics.
Public service media and established newspapers still carry weight, and recommendations work best when they come from local peers or credible editors. People accept paying more when the reasoning is explicit and the benefit stays local.
Local seasonal menus and short supply chains · Second hand as a default for clothing · Repair culture and visible mending · Podcast first learning for complex topics
Eco buzzwords without data · Influencer luxury hauls · Plastic heavy convenience formats · Brands that hide behind vague CSR pages
Audio on demand for local policy and food system debates · Organic retail formats integrated into mainstream groups · Community buying linked to neighbourhood groups online · Brand transparency that includes what is still imperfect
What are his key lifestyle behaviors?
14.1%
monthly reach for audio on demand among 25 to 44 in the South, which aligns with his habit of using podcasts for food and climate depth
RMB, 2025, 25 to 44 SouthCycling is transport first and identity second, and it shapes where and how he shops.
Daily commuting and errands
City bike commuting · Cargo or pannier grocery runs
Autonomy · Low carbon routine · Mental clarity
He uses culture as a way to stay hopeful and connected to local identity.
Weeknight talk or screening, weekend market plus a walk
Documentaries on food systems · Local exhibitions
Small venues · Public service content
His hobbies are practical learning loops that improve daily life, like cooking and repairing.
Seasonal vegetarian cooking · Reading long form investigations · Basic bike maintenance
Neighbourhood Facebook groups
Social Life
Social life revolves around shared meals, markets, and cause adjacent events rather than nightlife.
Markets
Vegetarian friendly bistros
Not relevant
Not relevant
Signature
He brings a researcher’s mindset to everyday groceries, cross checking labels and stories before trusting a brand.
What media does he trust?
41.7%
of the Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles population has daily contact with one or more RTBF channels, reinforcing his preference for trusted public service context
RTBF, 2024, FWBWhere does he shop?
2.7%
of total mass market food sales in Belgium are organic, so he often has to work harder than mainstream shoppers to find the organic range that matches his values
ESM Magazine, 2025, BelgiumHe buys fewer new items, and uses second hand platforms first to keep both budget and impact in check.
He mixes one weekly market shop with targeted supermarket top ups, and he keeps receipts and labels when trying new producers.
He prefers used and repairable items and will accept aesthetic imperfections if the item has a clear second life.
His sport spend is maintenance led, prioritising safety and durability over performance gear.
How do we reach him effectively?
24%
of Belgians use ad blockers, so he is harder to reach with standard digital display and needs high trust contexts
CIM Survey via Retriever Media, 2024, Belgiumeffectiveness
High trust context, aligns with his news habits and preference for depth.
Public service context reduces scepticism, documentary adjacency fits his mindset.
Instagram is his discovery tool for makers, but needs proof and certification visible immediately.
Face to face sampling plus provenance story matches his trust pathway.
effectiveness
Useful when he is in research mode, but he still validates through third parties.
Institutional context helps, but topic fit must be precise.
Works for awareness, but he needs follow up materials for proof.
Evidence led and calm, with clear sourcing, certifications, and limits explained. Use practical language about provenance, auditability, and trade offs, and show local faces and places.
Vague sustainability claims, over polished branding, celebrity led persuasion, and messages that imply guilt or moral superiority.
How does he move through the buying journey?
34%
refuse cookies, so he often blocks tracking and requires trust based, not retargeting based, progression through the funnel
CIM Survey via Retriever Media, 2024, BelgiumAwareness
"This looks interesting, but is it real or just a story?"
- RTBF content adjacency
- A credible certification logo
- Local mention of Wallonia or Liège
- RTBF
- Le Soir
- ✕ Suspicion of greenwashing
- ✕ Too little detail
Consideration
"Show me the proof and the trade offs."
- Transparent sourcing map
- Certification details
- Independent editorial mention
- Podcasts
- Search
- Brand website
- ✕ Missing audit detail
- ✕ Unclear origin
- ✕ No third party validation
Decision
"Is this worth paying for compared to my usual basket and market routine?"
- Sampling at market
- Local pickup option
- Clear comparison of impact
- La Batte activation
- Direct order page
- ✕ Price premium
- ✕ Delivery friction
Loyalty
"Stay consistent and keep showing the receipts."
- Regular transparency updates
- Seasonal rotation
- Community acknowledgement
- Podcasts
- ✕ Quality inconsistency
- ✕ Any misleading claim
Advocacy
"I can recommend this because I can defend it."
- Shareable sourcing summaries
- Local endorsements
- Third party media coverage
- Facebook groups
- Word of mouth
- Instagram sharing
- ✕ Friends questioning credibility
- ✕ Fear of endorsing greenwashing
How do we convert him?
30%
of Belgian podcast listeners discover podcasts via news sites or apps, making editorial partnerships a practical acquisition lever for him
Native Advertising Institute, 2025, BelgiumPosition an offer around verifiable provenance for local and organic food related products, using trusted editorial and public service channels rather than broad paid social. Pair a proof heavy landing page with offline touchpoints at La Batte and partnerships with certification bodies. The winning wedge is to make his research process easier by packaging documentation, sourcing maps, and clear claims in one place.
strategy
Calm, precise, transparent, locally grounded, with explicit references to certification and what the brand still needs to improve.
- "Here is the farm, the route, and the audit, all in one page"
- "What we do well and what we are still fixing, in plain language"
- "Certified organic plus verified local sourcing, with batch level traceability"
- Sustainability claims without measurable proof
- Influencer first campaigns that feel like image management
- Green branding that hides industrial scale supply chains
Sources
- 1. Digital 2025: Belgium (DataReportal, 2025, Belgium)
- 2. PRESS RELEASE: Podcasts kill the radio star? 44% of 25 to 34 year olds listen to a podcast (Trustmedia, 2022, 25 to 34)
- 3. Podcasts Belgique: Les 25 to 44 are the core target with 14.1% monthly reach in the South (RMB, 2025, 25 to 44 South)
- 4. CIM Belgium Survey 2024: 24% use ad blockers and 34% refuse cookies (Retriever Media, 2024, Belgium)
- 5. RTBF Editorial Audiences 2024: 41.7% daily contact in FWB (RTBF, 2024, FWB)
- 6. Organic Food Market Booms In Belgium: organic share 2.7% of mass market food sales (ESM Magazine, 2025, Belgium)
- 7. Top 10 Supermarket Retail Chains In Belgium (ESM Magazine, 2024, Belgium)
- 8. Marché de la Batte official page (Ville de Liège, accessed 2025, Liège)
- 9. Rossel: Le Soir audience highlights (Rossel, 2023, francophone Belgium)
- 10. EIB Climate Survey Belgium: 81% support immediate adaptation spending (EIB, 2024, Belgium)
- 11. Slow lifestyle: Belgian Instagrammers to follow, includes TheGreenMonki (Sample Slow Jewelry, 2024, Belgium)
- 12. Environment and Nature catalogue on RTBF Creative (RTBF Creative, accessed 2025, Belgium)
- 13. Insights: 30% discover podcasts via news sites or apps (Native Advertising Institute, 2025, Belgium)
What social content does he engage with?
51.7%
of adults aged 18 and above in Belgium can be reached on Instagram, making it his most efficient maker discovery channel
DataReportal, 2025, 18+ Belgiumconsumption
Saves posts from local makers, checks behind the scenes content, and looks for certifications and sourcing details before buying.
Daily, short sessions
Local makers · Food provenance · Climate explainers · Repair and reuse
consumption
Uses Marketplace and local groups for second hand finds and neighbourhood exchanges, and checks event pages for local initiatives.
Several times per week
Local groups · Marketplace listings · Neighbourhood events
Keeps a professional presence, follows sustainability and social enterprise updates, and watches for grants and partnerships.
A few times per week
Sustainability jobs · Social enterprise news · Policy updates
YouTube (Weekly) · TikTok (Occasional)