Bioport works together with a group of organic growers and Skal certified packers from Holland and Belgium. To start with we want to introduce you to some of the growers and packers from the Flevo- and Noordoostpolder (Northeast polder) and Limburg. Besides showing how they farm organically we want to show the innovations they are introducing on their farms and the more general ways in which they are contributing to a sustainable form of agriculture.
The market garden Bio Brothers is owned by the brothers Johan and Toon Tielen. Among other vegetables they grow organic rhubarb, spinach, courgette and kale. Their farm is in the South of Holland which means their products are usually available early in the season.
Organic market garden in Grubbenvorst in the South of Holland grows pak choi and chicory. Owner and grower of the farm is Fred Willemssen. What’s special about the chicory here is that it’s produced (“forced” is the term chicory growers use) on soil whereas most of the chicory is produced in water. The soil based chicory is often preferred because of it’s taste.
Carel Bouma grows organic potatoes, carrots and onions. He also has grading and packing facilities for organic potatoes. He can deliver loose on truck, in big bags or in 10 or 25 kg netbags.
Aaldering Bio-Ui is a Skal and BRC certified grading and packing staion for onions and shallots where they work exclusively with organically grown product. Aaldering Bio-Ui is situated in the center of the ‘IJsselmeer-polders’, an area where a great deal of Holland’s organic agricultural production takes place.
Poppe Landbouw, farm of the Poppe family from Nagele, grows onions, carrots, seed potatoes and wheat. Last year they invested in a new and state-of-the-art facility for the longterm (mechanical) storage of onions, carrots and potatoes.
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Sjaak Twisk has a Demeter certificate besides his organic certificate. In the summer his cows graze in the adjoining nature reserve. In the winter they are housed in the stables which have recently been rebuilt and have solar cells on the roof. These solar cells provide a sizeable chunk of the energy used on the farm. Sjaak Twisk is specialised in the long term (mechanical) storage of onions and shallots, which requires quite a bit of energy.
Dennis van de Weerd’s farm is just outside Lelystad in the Flevopolder. He grows carrots, leeks, potatoes, black salsify and orange and green squash.
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Arenosa is run by Jan van Geffen and his son Sam. They were amongst the first farmers who settled in the Flevopolder, a reclaimed and very fertile part of Holland. Besides growing carrots, leeks and potatoes they have specialised in various lesser known vegetables such as black salsify, parsley root and Jerusalem artichoke.