Interview farms
'Working together with farmers who really want to change'
Durability. It is a theme that many farmers are now looking at with some suspicion. It often leads to associations with terms such as livestock shrinkage, circular agriculture and the Green Deal. But according to Stijn Markusse, the founder and owner of Boerschappen, sustainability need not be a threat.
"Everyone wants to do what is best for nature and nobody wants to eat meat from an animal that has suffered. If consumers understand what they eat, then there is also more understanding for the production method. You just have to explain it. offer an alternative," says Markusse.
Boerschappen is a company that has been supplying grocery boxes with fresh products since 2014, directly from the farm. "We work without shops, waste, pollution or triple margins. We collect the products from the farmer in the morning and the consumer has them at home in the afternoon," says owner Stijn Markusse. "We see it a bit like Settlers of Catan. We look for trade routes, build cities and villages and buy development maps. We can't do it all at once. But every euro we earn, we can invest in something beautiful."
How did the idea come about? And when did you decide to really turn it into a business?
"My friend Stéphanie was obliged to follow a diet without sugar. That was a difficult task. In the supermarket, 70% to 80% of the products contain sugar or a variant such as dextrose. I then asked a few friends to help with the composition a kind of 'shopping box'. We drove past several farmers to collect fresh products. That got out of hand and we applied for a Chamber of Commerce number in 2014. It was initially a social experiment and in 2015 we really We now have more than 60 employees, more than 30 pick-up points and we deliver throughout the country."
These types of short chains are popular. Nevertheless, it turns out to be difficult for many farmers to still achieve a sufficient margin. After all, the consumer is not always willing to pay a little extra for it. How do you see that?
"I think you have to look at the long term. I see sustainability as an opportunity and not as a challenge. Everyone wants to do the right thing. No one is really happy with animals that have suffered. If you can ensure that you keep the short chain If a 'good' cucumber of €0,59 is placed next to a 'bad' cucumber and that farmers really want to change of €0,30, then the majority of consumers do indeed opt for that cheap variant. Sometimes there is no other option. Not everyone has the luxury to choose. In my opinion, there is only one solution to combat this – and Lidl has applied that with regard to Kipster eggs. You have to take the 'bad' variant off the shelf. Then you force change."
"Farming is also about understanding and explaining what you eat. If a farmer uses a crop protection product – which we prefer not to have, of course – then you have to be able to explain to a consumer why this is necessary. Only in this way can you generate understanding. also applies to the structure of the price. We show how the price has been determined on various products. It ensures that the consumer understands it and is more willing to pay. This is especially important for Generation Z. That generation really goes make short work of companies that cause damage to nature and the environment. So by 2030 you have to make sure that you are good. That is the task for every company."
You would also like to contribute to that transition to circular agriculture. How do you do that?
"We work together with farmers who really want to change. Of course there is no farmer who necessarily wants to use crop protection products. And if I ask a farmer: 'Do you want to do 2 things with me: increase the nutritional value of your products and increase the impact? lower on nature?' And if I say that I pay them for both, then there is hardly anyone who says no. Yes, unless they don't believe that I can live up to my words, but then it is a matter of trust. In short: we invest in the companies that want to make a change. In this way we contribute to a more beautiful landscape, in which farming is appropriate."
And those companies you work with. When are they interesting for you?
"We stick to the following 3 words: time, nature and love. Time is fairly simple. For us it is not about the kilos or the best price. We would rather pay a farmer more to ensure that he can harvest on time. After all, we don't have a lead time of 10 days. We have to be able to pick up a nice product in the morning and bring it to the consumer in the afternoon."
"Secondly, nature is very important to us. We want to work with farmers who do not damage the soil, water, air or biodiversity. We are therefore increasingly selecting for circular farmers. Organic has a restrictive effect for us, because we often work with farmers who have animals in the wild. Those animals eat in nature and therefore cannot meet an organic certificate. We also see a lot in agroforestry. So a certificate is certainly not a necessity."
"After all, we still have love. For us, it means paying attention to. It doesn't have to be large and automated for us. In short: we do not work with the large farmers. All our farmers are small-scale and are part of the short chain. supply them to the supermarket. This also ensures that we have many different farmers side by side. After all, we cannot get our sales volume from one farmer. But when we are looking for a second cheese supplier, for example, we always contact you with the farmers who deliver to us. We then ask them who they feel best about. And we often start a collaboration with that."
The vegetarian market is also becoming increasingly popular. Many farmers see this as a negative development. How do you look at that?
"I personally see it as the future. If you had told me 8 years ago that I would eat vegetarian today, I would probably have been gloomy. Afraid I would have had to make a big sacrifice for that. But that is not so Stéphanie and I only eat meat or fish 3 days a week And if I eventually become completely vegetarian I don't mind either I think eating meat will be seen in a few years as vegetarian is seen now : 'Oh, those are the people who absolutely want that.' It sometimes seems as if everyone is afraid of these kinds of changes, but we should see it more as opportunities, because a barbecue can also be a great success with only meat varieties and lots of vegetables."
"Incidentally, we think it is important that vegetarian and vegan products remain nutritious. We don't want to sell hyper-processed products. If you buy a kilo of apples from us, there can be 5, 6 or 7 apples in the bag. They all look different When I tell the consumer, for example, that those scars are the result of last August's hail, you often hear: 'Oh, I understand that and it makes sense'. : food that nourishes, from a chain that is good."
"It is one of the reasons why we work less and less with animals in stables. Our goal is that only our chickens will be left in the stable. We then only want to use meat from animals that have lived in the wild or when there are a contribution is made to circular agriculture. As a result, we must of course increase the nutritional yield. For that, we test with alternative cultivation methods or other varieties. However, feeding animals in a barn with soy and then waiting. No, that is not for us and we will do that don't either."
How do you ultimately ensure that a consumer chooses you and does not go to the supermarket?
"We want to be the best at a few things: nutritional value, freshness and we want to show a chain that is good. We want to be able to say to our customers: 'All the farmers we work with do better for the soil, air and biodiversity. behind than when we found it a year ago." If we combine that with the fact that healthy food is good for your immune system, we can really be distinctive. You don't have to pay more because we don't have intermediaries. If we can do it make sure it's good for you, for the world and for the farmer, why not choose it?"
Finally. Any big plans for the future?
"Our ambition is to have several hubs in the country in the future. Each region would then have its own set of farmers and its own set of customers. The hubs ensure that it is delivered within 12 hours. At the moment we mainly work with farmers within 50 to 60 kilometers of Breda. But the majority is even closer. We also have the ambition to do more on the producing side and therefore want to increase those nutritional values. All in all, we are a few years further. We especially want to show that it is possible, that short chains can be a success."
Kimberly Baker
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