'More shopkeeper in time, more farmer in mind'

In the corner of the De Walhoeve farm shop in Goirle (North Brabant), owner and beef farmer Corné van Roessel shows with his hands how big – or rather small – it all started 28 years ago. Then his mother started selling meat door to door. In 2023, the secondary activity has actually become the main activity in terms of turnover. Van Roessel also seems to be a born shopkeeper, with a personal greeting and chat with almost every customer who enters. But at heart, Van Roessel is still primarily a farmer. "In time I am more of a shopkeeper or owner, but in my head I would like to be more of a farmer." This is the first episode in a series about side activities of agricultural entrepreneurs.

The livestock sector consists of 150 beef bulls and calves. The family used to have goats, but after the major Q fever outbreak that also affected them, they stopped doing so in 2016. Corné van Roessel's parents still live next to the shop. He himself lives on the other side, with the area in between where the goat stable used to be. That land has been sold and was initially going to be part of a business park, but now there will be houses and a connecting road. Because where the store used to be rural, the new houses – and with it the customers – have moved on to the other side of the road.

It is very busy in the store. Customers come and go, often by bike or on foot. Two shop assistants hurried between the display case with meat products and the cash register. Salads are prepared behind the scenes. In the butcher's shop, a carnival cracker blares through the speakers and a butcher turns sausages. A total of about twenty people work at farm shop de Walhoeve, together 10 fte.

In 2018, Van Roessel did another good renovation. In 2010, HAS students had worked out ideas for him as a graduation assignment to turn the store into a specialty store. "We focus on 20% of all regional product groups that go fast, that is vegetables, cheese, dairy and meat. We have not yet managed to make a difference with bakery products."

The shop and the cattle farm are inextricably linked. 30% of the store turnover comes from bulls from our own stable. According to Van Roessel, selling yourself is nowadays even 'the only way to keep cattle'. In addition to beef, the butcher also sells pork and chicken from a local farmer and poulterer. In terms of size, the store can now compete with a local supermarket and only the meat range is larger than that of the average butcher. But the rest of the offer is also great: fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs, juices, beer, jam, as long as it is a local product. A number of retailers in the neighboring shopping center have lodged an objection with the municipality against the environmental permit, a case that the municipality recently won. The entrepreneur doesn't say much about it, but it seems clear that he is a serious competitor.

Van Roessel: "We wanted a relevant store with enough customers to build a future. Many customers come here two, three or four times a week. If you only sell meat, people might come once a month. The goal is structurally a thousand customer visits per week, we are now approaching that, while we are not on a through route."

Since 2010, the store has grown continuously by 10% to 20% per year, says Van Roessel. He advises other agricultural entrepreneurs who want to start a farm shop to 'arrange the paperwork well up front'. According to him, this is a pitfall, because 'each municipality can do it in its own way'. It is also important to know if there is a market for a farm shop. "You need quite a distribution area to have a store that makes a difference." As far as he is concerned, data is also missing on this. "I have been relying on an umbrella database for farms for years. There is not much data to rely on. LTO could play a role in that." According to him, this data could help farmers with the question: how many customers should there be in the area to run profitably? 

It's not for everyone and can't be done in every place, but what's especially important is that it has to suit you to be a shop owner. He therefore advises farmers who are considering starting a farm shop to see if it is something for them. "Work for a day or several days. I think that happens too little, but there is too much reasoning at the kitchen table and a lot of money thrown at it, without asking yourself: does this suit me? That also applies if you will do something else, such as recreation or care."

Once you've got your business up and running, it's important to build customer loyalty, says Van Roessel. In the first few years he spent a lot of time at markets and he advertised structurally in the local media. He has also adopted several regional recipes. For example, from a retired poulterer. "Whenever I was at a market, someone said that they had such tasty salads. When I had heard that thirty, forty times, I called that poulterer if I could have his recipes. He liked that and then he come and help make them. Now we have sixteen types of meat salads and we sell a few hundred kilos a week - they are also available at the Jumbo in Tilburg. That is more turnover than cheese. That is an opportunity that comes along and you grab it and it also helps to connect in a village." 

Farmer or shopkeeper, Van Roessel is above all an entrepreneur who sees and seizes opportunities, as you can see when you talk to him. For example, there is Brabants Streekgoed: a cooperative with several farmers and growers of which he is a co-initiator and which supplies shops and the catering industry. Just like van Goei Eete, where consumers around Tilburg buy directly from the farmer. Since this year they also have an app with which you can order directly. According to Van Roessel, the revenue model for this is 'very low', but there are growth opportunities now that local purchasing, including from the government, is becoming increasingly popular. He also finds it important to work together with other farmers. "As a board member of ZTLO Hart van Brabant, I work hard to work together and create opportunities."

During corona, the short chain and specialty shops were on the rise. De Walhoeve noticed that too. "It suddenly became a lot busier. We grew 30% in 2020 in the store, but deliveries to the catering industry fell by 60%. On balance, we remained the same." Much of the growth during corona has been preserved, according to the owner. Only that was not reflected in the earnings last year. "2022 was just positive. We misjudged the costs and rose in price too late."

Customers therefore remain loyal to De Walhoeve, despite inflation. "The prices are slightly above those of the supermarket, but below those of the butcher. People do not experience it as expensive. The price/quality ratio is very favourable."

While we eat a sandwich with cheese from our own shop at the canteen table between the staff, father Van Roessel puts his head around the door to say something about crates that can be returned. At almost eighty years old, he is still active. The stable is his domain. As a result, his son spends only an hour a day on the cattle. "In time I am more of a shopkeeper or owner, but in my head I would like to be more of a farmer," says Van Roessel. "I also figured out that if my father couldn't do that anymore, I'd do more in the barn and I should have time for that too."

Then we go to the stable. By car, because it is on the other side of the Oostplas, a few minutes away. On one side of the road, forage from our own land (and potatoes grown for another farmer) and on the other side, a modern barn that was built in 2017, with a special pointed roof. It is a combination of a post barn and a slope barn, inspired by an Italian system. Van Roessel has adhered to the organic standards for the sizes of the stables. Not that he is necessarily in favor of the quality mark, but he attaches great importance to animal welfare. Van Roessel proudly gives a tour of the barn. "You start a shop more out of necessity than you used to think: I want that. It's a way to stay with the city, on a smaller scale, as a farmer."

This series of reports is made in collaboration with platform Search farmer, which inspires citizens to visit the farmer.

Linda van Eekeres

Linda van Eekeres is co-writing editor-in-chief. She mainly focuses on macro-economic developments and the influence of politics on the agricultural sector.

l.vaneekeres@boerenbusiness. Nl

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