40 years of Jan Bakker: 'Always on the right side'

Forty years ago, after a serious accident, Jan Bakker decided to become an entrepreneur. With virtually nothing, he built a vast empire with a wide range of agricultural and infrastructure activities. Over the years, he also acquired arable and dairy farms. The next generation has now taken over, and his daughter Angela is taking over the reins. Time for a conversation with father and daughter about the past, present, and future. 

When we contact Jan Bakker for an interview, he immediately throws in a disclaimer in his traditional Oldebroek dialect: "In an interview, you have to talk, and that's not necessarily my strong suit. But together with my daughter, who now runs the business, I'm willing to do it." No sooner said than done. In September, the eponymous company celebrated its fortieth anniversary. The now 64-year-old entrepreneur started his small business with a tractor and wagon. The rest is history. The anniversary was celebrated in style, with more than 4.000 visitors. "Our employees, but also customers, suppliers, and acquaintances came by," says Angela, who largely organized the day herself.

The journey began in 1985 after a serious accident at the age of 23. It looked unlikely he'd ever walk again, but he miraculously recovered and decided to become an entrepreneur. A dream come true. His greatest driving force throughout all those years was Jan Bakker himself. His father, who is still alive, was certainly not a fan of entrepreneurship. His wife didn't encourage him either, but she did let him pursue his ambitions. And in such cases, the North Veluwe native is capable of much. He does things his own way, with common sense. "I make all decisions based on my gut feeling. But if something doesn't work out, I'm open to criticism from the organization."

Bumping nose
According to Jan Bakker, entrepreneurship is a matter of seeing opportunities, daring, and taking action. Making mistakes is part of it. Procurement mistakes, for example. "In January, we bought a lot of potatoes from the farm. In retrospect, that was a bad decision now that the potato market has dropped to almost zero euros." "Simply complaining" doesn't do much good, he believes. Entrepreneurship also means "doing what you say and saying what you do." That means keeping promises, being reliable, and not making excuses when the market takes a turn for the worse.

Is there a crisis in the potato market? Jan thinks for a moment and then says: "The arable farming markets are indeed very bad these days, but a new equilibrium always emerges. Three years ago, we wondered where we were going to get all those potatoes to fill the factories. Now the conclusion is that there aren't enough factories, or at least too many potatoes." The sugar beet market is also bad, but he often sees his glass as half full. He doesn't consider it a major problem that Cosun has reduced the allocation to 90% for 2026. "So, 90% of sales at a good beet price instead of 100% at a bad one."

Dairy farming has been booming in recent years, although sentiment is now shifting. "Jan Bakker's strength lies in our wide range of activities," Angela believes. From manure, potato, and feed trading to transport, contracting, and infrastructure. The latter was established to keep the men employed outside the agricultural season, but it's also deeply rooted in the company's heart. "Before I became an entrepreneur, I worked in that sector. Back then, it was hard work, sometimes putting in days." Jan Bakker has continued to work hard ever since. Throughout those forty years, he has always managed to stay financially sound. During lean years, he sometimes had to scrape by for a profit, but he always succeeded. "I'm proud of that."

New Age
Angela joined the business in 2024. Her other two children weren't interested in taking over the company. Like her father, Angela is "not much of a learner," she says. She's now 27. In recent years, she's worked in various departments within the company, getting to know it inside and out. Together with her husband, who is also active in the business, she's enthusiastic about the future. Meanwhile, her father, Jan, is still very active and has no plans to slow down anytime soon. He has been taking vacations abroad for several years now, whereas in the past he always stayed in his own country. The two complement each other well: Jan handles the business, while Angela manages the organization from the office and modernizes where necessary.

Growing in a shrinking market
Moving with the times is important to them. Part of their truck fleet is now electric. Jan and Angela have also traded in their diesel car for a plug-in. They're very happy with it. Meanwhile, Jan continues to look for market opportunities. He's not too concerned about the shrinking livestock farming sector in the Netherlands. "We do some business abroad, but we're staying in the Netherlands." Jan Bakker recently acquired a 60% stake in Comfortmix, a supplier of cubicle mixes from Toldijk. "We're going to bring the business here," Angela adds. Growth is never a goal in itself, but they're always on the lookout for these kinds of opportunities. According to Jan, acquisitions are only interesting if they add something new to the company. More of the same doesn't make much sense at this stage.

Despite the tight labor market, the company has no complaints about finding staff. Employees are given considerable freedom and responsibility, with department heads making 90% of the decisions themselves. This ensures clarity and speed within the organization, enabling Jan Bakker to continue to grow after four decades.

Don't invest in Renure too early
The feed and forage trade is growing in volume by over 10% this year. The company says it benefits from its permanent representatives. "If necessary, we're available day and night," says Jan. Being accurate about pricing and handling transactions smoothly are, of course, essential for attracting customers. "We're also seeing growth in the manure trade again this year. The high prices are a concern. But just like in the potato trade, the market is working its magic here." A direct solution isn't yet available. Increasingly, surplus manure is being exported. Jan Bakker is also closely monitoring developments surrounding Renure, a technology that can reduce the manure surplus. Despite the commitment from Brussels, it's not yet clear exactly which direction the policy will take. This makes it difficult to invest early on. "We did do that a few years ago, together with the government, in manure digestion, but that didn't work out well then."

Politics as a hobby
In conversations with Jan Bakker, politics is frequently discussed. It's a hobby of his, and he's closely following the current coalition formation process. "I can listen to debates and political talk shows for hours, or watch them if I have to." He hopes the VVD will keep its word and not join a coalition with GroenLinks-PvdA. He'd rather see a combination of D66, VVD, CDA, JA21, and BBB. However, he does find it regrettable that the PVV has been excluded from the outset by almost all parties. "As a farmer, I feel most at home with the BBB, but as an entrepreneur, with the VVD. However, from my Christian background, I always vote for the SGP. They, too, are good for farmers and do what they say they will." 

A conversation with father and daughter Bakker is never dull. Topics are discussed rapidly, and the two complement each other where necessary. After more than an hour of conversation, we work towards a conclusion. Jan still has to visit the notary at the end of the afternoon. This is typical of the busy schedule of a remarkable entrepreneur for whom the picture is never complete. Every euro earned is preferably reinvested in the family business.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is Head of Meat & Dairy at BoerenbusinessAt DCA Market Intelligence, he focuses on dairy, pork, and meat markets. He also monitors (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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