Company report Matthijs Job
'I really wanted to create something innovative in milk'
Dairy farmer Matthijs Baan set himself years back with the goal of doing something innovative with milk. The concept of ElkeMilk arose from this idea. This concept must show that every cow is unique and therefore produces different milk. "Usually, the milk disappears into anonymity. I want to prevent that."
Matthijs Baan (39) lives with his wife and 3 children (13, 10 and 7 years old) in Molenaarsgraaf in South Holland in the Alblasserwaard. There he has a dairy farm with 125 cows, 110 of which contribute to the annual milk production of 1,1 million liters (with an average of 4,5% fat and 3,8% protein). Baan outsources the rearing of approximately 65 young stock to a nearby company.
Not a born farmer
"I was literally born in the house next door. My parents came to this location in 1973 through the land consolidation and then set up a dairy farm here," the dairy farmer explains. Baan still has 1 brother and 1 brother, but all 3 are not born farmers. "No, we didn't immediately intend to eventually take over the dairy farm, although I did have the most affinity with the farm. For example, I regularly milked and fed, while my brothers did much less."
It was only when he could choose his further education that he realized that the agricultural world might just be his thing. "I first wanted to study civil engineering, but decided to take a look at the HAS in Dronten." Today the agricultural college has been renamed Aeres Dronten. "It then became clear to me that everything comes together in the agricultural sector: nature, animals, business economics, but also in the social field there are many commonal areas. Most other professions are one-sided, but that is not the case in this sector. This is broad, and that's what I was looking for." After his training, Baan first spent another 2 years in the brokerage business, but that also confirmed his suspicion. "During that period I learned that I was not made to work for someone else. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and then you want to do your own thing."
In the first years that he was involved in his parents' dairy farming, Baan immersed himself in the company vision and business models. Then it became clear to him that investments had to be made in automation. "When I joined the company, we kept about 80 to 90 cows and we had a quota of 700.000 litres. There are now 110 cows and the annual production is 1,1 million litres. partly because we invested in automation. In the first years, the work amounted to approximately 100 hours a week, while that is now only about 50 hours a week. So those investments have certainly paid off."
Doing more with milk
Incidentally, Baan has never had the idea that it is his company. "You do it together. It is and will remain a family business and my father is still involved." Still, the dairy farmer had the urge to do more. "I also wanted to set up something different. In that context, we also started a daycare center 8 years ago: 'het Hazendonkje'. I also had plans to make ice cream or do something with combination dairy. very thin and the competition is fierce. I asked myself: what is really innovative?" That led to the concept AnyMilk, which has since grown into a partnership with TOP BV from Wageningen. "The idea is mine, Top had already played with it, but the effect really comes from them."
- Matthijs Job
With this concept, the milk is immediately pasteurized and packaged. "EachMilk has 2 unique points: it is freshly processed and creates a bit of experience for the consumer. So the milk goes from the udder to the pasteurizer and is then in the bottle within 10 minutes. You can also taste that freshness and that's how we make it difference in quality." The piece of experience can be found on the label. It shows from which cow the milk comes. "You can then find that cow with a photo on our website. You would be surprised how often consumers leave a comment, or even a compliment, about the milk of a certain cow," says Baan. "I think this is nice to see. Usually the milk is collected by the factory once every 3 days and then it disappears into anonymity. That is not the case with ElkeMilk, with us every cow is unique and that is why every bottle of milk tastes different. "
25% of the milk production is now used for ElkeMilk. The remaining 75% is collected by Vreugdenhil. We used to be at Bel Leerdammer, but that didn't work. I do believe, however, that we should not forget the usefulness and necessity of large factories. They only really know what working efficiently is." The milk under the ElkeMelk label is only occasionally sold on the farm. "In principle, everything goes to Albert Heijn. They pick up the pallets here. This means that the entire process takes place here: production, processing and packaging." Baan thought about a short chain, but the implementation was disappointing. "I found that large loads are much less polluting for the environment compared to when I Each time, we have to drive a van through the village." That is also the reason that we opted for PET bottles. "If these bottles are disposed of properly with the plastic, it is much more environmentally friendly than glass."
Future plans
"Our goal with ElkeMilk is to get the largest possible share of the market." He wants to investigate whether more dairy farms can be converted to this system. Baan has no major expansion plans for the dairy farm itself. "I believe that the current size is good. However, I am not saying that I would not expand if I had the chance. This also depends on the progress of ElkeMilk. If there is a market for 2 million liters, we will expand ourselves But, if there is a market for 10 million liters, I'll see if we can convert companies. A plan is ready for each scenario."
He is clear about the future of dairy farming in the Netherlands. "We should not only look at the Netherlands. If we want to work towards circular agriculture, as Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) wants, we should look at Europe. The Netherlands is too small to create a cycle on its own." The dairy farmer also believes that soy should no longer be imported from Brazil, but proteins can be obtained from France, for example. "We could then export our manure to France, for example. What's the point of intercontinental transport if we can solve everything within the European Union?"
The future today also depends on the choices made in politics. Baan doesn't focus on that, however. "My parents used to be very active in politics, maybe that's why I'm not that at all. I row with the oars that I get from politics in The Hague. However, I do believe that politics should finally choose a course and who actually has to go sailing. The switch between different strategies and visions is really disastrous for farmers in the Netherlands."
Kimberly Baker
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