Background The grain
'The grain chain must be shorter and more transparent'
If you ask a baker where his grain comes from, the answer is never the Netherlands. Het Graanschap hopes to change that. "We are convinced that the grain chain must and can be shorter and more transparent," said Eva Jansen, one of the founders of Het Graanschap, on Wednesday 23 September during the presentation of the first loaf of the new harvest.
Het Graanschap is the first company in the Netherlands to grow, grind and bake grain and was founded by Arjen Verschure, Alice den Boer, Johan Pater and Eva Jansen. About 4 years ago they started with the ambition to make bread from 100% Dutch grain. Cultivation takes place on Schokland (Noordoostpolder), just like the milling of the wheat. The bakery is located at the location of De Groene Afslag in Laren. The goal is simple: to make good bread and at the same time contribute to fertile soil and more biodiversity.
In addition to focusing on nature-inclusive agriculture and future-proof farming, Het Graanschap wants to try to add value to wheat from the Netherlands in a new way. "At the moment, Dutch grain is mainly grown as poorly paid animal feed. That is a waste of this fine product. After all, wheat keeps the soil fertile and should therefore not disappear from the crop plan because there is no good revenue model behind it," says Jansen.
Biodiversity as a spearhead
The wheat is grown on Arjen Verschure's farm. A striking fact is that he is actually a dairy farmer. "Yes, you can call that somewhat special. At my company, however, we focus strongly on closing cycles. Growing grain fits in perfectly with that picture. After all, what is not suitable for bread goes to the cows as concentrate. I can also use the straw in the stable." Biodiversity is also a top priority at Verschure. "At least 10% of our sowing consists of wild flowers to increase biodiversity. In this way I hope to keep the soil fertile and not exhaust it."
In addition, Verschure himself is a strong supporter of the short chain. "Everyone who is added to a chain – it does not matter which sector you look at – tries to get a piece of the cake. This often has a negative effect on the farmer's revenue model. The short chain that we have now devised, must put an end to that.” The cultivation currently consists of approximately 7 hectares of winter grain, which produces approximately 40.000 loaves of bread. Production expansion is on the agenda. "In 3 years we hope that this will have increased tenfold."
What is perhaps most special about this project is that the 4 founders work together under 1 example. "In this way we create a joint revenue model. This ensures that you also want to achieve the best result together. You immerse yourself in other people's activities and gives each other tips to ensure that the entire process connects better. It also ensures that all links in the chain can earn a good living. The proceeds are divided equally," says Jansen.
Bakery in a sea container
The bakery is located in 2 sea containers. "We wanted to start with a so-called bread lab, a place to experiment with Dutch grain. These sea containers are extremely suitable for that," says Den Boer. According to her, the baker's world is always saying that you cannot make bread from Dutch wheat because it contains too little protein. "But in my opinion, it's about how you handle the dough. Many bakers like to knead hard and then you do need a lot of protein. If you handle the dough subtly and look closely at what happens, then Dutch wheat is the best choice." certainly suitable for the production of bread."
The wheat from the new harvest came from the land on 21 August and Den Boer has made 2 types of bread from it: the Blonde Dame (a white bread) and the Full Glorie (a whole wheat bread). "What is special about this bread is that it contains no additives. It is therefore pure grain, salt and water," concludes Den Boer. Incidentally, the company does not yet have the ambition to develop multiple varieties.
Enough ambitions
The fact that it is not a short-term project is apparent from the many ambitions that the company still has. "We will soon be starting a delivery service in the postcode of our bakery. Just to test whether there is a need for this," explains Jansen. "In 5 to 10 years it would be great if we could make bread for the whole of the Netherlands. They order it from us and can then pick it up at a local location, for example at the supermarket. In addition, the goal is to also use the flour that Verschure grinds. to start selling."
When asked whether they see any dangers in the low price of bread in the supermarket, the foursome are unequivocal. "No, certainly not. Our bread may cost a bit more (€4,50 per loaf), but our kilo price is clearly cheaper than at various bakers in the region. In addition, we think we can also pay a little more for the work that put into it and the fact that we are returning so much to nature (in the form of biodiversity)."
Kimberly Baker
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