Dairy producer Farm Dairy from Lelystad is one of the larger players in the market for fresh dairy in the Netherlands, alongside FrieslandCampina and Arla Foods. Since its foundation in 1998 by potato processor Gerrit de Bruijne, the company has rapidly developed into a modern and innovative processor of sustainable dairy and dairy alternatives. Back then, when it was founded, it shook up the market, now again.
In the dairy sector and also in dairy farming, the initiative of Farm Dairy is seen as a stain on the dairy reputation. Terms such as 'consumer fraud' and 'deception' are quickly heard. Director Arend Bouwer of Farm Dairy is not impressed. "We produce dairy and dairy alternatives for retail. And that is where the demand is changing. At first we only produced fresh dairy, but in recent years we have adapted the factory so that we can also produce plant-based alternatives and recently also hybrid products. Incidentally, we only use sustainable dairy in our products, so from top milk flows, such as Beter voor and On the way to PlanetProof".
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The segment of plant-based dairy alternatives and hybrid dairy – part dairy, part plant-based – is showing growth, says Bouwer. New edible concepts, such as the spoonables (spoonable dairy alternatives) and frothed milk are doing well. "We notice that this type of product is popular with consumers who prefer more sustainable products but who also find taste and nutritional value important. The taste is rated well, also by taste panels."
"This segment is also interesting for supermarkets because it helps them to achieve the covenant agreements they have made with the government. These require consumers to switch from 60% animal and 40% vegetable proteins to 40% animal and 60% vegetable proteins. It serves sustainability, and there is a lot of attention for that, especially in North-Western Europe."
"What we do may be sensitive to some companies, but at Farm Dairy we believe in it. We are also not the only company working on a new generation of more sustainable dairy products. Many companies abroad are already working on it, but there are also companies in the Netherlands that are not sitting still. We use locally produced vegetable raw materials as much as possible, such as field beans (protein) from the Netherlands." It is known that, for example, the Bieze Food Group based in Nijkerk (part of the German Wernsing Food Family) and Boermarke from Enschede are also working on it.
Farm Dairy is an independently operating and fast growing company with a firm grip on the steering wheel. Farm Dairy does not have its own farmers, the sustainable milk flows come from multiple suppliers.