Excelling with umbellifers

From left: Joost Litjens and Sam van Geffen

ARENOSA FARM:

EXCELLING WITH UMBELLIFERS A DECADE AGO, ARENOSA GREW 1 HECTARE OF ORGANIC PARSNIPS. LAST YEAR, IT WAS MORE THAN 100. DEMAND FOR PARSNIPS HAS GROWN RAPIDLY OVER THE PAST DECADE. AND JAN AND SAM VAN GEFFEN’S FARM IN LELYSTAD, THE NETHERLANDS, HAS GROWN WITH IT.

Arenosa, the Van Geffen’s farm, sits on a unique piece of Dutch land. In the mid-1980s, the city of Lelystad was held in receivership by the Dutch state. There was a 300-hectare area that was intended for industrial use but didn’t find a buyer. The local authorities thought large-scale organic cultivation would be a good use. So the land was repurposed, and in the mid-1980s the first organic farmers moved in. It became more or less the cradle of organic growing in the Netherlands.

Jan van Geffen was one of the farmers who settled there. Born in the southern Dutch province of Noord-Brabant, he had no >>

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farming background. But at age 23, when he heard about an organic agricultural school from a friend, his interest was piqued, and he went back to the classroom. Just before graduation, he was offered an opportunity to farm 3 hectares of land in the central Dutch town of Lunteren. Organically, of course. In 1988 he exchanged that land for 10 hectares of new sandy clay soil in Lelystad. His life as a “proper” farmer had begun.

Rediscovery

Today, Jan and his son Sam grow crops on 90 hectares. The farm’s growth has more or less kept pace with the increasing popularity of forgotten – or, rather, rediscovered – vegetables. Parsnips, which already had an organic image, are more popular than ever. And rooted parsley, Jerusalem artichokes, salsify, burdock and leeks – which Arenosa also grows, along with clover and sweetcorn – are claiming more space on the produce shelves. Leeks, grown for industry and the fresh market, are becoming an increasingly important product too.

Sam has followed in his father’s footsteps in a way. He didn’t set out to grow vegetables either; he saw more prospects in the hospitality industry.

But in the mid-2000s he realized organic was fast becoming big business.

Getting in on the ground floor was tempting. So in 2008 he joined his father on the farm.

Priorities

One of Arenosa’s focal points is handling its own sales. “We grow what the market wants,” says Sam. “So it’s important to put plenty of energy into maintaining business contacts. That pays off. Demand for traditional, organic vegetables is growing. We’ve been working in this segment for

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so long that customers come to us, Dutch and foreign.” Domestically, the Van Geffen’s supply mainstream retailers and natural food shops as well as industry, which makes good use of the larger vegetables. Parsnips face a disadvantage because they resemble carrots, the average consumer expects them to look similar and be of a uniform size. Otherwise, Arenosa’s produce mainly ends up in Germany, Belgium, France, Scandinavia and the Baltic states.

From left: Jan, Sam and Koen van Geffen

Another feature of Arenosa is that it has its own processing department.

“We want to maximize our products’ value,” Sam says. “So we do our own washing, packing and marketing, and we also do it for third parties. This gives us another advantage: by staying in close contact with the market, we get information about new developments firsthand. That helps us put together our crop plan.”

Head-shaking

"We want to maximize our products’ value, so we do our own washing, packing and marketing."

Sam van Geffen

Growth was never Jan van Geffen’s goal. It just happened, more or less, because demand for “forgotten” vegetables increased and he understood the business. And growth still isn’t what drives him. Sam feels similarly, though he does have plans for the future. “We’re going to specialize more in certain crops. And I also see a lot of potential in rooted parsley, which arguably tastes even better than parsnips. The issue is that the varieties aren’t yet consistent enough, although the first results with new hybrid varieties have absolutely been good.”

Sam says he’s never for a moment regretted leaving the hospitality business for organic farming. His brother Koen has also said farewell to the insurance industry, where he used to work, and switched to farming.

And Jan? He sometimes thinks back on his time in Lunteren with a smile.

“We had maybe 40 different crops. With a little old ruined building for a shed. And loads of volunteers and interns helping us to keep the place running. People would walk by shaking their heads.” Do they still do that?

He laughs. “No, not any more.”

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