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Buy locally


We cannot cover all of the demand with our own potatoes. That’s why we also buy potatoes from cultivators in the area. Besides, did you know that De aardappelhoeve was the first to contact Colruyt with a tangible short chain proposal? 

Start short chain project in collaboration with Colruyt


In 2017 De aardappelhoeve and Colruyt joined forces.
With the slogan ‘a fair price for everyone in the field’ we worked out a plan allowing every cultivator to contact the retailer directly.

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Away from the traditional paths in the potato sector 
In potato cultivation there’s always a correlation between three players: the cultivator who delivers the commodities, the packer who serves as the middleman and the retailer who sells the product. Belgium is the potato country par excellence, but packers and retailers all to often used to buy their potatoes in neighbouring countries so they could reduce the prices. This has not always been easy for domestic farmers. 
 

Belgian supermarkets should sell Belgian potatoes
At De aardappelhoeve we wanted to stimulate sales of Belgian potatoes at the supermarkets. We want farmers to be able to contact the retailer directly. This means a big commitment, but one that pays off. Colruyt Group saw a future in our story and signed for a direct partnership with Belgian potato cultivators.

An honest and delicious deal for all partners
Transparency is the keyword in the short chain project! Working with an eye on the future is important. If you want farmers to invest in better techniques and quality, to purchase new machines and to develop healthy entrepreneurial cultures, you need to create the necessary financial breathing space. With this project, every partner gets a fair price. The demand for potatoes is no secret. And we can match the offer perfectly. Our share in this story – besides packing and delivering – is passing on knowledge and experience.

De aardappelhoeve selected 5 stable and cultivation-friendly cultivars from which we know taste and quality are good. We succeeded in – during the storage season – using potatoes exclusively from Belgian, local cultivators for the following packages:

  • 5 kg Boni Selection French fries
  • 5 kg Everyday Soft boiling

Which is a beautiful evolution.
 

Start and scale-up
During the start-up of the project 7 cultivators delivered to about 20 branches of the Colruyt Group. In the meantime there are 16 cultivators and everything is supplied nation-wide to Colruyt and OKay. We started with a volume of 6,000 tons potatoes each year and now we process 12,000 tons annually. And we haven’t yet reached the final chapter of the story. By 2020 we expect to sell Boni potatoes for French fries and Everyday potatoes coming from our joint project in all branches of Colruyt, OKay and Spar.

aardappelen
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