Loading...Ruud Vossebeld is unpacking some red onions from the storage box. They emerge deep red, shining and with thin necks. “Take a look. These red onions look great on the supermarket shelf,” says Ruud, who is from Beemte-Broekland in Gelderland. Together with his wife, Antoinet, he runs a farm growing 10ha of valuable seeds and 6ha of red and yellow onions. “I used to grow onions that were more pink in colour, but they weren’t a success with consumers. These shiny red ones are.”
The farmer had to learn to look differently at his produce. Shape, colour, packaging – that’s what counts on the supermarket shelf. For the past six months he has been growing red onions for the Van Onze Grond co-operative (VOG – see box). His produce goes directly to local supermarkets. “I’m always looking for new sales opportunities and this is right up our street,” he says. “We’re already doing well with regional sales. We also sell our produce directly to customers and every year we organise a pick-your-own potato day.”
To supply these markets, he changed over to a different variety of red onion and bought a new bagging machine to be able to pack his own onions. But that wasn’t all. “Local sales don’t happen by themselves, even if you are in a co-operative. You have to prove yourself, dare to stick your neck out and get creative. It’s only by putting in your own energy that you get anything out of it.”
Energy is everything
That is also the case for Frank Bruggeman, who is branch manager at the Jumbo supermarket in Lochem. He previously worked in Colmschate, where Hans Kok, a joint-founder of VOG, was manager. “You need people in your store who are prepared to keep to the plan, otherwise it will never get off the ground,” notes Frank. “It will only pay off if you pay attention to it. Energy is everything.”
He paid attention to the concept: Studied people in depth, listened to his customers. “They want regional produce with a story. If you know how to do that, it will result in sales,” he says. “And then they’ll pay more for regional produce. The price is up there with organic produce.”
All in all, you need each other to make this a success.
Ruud Vossebeld
He now has a chiller in his store with a rack next to it that is full of VOG produce. “It’s small-scale, because Lochem isn’t that big”, he explains. “But some staff are really committed to this. And we have a tray of small plants, including pak choi and endives, that are watered every day by a cashier.”
He sees the added value of local produce increasing. “Every three months, our supermarket chain conducts a customer satisfaction survey in its own stores. At first our score was just average, but now our store’s customer satisfaction is in the best 10% in the Netherlands. That really is a reward for the energy we put into it.”
Co-operation is crucial
Everything succeeds or fails on co-operation, says Ruud. Today the farmer is in a supermarket handing out red onion soup. The branch manager is in the stockroom checking on the quality of the red onions. “All in all, you need each other to make this a success,” says Ruud. “In financial terms it’s not there yet, but I think it’s fun and I can see the possibilities. If we could also deliver yellow onions to the co-operative, or potatoes, that would make things financially more interesting. “I’m currently in talks with various supermarkets, to work out which products they need. I could probably consider adding on a smaller production.”
Frank agrees: “In my store, the story behind the products isn’t really to the fore yet. That’s why I am really busy getting brochures from the producers in my store – and a TV. If people could watch a short film about the production process of the locally grown red onions, for instance, that would really appeal to them. I think then we could sell even more local produce. So we need each other.”