1-on-1 networking with local companies from the Hageland and Dijland region.

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RECAP WEB FORUM + NETWORK EVENT

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Monday 14 DECEMBER 2020    

By Nele Lauwers: Consultant Boerenbond new earning models

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What does the demand for local grains and legumes look like? On December 14, Boerenbond and Generation Food organized a webinar and subsequent online networking event for farmers, bakers, brewers, food producers, etc. from the Hageland and Dijland regions. With participants from the region and beyond, this evening was very much appreciated. You can rewatch the webinar here.

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During the webinar, Lucas Van den Abeele of brewery 3 Fonteinen and arable farmer Simon Colembie shared their experiences with local partnerships between farmer and processor.

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Simon has an arable farm of 50 located in Kruisem. Through the Inagro practice center he came into contact with the food company La vie est belle, which was looking for local soy for their vegetarian burgers. Because they saw a market in it, Colruyt was also involved. They brought the story of local soy to their customers and thus guaranteed a place in the market.

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Lucas works for brewery 3 Fonteinen and is coordinator of a grain network with farmers who produce wheat and barley for the brewery. He monitors the production with the farmers, stimulates the exchange of knowledge between the farmers, but also with the people within the brewery. The local grains contribute to the reinforcement of the authentic character of their beer and there is interest in the market for this.

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Both partnerships focus on a sustainable cultivation method and a fair price for all links in the chain. Based on their experiences, both speakers are also convinced that this way of working together still has a lot of potential.

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