Deputy Willemien Meeuwissen has presented the Drentse Waarde-Ringen. The Value Rings are for entrepreneurs who reduce the distance between the consumer and the producer of food. “Very nice to receive this appreciation.”
The Value Rings have been awarded to three initiatives: Geert’s Best, BoerenTrots Westerveld and Stadsboerderij ‘t Nije Hoff in Emmen.
The BoerenTrots Westerveld initiative is a group of farmers who actively involve the residents of the municipality of Westerveld in farming life. They do this with various activities, such as hikes, a harvest day, Farmer’s BBQ, a Mayor’s Breakfast and an entrepreneurial fair. The aim is to show citizens where the food comes from and how it is produced.
“It’s very nice to receive this appreciation from the province and the people who nominated me,” says Geert Lindenhols. Lindenhols is the initiator behind the company ‘Geert’s Best’, which focuses, among other things, on locally produced food. “If we produce good food here, it doesn’t have to come from far away,” says Lindenhols.
In addition to the emphasis on locally produced food, Geert’s Best also focuses on making food production more transparent. The company does this, among other things, with initiatives such as the Fruit Press Day, cooking on the farm and collaborations with education and research. “It’s nice that my work is seen and that this philosophy is kept alive,” he concludes.
“We are pleasantly surprised, this is a nice boost,” says Rick Nijhoff. Together with his brother Gert-Jan, Nijhoff runs Stadsboerderij ‘t Nije Hoff in Emmen: a dairy farm with a tea house and its own catering industry. In addition to their own products, the brothers also explain to their visitors how the products are made.
“It is a bit of awareness of how it works. Especially for a rural province like Drenthe, I think it is good that people know how food is produced.”
In the near future, Nijhoff also hopes to be able to offer its own cheese. “Next year our own cheeses should be on the shelf, the goal is to have the first ones ready in the spring.”