De Streekboer wants to change the food system: ‘Farmers have been cash cows for years’

Milk is good for everyone. But not for the farmer, because they don’t always get enough money for it, they think. Sandra Ronde wants to change that with her company De Streekboer. She wants to make sure that people get all their food from their own region.

More and more farms are selling their eggs, milk, vegetables or houseplants directly or almost directly to the consumer. That is what the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) calculated in February.

This is also the case at Harms Heerlijck bakery in Tynaarlo. Once a week, in addition to fresh bread, there are also crates full of other products in the store such as fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs and organic milk. These are local products that are ready to be picked up by customers of De Streekboer.

The bakery is the newest takeout point to open recently. Customers can order groceries on the website and pick them up at one of the five collection points in Drenthe.

Some products in the crates are a bit more expensive than in the supermarket. With this, Ronde wants to break the pattern that large players determine what, for example, the milk price will be. “The farmers have been the cash cows themselves for years. The system is sick,” says Ronde.

“The big players all say they want to change but the processes are such slow. Consumers and farmers just have to stand up and make sure through a new system that we offer transparency and give a fair price to everyone.”

View our report about De Streekboer here:

ttn-41