The Machandel cannery for organic and biodynamic products in Haulerwijk may start a pilot with a deep-freeze factory this year.
Its production capacity could be increased to about 25,000 tons per year in five years.
From peas to corn
This mainly concerns the processing of peas, green beans, broad beans, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli and sweet corn from organic and biodynamic farmers in the three northern provinces, the Noordoostpolder and part of Germany.
The plan stems from the initiative of the province of Groningen to promote organic farming, which started in 2016. Supervisors are agricultural consultants Michiel Bus from Oldekerk and Peter Brul from Bellingwolde. According to Bus, the intended catchment area has an organic area of about 2000 hectares. “But if the factory gets there, it can give a huge boost,” he says.
A lot of demand
Bus and Brul have been looking for buyers for the vegetables for quite some time. They mainly looked at the options for freezing the vegetables. According to Brul, the market for frozen vegetables is larger than for canned vegetables. According to him, there is a lot of demand for this, especially in the US. During their search they ended up at Machandel. It is now looking at the possibilities of opening a deep-freeze line.
The closest frozen factories are now 250 to 400 kilometers from the North, in North Brabant and Belgium. That distance is too great to be able to supply the vegetables sufficiently fresh. According to Brul, cooperation with existing deep-freeze manufacturers is being considered, because they know the market well. “And there is a lot of interest in it,” he says.
Climate change
According to Bus, this also has to do with climate change. Due to the increasing drought and extreme rain, the south has a greater chance of a crop failure, while the changing weather conditions mean that the north is increasingly suitable for the cultivation of field vegetables. “So you can spread the risk,” he says.
According to Brul, Machandel’s canning factory is an ideal place for a deep-freeze line. Of the work required for freezing, 75 percent is the same as for putting the vegetables in the pot. “Selecting, washing, cutting, blanching – all of that is already possible there,” says the agricultural expert.
Own use
According to him, the pilot can probably start without a partner, because Machandel also freezes for its own use. ,,Take jars with green peas and carrots. The green peas should be frozen until the carrots are harvested. Only then can they play the game together,” says Brul.
Director Han van der Loo of Machandel recently informed about 30 interested farmers about the possible pilot during a meeting. He doesn’t want to say much about the plan. “Nothing is concrete yet. Of course I wear Machandel’s cap, but the most important thing is that organic farming is growing in the North,” says Van der Loo.