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Home-grown organic vegetables at Bio-Planet and Colruyt
24
August
2020
Broccoli, celeriac, leek, potatoes, white cabbage, cauliflower … The mouth-watering produce from Alveringem in West Flanders has been on the shelves of Colruyt Lowest Prices and Bio-Planet for decades. When the owners of organic farm ‘Het Zilverleen’ in Alveringem were looking for a buyer, we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to buy the farm with its 25 hectares of organic soil. By joining forces with organic farmer Niels, we can offer many delicious organic vegetables in our fresh produce department.
Supporting Belgian organic farming
Demand for organic products continues to grow. For organic vegetables, you need organic soil. With the purchase of the West Flemish organic farm, we can continue to guarantee our wide range of Belgian organic vegetables. The previous owners always cultivated their fields with the greatest of care. The investments we have made, continue that tradition by making sure that this rich soil can still be used for organic farming.
Fields full of life
We may have bought the land, but we do not farm it ourselves. The independent organic farmer Niels Trybou takes care of that. As a true born-and-bred farmer, he grew up between cauliflowers and courgettes. This is his first experience with organic farming. “With organic farming, you have to be very vigilant and constantly keep an eye on the weather. I get advice from a cultivation coach from Inagro and from the previous owners of the farm."
For Niels, organic farming feels more natural than conventional farming. "The soil is not being depleted. It is always full of worms, full of life, and there are lots of bees here to pollinate the plants. What’s more, I really have time to walk among the vegetables in the field and give them the attention they need. If it means I have to do regular weeding, it’s well worth it.”
During the cultivation season, all the broccoli and courgettes at Bio-Planet come from my farm. That makes me very proud.
Fruitful collaboration
The collaboration with Colruyt Group helps Niels run a healthy farming business without making major investments in organic land. We decide together which vegetables and crops to grow that will benefit our customers and the soil the most. With these new types of cooperation models, we are creating the conditions for a more sustainable agricultural and agri-food sector in Belgium.
With this initiative, we contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
