A joining of forces of over 500 professional vegetable growers
Stronger together: that is the motto of Cooperative Growers' Association De Schakel U.A., a joining of forces of over 500 professional vegetable growers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Market-let growing and producing for the vegetable processing industry.
De Schakel was founded in 2004. The history of the association, however, goes back far further and is linked to the establishment and development of vanRijsingensource. in the 1980s; a company belonging to the Van Rijsingen family from Mierlo. It was then that the formula for the market-led growing and producing of vegetables emerged. This demand-driven contract farming proved a gap in the market place.
Growing contracts for guaranteed purchases were put in place with local growers and agreements were made on the rendering of services such as sowing, harvesting, transport, supervision and planning etc. This facilitated investment in specialist machinery, knowledge and people. The same form of partnership still represents the basis of a market-led approach today.
De Schakel generates revenues through its commercial partners, supplying to European market chains for frozen vegetables, preserves and juices as well as fresh (processed) vegetables.
Demand from these chains is consolidated and accommodated by a fixed group of De Schakel growers primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Using sophisticated sowing, harvesting and process planning, a logistics operation is drawn-up for delivering the produce grown in a fresh, semi- or pre-processed state or as an end product.
Collaboration
Companies from vanRijsingengreen work together, alongside trading companies and with growers in a chain. Products by De Schakel are grown in conventional and organic growing systems, and supplied with recognised sustainability certifcates such as Milieukeur and Veldleeuwerik.
De Schakel has contracts on a wide range of vegetable crops
De Schakel-affiliated growers individually work with business system certification to be able to supply a desired quality seal. This certification is grounded in food safety, sustainability / Environment or product intrinsic (organic).
Cooperative growers' association, De Schakel has over 500 active grower-members and has been recognised by the European CMO Fruit and Vegetable programme since 2004.
