Nederlands
In 2002, Johan Tielen, then just 21 years old, entered into a partnership with his parents. In 2006, he took over the family business, Tielen Vegetables, based in America (Limburg, the Netherlands). Entrepreneurship, innovation, and a sustainable mindset have brought the company to where it is today. “We now grow 26 different types of vegetables, both organic and conventional,” says operations manager Jeroen Huijs. “We believe organic farming is the most beautiful form of cultivation. It truly has a future.” Hutten sources its courgettes from Tielen. In the series 'Sustainable Doers', we talk with our suppliers about our shared sustainable vision.
“We grow courgettes in open fields. We have around 400 hectares, of which about 100 are organic. For pollination, it’s important that insects such as bees first collect pollen from the male flowers and then transfer it to the female flowers. So we need a lot of pollinators to keep the process going. That’s why we sow extra flower borders and place beehives near the courgette crops. We harvest from late May to mid-September. After harvest, the courgettes are cooled overnight. We do this to let the skin settle because it’s still actively growing when we pick them. After that, we package them—using less and less plastic, and increasingly switching to reusable folding crates, for example.”
“Caring for the soil is crucial”
Carbon Laser Weeder: from America to America
Tielen has a clear ambition to farm more and more organically. Good soil care is essential in this. That means, among other things, ploughing less deeply. This reduces disturbance of the soil structure and soil life. It also leaves more organic matter on the soil surface, which helps prevent erosion and improves the soil's water retention. But: it also means weeds have more chance to grow. “That’s why we were one of the first in the Netherlands to purchase a Carbon Laser Weeder from the USA,” says Huijs. “This smart machine moves across the field, detects weeds, and burns them away. It will be especially helpful with our spinach crops. Because spinach grows so quickly, it leaves a lot of space and light available for weeds.”
Residual streams to Verspillingsfabriek
Although Tielen does everything possible to minimise food waste, oversized courgettes and undersized or oversized pumpkins are common residual streams. Rens Faes, buyer at Hutten, says: “These are perfect residuals for our Waste Factory. Last year, we processed 3,500 kilos of courgettes and no less than 8,000 kilos of pumpkins into soups at the Waste Factory. We’ll soon be exploring further collaboration opportunities here. And of course, we’ll continue our conversations. Hutten also aims to use more organic products. That’s not just our ambition—some of our clients actively request it. So it’s quite possible that in the future we’ll also be sourcing other products from Tielen.”
