Netherlands GFN member named Agricultural Entrepreneur 2019!

Congratulations to Global Farmer Network member Annechien Ten Have Mellema, her family and their Hamletz brand for being voted ‘Agricultural Entrepreneur’ for 2019 in the Netherlands!

Their candidacy video below shows how much care and pride goes into their farming. This is a well-deserved honor!

See the story below from Boerderij (March 28, 2019) that’s been translated to English from the original Dutch:

Winner Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year 2019: Hamletz

Annechien, Menno, Detmer and Lizeth ten Have in Beerta, Groningen, were named Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 on Thursday 28 March.

From the hands of jury chairman Marc Calon, the Ten Have family received the first prize in De Basiliek in Veenendaal: a check worth € 12,500.

“The 5 nominees did not differ much this year, they are all companies that are strongly focused on their customers,” said jury chairman Marc Calon, general chairman LTO Netherlands. “It was an exciting election this year, with a fantastic and justified winner in the end.”

Jury: Hamletz is an example for pig farming

Hamletz is described in the jury report as an example for pig farming. The entrepreneurs are a figurehead for agriculture.

Hamletz’s production fits in with the modern philosophy of circular agricultureFor ten years the Ten Have family worked on a consumer brand in pork. Hamletz has been on the shelves since 2018 . The meat is distinctive in taste. The production fits in with the modern philosophy of circular agriculture.

The jury is impressed by the passion, ambition, guts and tenacity of Annechien, Menno, Detmer and Lizeth ten Have. The route to Hamletz is a journey of discovery with many obstacles. Annechien uses her network strategically, previously gained in managerial positions.

Annechien sees the price as an important valuation for the pig sector and is very happy with it. “We really stuck our neck out, we came here by trial and error. We hope to be able to give direction to the sector with this title. ”

The Ten Have family received the prize from Carola Schouten, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. The minister thought it was ‘a party’ to be present. “I am proud of the sector. It requires perseverance to be an entrepreneur in the agricultural sector. ”

Own welfare-friendly stable system with 2-star status

The entrepreneurs developed their own welfare-friendly stall system with a 2-star status . Looking for taste, they looked for a different type of pig. The Hamletz pig is its own cross. The lupine crop appears to be a flavor enhancer. An important part of the feed is grown on the own farm.

Hamletz’s sales are still modest. The jury believes that the brand has great potential.

The company has 250 hectares of arable land, 600 sows and 4,900 meat pigs. The manure is processed in-house in a biogas plant. The installation supplies energy to the company and the grid…

See rest of story… https://www.boerderij.nl/Home/Nieuws/2019/3/Winnaar-Agrarisch-Ondernemer-van-het-Jaar-2019-Hamletz-409857E/