The Franzen family have been arable farmers for well over 70 years on the Dutch island of Goeree-Overflakkee (40 minutes from Rotterdam in the Southwest). This unique growing area houses some of the most fertile and versatile arable farmland in our country. This allows us to produce a wide variety of crops. These vary from the traditional potatoes and onions, to the more specialist vegetable crops and tulip bulbs. The farms’ unique location, spread out over a wide area, gives our company its versatile character, with a plentiful sweet water supply for irrigating purposes and good access roads.
About us
Product processing
Our headquarters at Dirksland house facilities for crop storage, grading and processing. Led by manager and co-owner Frank Franzen, this line of business has recently seen great expansion. Potatoes, flower bulbs, onions and carrots are exported worldwide, together with our business partner Holland Food Trade in Middenmeer. The Coöperatieve Telersvereniging De Schakel takes care of the sale of canning vegetables. The Dirksland location is also home to our subsidiary Comgoed, which specializes in supplying organic fertilisers such as compost and mushroom compost. Our premises at Oude-Tonge house a large scale storage facility and cold store, which is also rented out to other farming companies. Since 2019 a 20,000 tonne storage facility has been erected in Nieuwe-Tonge, which can store GMP-certified products.
Machinery
The large-scale farm uses the most modern machinery in order to produce crops with the highest quality standards. In order to maximise output and ensure timeliness a modern machinery fleet is required with a high capacity. Nearly all jobs are carried out in-house by our own personnel. Some contracting services are also offered. The media-page shows an impression of our machinery fleet.
Future
Franzen Landbouw goes to great lengths to ensure that both the environment and the farm’s soils are protected. This means constantly investing in soil fertility, carrying out improvements and adopting modern precision farming technologies. By contributing to a large number of innovative projects we can demonstrate that large-scale farming doesn’t need to have negative side-effects. The future of coming generations is very important for us as a farming family. This means that constant care is being given to schooling. Aside from welcoming apprentices, Franzen Landbouw has also initiated an agricultural training course for the Southwestern arable area. Students will find a unique combination of theory and practice in one place.
History
Agriculture has played an important role in the Franzen family for many generations. In 1949 the family moved, from the Amstelveen-Slooten area to the village of Achthuizen on the eastern side of the island of Flakkee. The whole family moved to the province of South-Holland, along which Gert Franzen, Frank Franzen’s father. During a period of government-enforced land consolidation fields were purchased at various locations across the towns of Dirksland, Oude-Tonge and Ooltgensplaat.
Co-operation
By co-operating with fellow farmers, and being able to take on other farms, Franzen Landbouw has steadily increased in size during the last decade and other farming families are now working together with us. In 2014 a milestone was reached when a new plant was installed for washing, grading and packaging crops such as potatoes, onions and carrots. In the meanwhile, a new storage facility was erected with a cold store and box storage.
Further developments
Franzen Landbouw continues to develop. One example is a completely new line of business – growing tulip bulbs. This relatively new enterprise has grown to become one of the most important on the farm. Storage and warehousing of bulk agricultural goods such as grain, and the storage of vegetable crops, is another growing line of business. The most recent development is initiating an agricultural training course on our farm for secondary education of students.
Certificates
