The Passion of Pronk

Grower Paul Pronk has been our regular supplier of various ancient vegetables since the 1990s. On the land in De Goorn, North Holland, where his grandfather used to grow beets and tulips, Paul Pronk continues to happily cultivate his crops. Although he has left the tulips behind. "Tulips are just not my thing," says Pronk. "Give me carrots and beets! More of a challenge and much tastier too," he laughs.

Where the vegetables used to be transported by boats through the Vaarpolder to the Avenhorn auction for trading, currently many pallets head towards Ridderkerk each week. "We started with Van Gelder with about thirty boxes per week. We have grown together, in my case since the very beginning, twenty years ago when I just started." When Paul's grandfather began, they cultivated five hectares of land; now, Paul farms 130 hectares.

"The soil here is very suitable for beets. It's just a coincidence, a good composition of the soil. Here, the beets grow nice and round and smooth," Paul proudly talks about his products. In addition to beets and carrots, Paul also grows parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, and other ancient vegetables. Sometimes, he also grows them in mini-variants to offer a beautiful assortment. "To provide beautiful products, we experiment a lot and regularly try new things. That way, we try to have a new product each year. This is how we work together on better products and a beautiful assortment."