LOF from Espel

The company LOF in Espel was founded over thirty years ago by Jan and Inge De Vries. In 2015, it was taken over by their son, Gerwin de Vries. Jan’s father and Gerwin’s grandfather previously cultivated potatoes, onions, winter wheat, flax, and peas, and also ran a livestock farm. The De Vries family stopped livestock farming when Jan joined the partnership. They wanted to fully focus on arable farming and specialize in one vegetable to distinguish themselves from neighboring farms. Chicory turned out to be a gap in the market. At the time, it was a niche product, and the chicory roots thrived in the Flevoland soil. In winter, they cultivated chicory, and in summer, seed potatoes. LOF has since grown into one of the largest chicory producers in the world.

There are around 30 different varieties of chicory, of which four are main types. Vintor is the most common. The differences lie in the bitterness and the size of the head. The chicory nursery in Espel also cultivates red chicory. As the name suggests, it is red in color and slightly less bitter than regular chicory. This vegetable is only eaten raw; otherwise, it loses its color.

According to LOF, the best roots come from the Noordoostpolder and Eastern Flevoland. Chicory is a biennial crop. Sowing takes place around the end of May, resulting in what are known as chicory roots or chicory ‘pens’. The grower believes the combination of soil, climate, and knowledge is ideal, and he aims to prove this with his own chicory. The necessary chicory roots are cultivated in-house. This benefits the high-quality product LOF strives for. "As chicory growers, we know the exact history of the root. We know where the roots were grown and under what conditions. During the cultivation phase of the chicory, we can fully take that history into account," says Gerwin.