Herman and Ria Zonnenberg

Zonnenberg Witlof

Hi, we are Ria and Herman Zonnenberg and we grow organic chicory here in the south of The Netherlands. We have been growing, harvesting and packing this delicious vegetable since 1971 so you can safely say that we are pretty passionate about the fascinating and above all delicious chicory.

In 2018 we switched from conventional to organic agriculture because the fast developing market for sustainably farmed products fits perfectly with our small scale family business. We want to focus in getting the best possible chicory from the roots and believe that we are now in a position to do that in the best possible way. During our orientation phase we spoke to numerous organic chicory growers to learn more about the business. The two other Nature & More growers Math Kersten and Herman Leijten were particularly helpful and we are very great full for their help.

Interview with Herman and Ria

Can you tell us something about growing chicory?
Herman: Chicory is grown in a special way. Cultivation actually takes two years (or growing seasons). In the first growing season, the plant is grown from seeds, in the soil. The chicory plants are not edible in this first phase and are therefore fed to the cattle. However, under the ground these plants grow a very thick pen root... and that's what it's all about. After harvesting the pen roots, they are left to hibernate and stored at -1 degrees Celsius up to 10 or 11 months.

And then...
Ria: After the "cold shock" we put the roots into wooden boxes that are put in darkened cells. The roots receive water with a temperature of around 17 degrees Celsius. This brings them into "spring mood" and the roots shoot into the well-known white chicory stalks. After 3 weeks, these are large enough to harvest. When this is done we remove the outer leaves and pack them in boxes that keep them in the dark so the beautiful white – yellow vegetable does not green.

Do you eat a lot of chicory yourself
Ria: Of course, we love it. It is such a healthy, versatile and above all delicious vegetable. The classic is of course ovenbaked with lots of cream, cheese and ham. On the other hand the spoon shape leaf makes it ideal for appetizers and hors d’oeuvres for example with walnuts and blue cheese. Personally I am a great fan of chicory mustard soup with ham cubes or even better finally sliced smoked salmon.

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soil

Organic means collaborating with nature and not intervening when you think things are not going to plan. You have to be able to let go and let nature go about its ways. Our organic rootstock is grown in the nutrient rich soils of the “Noordoost Polder” where instead of feeding the plant with artificial fertilizers the farmer feeds the soil with compost. In this way the plant naturally takes up the nutrients and water it needs. Due to the fact that the chicory roots are part of a larger crop rotation scheme the soil has enough time to rest and perform in the optimal, sustainable way.

biodiversity

When we talk about biodiversity and chicory production, we particularly focus on the rich biodiverse soil life in the first part of the production process ... namely the rootstock which is grown organically in the open field.

individual

At Zonnenberg we employ four local people who have been working with us for many years.

economy

The switch to organic agriculture was made because this way we can develop our business in the best possible way. If we had stayed in the conventional sector our future would not be all that bright.

climate

On our barn and packhouse we recently installed 600 solar panels that are able to cover almost two thirds of our energy needs. We believe the move to more sustainable energy fits perfectly with our vision to move towards organic agriculture. Furthermore, because organic farmers do not use chemicals they help reduce pollution and generally speaking have a lower emission of CO2.

water

Chicory production means using a lot of water. This is because the chicory stalks grow on thick pen roots that only receive water. Water is however abundantly available in Brabant and is not a scarcity as in other parts of the world. Also, the water that is used, stays very clean as Herman and Ria do not use artificial fertilizers and pesticides and therefore there is no detrimental effect on the environment.

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