Tasting of turkey concept The Sjroete Farm

In a meadow in Panningen, Limburg, the beautiful turkeys of the Bos family are scurrying about. On this spot, an old empty stable was converted into the heart of 'De Sjroete Farm', an innovative concept in which turkeys with chic black feathers take center stage. Nieuwe Oogst visited the owners and asked them about the background of this farming business.

Family business

In the 1960s, Thei and Nel Bos started a turkey farm in Helden, Limburg. Like many other agricultural businesses of that time, the business was passed on from generation to generation. That happened in 1977 when Wim and Els Bos, the parents of current owner Ruud Bos, took the helm. Ruud literally grew up between the turkeys and that immediately explains his inexhaustible love for the animals.

It's obvious that the turkeys are a source of income for the family.

Of course Ruud passed on his love for turkeys to his wife Sabrina. Together with their three children they proudly run Kalkoenhouderij Bos since January 1, 2017. "Our farm comprises 7,000 square meters, divided over two locations. Every eight to ten weeks we deliver eight to ten thousand animals," says Ruud Bos.

By passionately caring for turkeys for years, Ruud and Sabrina know very precisely when the animals are in good spirits, and that has led to 'De Sjroete Farm', a contemporary turkey farm where passion and love for the turkey and the craft of turkey keeping is central. At 'De Sjroete Farm', the turkeys can grow up peacefully and scratch around outside in the herb field.

Our own concept

The fact that turkey is not eaten much in the Netherlands and there is often foreign product on the shelves, had been a thorn in the couple's side for some time. "But we did not immediately have the idea that we should do something with this," says Sabrina Bos. "Until two years ago, we were sitting on the terrace in Panningen and came to the conclusion that not a single restaurant in the center had turkey meat on the menu. At the butchers, mainly foreign turkey was available. That was the trigger for us to develop our own concept, aimed at producing a sustainable piece of meat and selling it in the region. It did not have to be an average turkey, but a turkey with a story.

Herbswei

This is how the idea for De Sjroete Farm was born; 'sjroete' is a Limburg word for turkey. An old, vacant stable at the Panningen location, which can accommodate five hundred animals, was fitted out for this concept. "To create distinctiveness, we decided to let the turkeys walk outside. For this purpose, a herb field was sown near the barn. We hear from many butchers that the meat has a firmer structure because of this."

The entrepreneurs selected a special breed for their Sjroete concept: the Caringa Cartier turkey. "This is a black, slow-growing turkey that is also used for the Beter Leven 1-star quality mark and in German Freiland/organic turkey farming. In our opinion, a black turkey in the pasture looks better than a white one. In addition, we wanted to make a clear distinction between De Sjroete Farm and the rest of the company."

Broad range

The entrepreneurs bring the turkeys to slaughter themselves after sixteen to twenty weeks. Then a poulterer processes the meat. "In cooperation with a marketing agency, we have developed a broad assortment of meat products and products," says Ruud Bos. "They also helped us develop the Sjroete Farm concept and set up a website and Facebook page."

The meat from De Sjroete Farm is available at six butchers and two caterers in North and Central Limburg. One restaurant also has the Sjroete meat on the menu. "In September last year, I quit my job outside the house to be able to fully focus on marketing the Sjroete meat," says Sabrina Bos. "The fact is that the customers don't come forward automatically; you have to actively pursue them. An additional problem is that many cooks and butchers still know little about turkey meat. They have no idea that it is such a healthy and tasty product."

Short Chains

The entrepreneurs 'unburden' butchers and restaurants with posters and leaflets, among other things. "It is important that they know how to convey the story of the Sjroete turkey, our passion and the craft. Our meat is more expensive than foreign turkey, but consumers who know the story are usually happy to pay that extra price. Especially because they know where the meat comes from. They attach more and more value to that."

The entrepreneurs are satisfied with how sales are going so far. But in order to make De Sjroete Farm a successful concept, the number of customers needs to be increased even more. "Now some of the meat is still sold through an alternative channel, but in time we hope to be able to supply everything to butchers, restaurants, and so on. Since we are taking a lot of links out of the chain, this should also yield a better return than sales through the regular channels."

Product innovation

To give sales a further boost, turkey farmers are actively developing new products. "In addition, together with a former butcher, we are investigating how to market the less valuable parts of the turkey - wings, drumsticks, et cetera. The barbecue market may offer opportunities for this. In this way, we want to improve the square footage. The Sjroete Farm concept offers plenty of potential, but it takes a lot of time and energy to set up something like this and make it profitable. Direct sales will certainly not happen by themselves," Ruud Bos emphasizes.

His wife emphasizes that the new activities also provide energy. "It's very nice to have contact with butchers, restaurants and consumers and in this way to get more connected to the environment. That hopefully reflects positively on the sector and the support for livestock in general."

Source: New Harvest
Image: De Sjroete Farm