Drives are the real engine behind growth and development. Therefore, in this column, North Dutch entrepreneurs tell about their businesses and motivations.
How do you describe two brothers who have uniquely run their family business for 20 years? Eigenheimers is the first word that comes to mind after visiting FZ Organic Food. By the way, they bake their chips with a different potato variety, although the versatility of the potato also typifies these entrepreneurs, who make a range of organic world products in Wolvega.
Bjorn (50) and Folmer (53) Andringa were adolescents when their mother started experimenting with macrobiotic cooking. "That still bothers me," Folmer says dryly. The best thing from that time is that their entrepreneurial father Frans was inspired and laid the foundation for what is today one of their biggest brands: Yakso, with an extensive range for Oriental cuisine, from seasonings to meat substitutes. All organic of course, because that is the core of FZ Organic Food. 'Unsprayed food without weird additives, we got that from home. From mom through the food she put on the table, from dad through his business.'
Frans Andringa (81) still visits the factory in Wolvega every week. From his passion for organic products, in the 1980s he expanded his distribution company in Frisian organic cheese to include processed products such as jams, spreads and peanut butter. 'He did good business from Groningen in Germany and stood out there with his organic products,' say the brothers. 'When Asian products were added, after a while it became clear that own production offered more opportunities than wholesale and distribution. That's why Dad bought the premises here in Wolvega in 1989. He had one employee at the time. On his tours of the factory he likes to say: 'I used to do this all by myself!' Although now with 55 employees we make more than 400 products that are sold in 35 countries.'
Baking your own chips
The Andringa brothers came to the helm in 2003. For both Folmer and Bjorn, working in the family business was not a preconceived plan. 'Still, Dad did mold us a bit in this direction,' the duo states. After agricultural school and a retail education, Folmer worked at an organic soap factory in Germany until his father needed reinforcement. 'I didn't have to do it for the salary, but I saw a nice challenge in our business. And I wanted to bake chips myself from organic potatoes from the region. My father no longer had the energy for such a big change. He had had tough years due to increasing competition. That's exactly why we saw that we had to move completely towards our own brands and production.'
Bjorn had studied nutrition & marketing, at the suggestion of his father. 'He wanted me to join the company right away, but I was going to explore the market first. A fellow student said: you should also gain experience on the other side of the table. And that was the best advice I ever got. As a buyer of food goods at the Hema, I learned a lot from the suppliers. Then I did sales and export at a chocolate shop in the Randstad. And then Folmer called. He saw opportunities for our family business and wanted to do it with me. For two years I drove back and forth from Amsterdam to Wolvega. When we grew seriously and also set up our own production line for chips in the factory, I moved north. From then on, the assortment and production have continued to expand.'
Trial and error
Their move to FZ Organic Food proved to be a good move, both for the company and both brothers. They have the same entrepreneurial spirit as their father and add talents of their own. Folmer runs the factory, Bjorn is from product development, marketing and sales. 'The first few years it was mainly trial and error,' the brothers tell us. 'We are both types of just doing it. The fact that we now have a strong team means that we spar more and also gauge with customers. Although innovation and development remain the strength of this company. Innovating and improving, that never stops. And that applies to both our product range and the production lines in the factory. We now run a mix of our own brands and production for private labels. Everything naturally organic, that remains the core.'
The ideals behind their organic farm came naturally to them at home: better for their health as well as for the world. 'Although we are becoming increasingly aware of that value as we get older,' say the brothers. When we were young, organic had a woolly image; now the government spends money on campaigns to stimulate organic food. That makes our market broader and more fun. Because we grew up in the corner of health food stores, we are relatively unknown in the region. An identity crisis that has lasted for forty years, because that's how long FZ Organic Food has existed. We've been doing it together for twenty years now, exactly the same length of time as Dad was back then. Are we going to celebrate that anniversary? At the twenty-fifth anniversary, we didn't stop until a bunch of flowers was placed on our desk. We are far too busy ourselves to think about things like that.'
Bearing forces
The opportunities that the Andringa brothers see always and everywhere are their greatest motivation. They said it before: innovating and improving, it never stops. 'Albeit now with more focus and policy than before,' they believe. 'And with good people around us. The team has been on edge since the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine. Because of the high prices for gas and cooking oil, we experienced an exciting period. Then you see clearly who the supporting forces within the company are and we take advantage of that.' The factory is running at full speed again. 'Last night I lay awake for a few hours because of an important new deal,' Folmer says. 'And that doesn't happen to me very often.' To which Bjorn responds laconically: 'Well, if you don't lie awake that often, then you can go one step further.'
