In the Netherlands, on a spot earmarked for thousands of houses and a city park, Oxin Growers held its first Oxin Growers Experience on Tuesday. Some 200 guests from across the chain visited technical suppliers' and breeding companies' stalls. Equally important was the opportunity to meet and catch up.
Jan Oosterom, Oxin Growers' chairman, gave a short talk. But, more importantly, the afternoon was meant for conversations between growers, traders, and other chain players. And there was plenty of opportunity for that. See the photo report here.
Café Clementine, around the corner from large trading companies in the Dutch town of Barendrecht, was the venue for this debut Oxin Growers Experience. The central theme was sustainability. Topics like energy, crop protection, the inevitable ToBRFV resistances, and combating waste were discussed. Ever considered producing biogas from banana peels?
Guests also got to visit the Robin Food Hub. There since this spring, startups have been turning waste streams into new products. That includes the recent launch of a new beer shandy made from rejected mandarins.
This event replaces the cooperative's product afternoon they used to organize for various crop groups. Also new to Oxin Growers is Young Oxin. This initiative for entrepreneurs under the age of 35 starts this Friday.