THE GRAIN REPUBLIC

When visiting Oldambt in the northernmost Dutch province of Groningen, you’d never suspect that the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. This region was once referred to as Europe’s granary and its vast landscape is still home to countless farmers, but cattle are now grazing many of the fields that were once ripe with all sorts of grains. Most of the cereal grown today is feed wheat, unsuitable for human consumption but destined for animals.

This development goes against the core beliefs of farmers such as Gert Noordhoff, which is why he is one of the initiators of De Graanrepubliek: a cooperation between farmers and the companies that buy and process their grains. Among those companies is Hooghoudt, a Dutch genever distiller with strong ties