When the Dutch Potato Growers Organization was founded in 1963, the world looked very different. Mechanization is making its debut and the first steps towards scaling up agriculture are being taken.
The boiled potato is the main component of the Dutch family's lunch or evening meal six days a week. The Bintje is just about the only – and therefore most popular – breed. A potato variant such as chips has just seen the light of day in the Netherlands and “eating out” is hardly done: the chip shop, the supermarket and fast food chain have not yet gained a foothold.
The predecessors of Nedato were cooperative cold stores; growers stored their potatoes in a jointly managed cold store. Potato growers in the Voorne-Putten and Hoekse Waard regions had united in these cooperative cold stores and also focused on selling potatoes to the surrounding urban areas. A merger of the cooperatives in Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard led to the establishment of Nedato in 1963. A little later, the cooperatives of Goeree Overflakkee and Dordrecht/IJsselmonde joined. The starting point remained the same: fresh potatoes for consumption of the best quality: the regional clay soils were undeniably the ideal substrate for this.
The organization has been able to achieve this growth by adhering to a number of important basic principles. Connection with the product and connection with the grower have proven to be the most important roots: a continuous focus on quality throughout the entire chain, innovative capacity in cultivation and processes, a progressive business approach and an honest, transparent approach are and remain other important factors. drivers of success.
The joining of forces does not only take place in South Holland. Also in Zeeland and North Brabant - where the land is also ideally suited for growing potatoes - growers have united in various cooperatives from the point of view of scale, knowledge sharing and risk spreading. When a merger took place between the Zeeland, Brabant and South Holland cooperatives in 1995, Nedato consisted of more than 800 growers. A takeover of an export company in 1998 and the takeover of two domestic packers make Nedato what it is today: one of the larger cooperative potato organizations in Europe.
The connection with the grower and his potato has been the basis for Nedato's existence for more than sixty years. Our collective roots are literally in the best clay and in the best sandy soils. That rooting translates into top quality potatoes. But also in an honest, natural relationship with the grower: on a cooperative basis. With us, the grower is paid according to the quality of his product. He doesn't want it any other way. And because we supply based on market demand, our grower can produce targeted and do area planning, with guaranteed sales. But that's just one facet of our relationship. This is based on much more than economic grounds.
