The value of blockchain

Sjoerd has been involved with the family business since the age of 12. Now, at 24, he is running a farm that has more than 4,000 pigs with his father and brother. After a brief foray into cattle and poultry and studying animal husbandry at HAS University of Applied Sciences in 's-Hertogenbosch, where he focused on data analysis and continuous monitoring, Sjoerd is fully active in the thriving family business.

Sjoerd also works at De Heus and has been a member of the advisory group for Varken op z’n Best, Van Loon Group’s supply chain programme, since 2022. As part of the advisory group, Sjoerd contributes to ongoing development of the concept.

"For over five years, since the start of the ‘Varken op z’n Best’ concept, we have been working closely with Van Loon Group. Initially, this went through a trading intermediary, but before long we had direct contact with Van Loon Group. It’s been a pleasant and transparent relationship; on the meat processing side, it’s a truly open and above all future-oriented collaboration. Unlike other companies, Van Loon Group already had a chain concept and open cost price model in place, which offers a long-term vision for the future. For me, that long-term vision is vital, because I’m still young and need a solid partner that I can present to the bank," says an enthusiastic Sjoerd Gerrits.

Together with other pig farmers and accountants, Sjoerd has been involved in the development of this cost price model over the past few years. One of the goals was to smooth out the largest market price peaks and troughs, resulting in more stable business operations with lower risk. This makes it possible to continuously reinvest in the company. Although it can be nerve-wracking, it offers Sjoerd peace of mind, and he says, "A good pig farmer always makes money." 

The purpose of the blockchain is to make the CO₂ footprint of pork transparent, traceable, and verifiable. To achieve this, it is essential that the right data is shared and processed correctly. Through JoinData, pig farmers and other chain partners grant Van Loon Group permission to use their data for specific applications, such as calculating the CO₂ footprint. This approach ensures clarity regarding data ownership and how the data may be used.

At first, Sjoerd found the digital environment challenging: “I wondered why I needed to go through different steps and provide certain information. But once you are fully up to date in terms of information and have a solid basic setup, you can reap the benefits in the future. Thanks to the blockchain data, we know where our emissions come from and, as a supply chain, we can get to work on reducing the CO₂ footprint.”