Herenboeren Usseler Es

What Herenboeren Usseler Es does

Herenboeren Usseler Es is a Dutch cooperative farm (Coöperatie U.A.) established in 2023 on a 20-hectare municipal land lease on the Usseler Es, southwest of Enschede, Overijssel. The cooperative is owned by approximately 250 member households (~500 mouths/people) who collectively fund and govern operations and receive a weekly harvest share (oogstaandeel) of vegetables, fruit, potatoes, herbs, eggs, and optional meat produced via nature-inclusive and regenerative methods without chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Production infrastructure includes two tunnel greenhouses, a 20-hectare drip and reel irrigation system, a de-ironed groundwater-fed water basin, an orchard of 1,165 fruit trees, a 700-bush small fruit garden, 1,680 windbreak trees across 26 native species, circular pig farming (Duroc), and Lakenvelder cattle; two professional farmers (bedrijfsleider Robert Tel and livestock-focused Erwin Maassen van den Brink, three days/week) lead operations supported by a five-member volunteer board.

The business model is a non-profit subscription cooperative with two revenue streams: a one-time capital contribution (inleggeld) of €2,000–€2,500 per multi-person household (€1,000–€1,250 single) that financed ~€400,000–€500,000 in start-up capital, plus a recurring weekly contribution of €10–€17 per mouth collected via monthly direct debit. Annual operating costs are ~€250,000, and any surplus is reinvested. A €65 Proef&Beleef trial subscription (5 harvest pickups over 8 weeks, April–October) functions as the funnel into full 3-year memberships. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: monthly farm tours, an annual Open Dag, ModderDag, harvest festivals, school excursions, a quarterly Mailchimp newsletter, and organic social on six platforms; no paid advertising is used. The cooperative is one of 24 Herenboerderijen (~9,000 members, 46 farmers) within the national Herenboeren NL network and is a member of the Vereniging van Herenboerderijen established in April 2025.

Name

Herenboeren Usseler Es

Legal name

Herenboeren Usseler Es

Website

https://usseleres.herenboeren.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Herenboeren Usseler Es is a Dutch member-owned cooperative farm on 20 hectares in Enschede, serving ~250 member households (~500 people) who fund it via capital contributions and weekly fees in exchange for weekly harvest shares produced through nature-inclusive, regenerative agriculture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

NAICS

Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112), Chicken Egg Production (11231)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic & Pasture-Raised Poultry & Egg Production (AFAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Community supported agriculture
• Cooperative farming
• Regenerative agriculture
• Harvest share subscription
• Nature inclusive farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Enschede, Overijssel

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contribution (Contributie): Members pay a weekly/monthly contribution based on the number of 'monden' (mouths/persons) in their household. The contribution covers all operating costs including the farmer's salary, land rent, seeds, plants, and the annual fee to Herenboeren Nederland. Weekly contribution ranges from approximately €10 to €17 per mouth. Indicative annual total operating cost per Herenboerderij is approximately €250,000.
2. One-time Capital Contribution (Inleggeld / Certificaten): New members pay a one-time capital contribution to become co-owners of the cooperative farm: €2,000–€2,500 for multi-person households, €1,000–€1,250 for single-person households (half certificate). This capital funds the start-up and development of the farm. The total start-up capital raised across all members is approximately €400,000–€500,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Herenboeren Usseler Es is a cooperative community farm on 20 hectares where approximately 250 households collectively own the operation and receive a weekly harvest share of vegetables, fruit, eggs, herbs, and occasional meat. Members pay a one-time capital contribution (€2,000–€2,500 per household) and recurring weekly fees (€10–€17 per mouth). Production follows nature-inclusive, organic methods without chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. A Proef&Beleef trial subscription (€65, 5 pick-ups over 8 weeks) is offered to prospective members.

Product overview

Herenboeren Usseler Es is a cooperative farm operating since 2023 on 20 hectares of land near Enschede. The offering consists of a core cooperative membership (Herenboeren Usseler Es Cooperative Farm) where members contribute capital (€2,000-2,500) and weekly fees (€10-17 per person) in exchange for harvest shares distributed weekly. The portfolio includes the main farm operation producing vegetables, fruit, eggs, and meat, the Proef&Beleef trial subscription for prospective members, Kids Club activities for family engagement, and farm tours. The cooperative connects to a national network of 24 Herenboerderijen through the Vereniging van Herenboerderijen, representing approximately 9,000 members and 46 professional farmers across the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Herenboeren Usseler Es Cooperative Farm (full membership) A small-scale mixed cooperative farm where approximately 250 households are co-owners. Members pay a one-time capital contribution (€2,000–€2,500 per household) and weekly contributions (€10–€17 per mouth) and receive a weekly harvest share of vegetables, fruit, potatoes, grains, herbs, eggs, and occasional meat, produced using nature-inclusive and organic methods.
• Proef&Beleef Abonnement (Trial Membership) A trial membership subscription at €65 per person for 5 harvest packages collected over 8 weeks. Allows prospective members to taste local sustainable food and learn about the farm before committing to full membership. No further obligations; the trial membership ends automatically after 8 weeks. Available from mid/late April to end of October.
• Kids Club Activities Monthly activities for children including craft workshops, nature exploration, and educational programs about farm animals (pigs, chickens, cows). Aims to involve families in farm life and strengthen community bonds.
• Farm Tours and Information Sessions Guided farm tours and information meetings held monthly (first Saturday of each month), allowing interested parties to learn about the cooperative model and experience local food production. Includes annual Open Dag and seasonal events like ModderDag.

Quantifiable outcome

• 58 bird species recorded on the Usseler Es through biodiversity monitoring; 1% tree loss rate in orchard after first winter
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stichting Herenboeren Nederland (Herenboeren NL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Stichting Herenboeren Nederland developed the Herenboeren concept and provides ongoing support to all Herenboerderijen. Services include: quality/ARBO/environment (KAM) support, employer services for farmers, brand stewardship, ICT services (HAPP tool, websites), communication, and more. Each farm has a separate collaboration agreement. In 2024, the Vereniging van Herenboerderijen was established, through which all farms collectively negotiate service terms with the foundation.
• Vereniging van Herenboerderijen (VvHB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024The Association of Herenboerderijen was established in December 2024 to replace individual collaboration agreements with a collective structure. All 23 (now 24) active Herenboerderijen are members. The association provides a more stable, balanced governance structure, more influence for farms, and collectively negotiates with Stichting Herenboeren NL. First ALV held March 15, 2025. Board: Jan Poodt (chair), Hans Aalderink (treasurer), Gertjan Endedijk (secretary), Linda Rutten and Kees Rezelman (general board members).
• Biological farmer in Vroomshoop (experience expert)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe tunnel greenhouse working group visited a biological farmer in Vroomshoop who has years of experience with multiple tunnel greenhouses. This knowledge exchange provided valuable insights for the farm's own tunnel greenhouse development.
• Bonhoeffer CollegeminorGTM or Marketing Partner8 classes (~240 students) from Bonhoeffer College visited Herenboeren Usseler Es in April 2026 as part of biology lessons. Students received a farm tour and assignments related to the farm's operations.
• Five fruit tree nurseries (kwekers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe orchard and small fruit garden (1,165 low-stem fruit trees, 700 fruit bushes, windbreak trees) were sourced from five different nurseries/kwekers, representing collaboration in the agricultural supply chain.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Local2Local: Dutch regional food initiative connecting nearby producers with consumers in the same region. Shares the short-chain food system transformation mission of Herenboeren Usseler Es while operating as an aggregating network rather than a member-owned cooperative.
• Rechtstreex: Dutch online platform connecting consumers directly to local farmers via online ordering across multiple farms. Comparable short-chain local-food mission and overlapping Dutch geography, but operates as a multi-farm marketplace rather than a single cooperative.
• Boerschappen: Dutch meal-box service sourced exclusively from small-scale Dutch farmers with comparable target consumer (urban professionals seeking local, sustainable food). Differs on distribution model (weekly delivery across many farms rather than a single local cooperative).
• Crowdfarming: Spain-based platform that enables consumers to adopt or sponsor individual trees, beehives, and animals at farms across Europe. Comparable international model monetizing consumer-to-farmer transparency and direct food producer relationships at scale.

Direct peers

• Herenboerderij Assen: Sister Herenboerderij led by Henk Boer that won the Publieksprijs (Audience Award) at the 2025 Dutch Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year competition by LTO Nederland. Comparable cooperative CSA structure and a key signal of mainstream industry recognition for the Herenboeren model.
• Herenboerderij Oale Esch (Borne): Sister Herenboerderij opened in May 2025 in neighboring Borne municipality with approximately 1,500 members. Direct neighbor and share-model peer with the same community-led structure, demonstrating geographic replication dynamics of the Herenboeren concept in the Twente region.
• De Groene Klaver: Independent Amsterdam-area CSA cooperative offering organic vegetable subscriptions through a member-supported farming model. Shares the nature-inclusive, short-chain, member-funded ethos with Herenboeren Usseler Es while operating outside the Herenboeren national network.
• Herenboerderij Boxtel: First Herenboerderij, founded in 2016 in Boxtel and the original embodiment of the cooperative CSA model. Operates the same member ownership, inleg structure, and nature-inclusive mixed farming methods as Herenboeren Usseler Es, making it the most direct comparable peer within the Herenboeren network.

Broad incumbents

• Stichting Herenboeren Nederland: National foundation that conceptualized the Herenboeren model and provides operational services (KAM, employer services, ICT, branding) to all 24 member farms. Functions as the framework/incumbent entity under which Usseler Es operates, analogous to a franchisor or industry steward.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUfHuXc5T23PIVSjrJ6eQcw
• Facebookfacebook.com/herenboeren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herenboeren-usseler-es
• Instagraminstagram.com/herenboeren
• TikToktiktok.com/@herenboeren

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herenboeren Usseler Es