Kempengoud

Vegetables

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Products: Bulbs, Herbs, Leafy greens, Roots, Stems, Tubers

Automatically translated from DutchTranslated by Google

Core concept and our values

Kempengoud is an organic farm located on Spurrieveld, on the border between Kalmthout and Essen, in the heart of the Kempen region. The story began over ten years ago, when farmer Jules started growing strawberries on a small plot of land. A friendly customer compared the glistening strawberries on the yellow straw to gold nuggets — gold growing on Kempen soil — and that is how the farm got its name. Since then, Kempengoud has grown into a versatile and driven project, with simplicity, intense flavor, pure organic practices, and a fair supply chain as unwavering core values. Today, the farm is run by Gijs and a close-knit team, with the conviction that agriculture is much more than food production: it is care, connection, and deep respect for nature.

Special offering and specialities

Kempengoud's offering consists of exceptionally flavorful vegetables, fruit, and herbs, grown in a purely organic way and guided by the rhythm of the seasons. For the team, rich soil life is the fundamental prerequisite for healthy agriculture, which is why no pesticides of any kind are used—stricter than what organic standards require. In the farm shop, visitors can harvest herbs and fruit themselves: strolling through the herb garden with scissors in hand and picking raspberries, rhubarb, or berries is an experience in itself. Every Saturday, a large pot of soup simmers on the stove, a long-standing tradition that welcomes young and old and makes the sense of community tangible. Recipes are shared weekly via the newsletter, ensuring the connection with the field lives on at home.

Impact on the gastronomic ecosystem

Kempengoud plays an active and conscious role in the local gastronomic and social fabric of the region. As a recognized care farm affiliated with Steunpunt Groene Zorg, the farm has been welcoming people with care needs or vulnerabilities for many years—because farming is a group activity where everyone can find their place. The entire field is surrounded by trees and shrubs that enhance biodiversity and provide space for birds, hedgehogs, and deer, as well as for the invisible life above and below the ground. As Host of the Kalmthoutse Heide Border Park, Kempengoud actively conveys the message that nature and sustainable agriculture are excellent partners. In addition to daily operations, the team organizes seasonal events such as field dinners in the summer, school visits, and guided tours, ensuring the farm remains a lively meeting place for the entire community.

Partnerships and collaborations

Collaboration is a core principle for Kempengoud, extending from its own team far beyond the boundaries of the field. Locally, the farm works closely with fellow farmers such as De Zwanenberg and Gulle Gaard, and with local shops like CoopSaam and De Graanhalm, as well as hospitality businesses, schools, and institutions. At a European level, valuable contacts are maintained through The FoodHub with the cooperatives Valdibella in Sicily and Tierra Y Libertad in Andalusia. The beehives of apiary De Groene Weg are located in the field, nourished by the blossoms and flowers that attract insects as an indispensable link in the ecosystem, and the honey finds its way to the farm shop. Through all of this, Kempengoud aims to anchor the idea of a fair wage for the farmer and a fair, transparent food chain ever more deeply in society.