We like to turn things upside down.

Henry and Maarten - Owner and Commercial Director, Novades

They are stubborn, cannot be put in a box, and do things their way. Newcomer Novades is shaking up the traditional feed industry with their innovative business model of upgrading rejected raw materials, all without being a disruptor.

henry jonker & maarten veldhuijzen - owner & commercial director

You wouldn't expect it in the generally traditional animal feed industry: an animal feed specialist with a trendy office in the city center of Utrecht, focusing on an undiscovered market segment, without their own production lines and no large sales force. Novades positions itself like no other feed company, but owner Henry Jonker (34) and commercial director Maarten Veldhuijzen (33) quickly turned their "hut," as they call it, into a success.

There is virtually no information about Novades online. How come?

Henry: 'In the early stages, after our founding in 2016, our focus was entirely on the basics; on executing operations well, building a team, and establishing the organization. During that phase, we seized every opportunity we saw. Three-quarters of a year ago, there were just three of us here, now there are eight, and soon we will welcome the ninth and tenth colleagues. Now that everything is running smoothly, it's time to show ourselves. So, in a way, Nomilk2day is breaking the news.'

So, tell us. What exactly does Novades do?

Maarten: 'We create a new destination for non-standard raw materials from the food industry. We purchase these raw materials and process them into semi-finished products for young, still-growing animals like piglets, calves, and lambs. Our model of upgrading rejected raw materials from the food industry is actually hardcore circular economy.'

How do you exactly add value?

Henry: 'Our strength lies in taking on any type of raw material. We can process all non-standard batches. Large factories only take the more regular streams since they need volume, whereas we are flexible and can handle products with multiple types of deviations. Because we don't need to run a large factory efficiently, we don't have that pressure. This gives us a huge advantage over the traditional feed industry.' Maarten: 'Moreover, we don't resell the product, but rather utilize it ourselves. This is exactly what suppliers are always afraid of; that their rejected product might reappear somewhere in the food chain, possibly with their name on it.'

You entered a field that everyone else ignored. How was that in the beginning?

Maarten: 'Well, suppliers always give us the most difficult "waste" first. To see if we can find a solution for it. And we just do; we always find a way and destination to add value to the raw material at a good price. Then they also try to sell you other raw materials. Finding new destinations is not easy, but suppliers are becoming more enthusiastic because they still get a good price from us for something they used to incur more costs for.'

Jonker is a well-known name in the dairy world...

Henry: 'That's right. My father is one of the founders of Jonker & Schut. I walked among the pallets as a little boy and worked there my whole life. That's how I got to know the entire dairy industry and the different dairy products with all their characteristics inside out.'

Maarten: 'We used to call Henry 'the crown prince of Harselaar'; after the industrial estate where J&S has multiple locations.'

You've known each other since childhood, lived together in a student house... How is it; friends in the workplace?

Maarten: 'Of course, it's nerve-wracking when good friends start working together. We talked a lot about it and even sought external advice. A, should we do it, and B, how? We also live just 500 meters apart, are part of the same group of friends, watch football together, go to festivals, travel together for business... Yet, I could see myself doing it alongside Henry: bringing focus and structure to the hut. Now that's in place, we're stepping on the gas pedal to progress commercially.'

Where is the dot on the horizon? Or is the sky the limit?

Henry: 'I find the latter so cliché! You don't know the future of the company, right? We are surprised on a weekly basis.'
Maarten: 'What I can say is that we have growth in mind. You are either ambitious or not, and we are extremely ambitious. With new recipes and concepts, new territories, and of course growth in sales, we want to be the market leader in Europe as a private label producer.'

You have moved past the start-up stage. Do you see yourselves as a scale-up or more as a disruptor?

Henry: 'None of that. We are maturing, not posing a threat, and cannot be put in a box. What we do like to do is shake things up.'

How are your products received by the market?

Maarten: 'What we hear from customers is that with our products and feed concepts, they always know exactly what they are getting and that the result in the stables is better. This aligns perfectly with our inbound control and tailor-made recipes; we make the feed exactly how the customer wants it. This is something that Henry is extremely good at.'
Henry: 'Illiquid lots have so many parameters, but through my experience, I understand where the blending and mixing limits are. This is knowledge that we are now automating.'

You have fresh, creative ideas, but is it also innovative?

Henry: 'Our entire business model is based on that! Everything we do at Novades must be innovative. Standard commodity trading does not excite me. We could have also been located in an industrial estate right on top of the product in our production, but I want to move away from that traditional animal feed world and out of the comfort zone.'
Maarten: 'The process of optimal upgrading really gives a thrill. It is going well and our sustainable concept is spreading to other sectors, so we are now investing outside of dairy. We used to pass on the interesting products offered to us. Not anymore. Under our new brand Novaspecial, we are adding value to all non-dairy products towards the pet food and aquafeed industry. That entrepreneurial spirit suits us.'

Doing great!

Henry: 'These are great projects through which we can brand Novades as a brand and eventually become a household name in the food and feed industry. Many people would like to work for employers like Cool Blue or Bol.com, but here you also feel a certain vibe. Something special is happening. Nothing is set in stone, and everyone who works here has the freedom to contribute ideas and develop themselves, because we are far from done here.'

Are you ready to take the next step?

Menno Bausch Photography