Albert & Mireille - CEO & CSO, Dutch Dairy Organization
Albert de Groot hands over the chairmanship of NZO to Mireille Einwachter, who together with him advocates for steadfast leadership in a dairy sector full of challenges.
Albert de Groot & Mireille Einwachter - CEO & CSO
On June 17, 2025, Albert de Groot, the current chairman of the Dutch Dairy Organization (NZO), will hand over the chairmanship to Mireille Einwachter. De Groot recently became the president of the European Dairy Association (EDA), the umbrella organization of the European dairy processing industry. Holding both a chairman's gavel and a scepter in one hand is not feasible, nor desirable, as he states in the office of Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods in Nijkerk, where he reigns as CEO. Einwachter joined the NZO board as vice-chairman in early 2024. She is the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at Royal FrieslandCampina, a role she has held since the summer of 2023.
Both are visibly enthusiastic about NZO as the advocate for the dairy industry in the Netherlands. De Groot: "We are an association with 13 members, who together process 98% of the milk volume in the Netherlands. We are competitors, but we also come to each other's aid because we all work with milk that has limited shelf life. It is a committed industry, where general meetings are always well-attended. And staffing committees like those for milk quality or sustainable dairy is not a problem. It is this interconnectivity that makes NZO so beautiful!" Einwachter: "As NZO, we have achieved a lot. The CO2 and ammonia emissions throughout the chain have been reduced and will continue to be reduced. Pollution has been reduced, we maintain grazing, we have reduced the salt content in cheese, and what about all that data in the Kringloopwijzer! If we didn't do these things together, we would compete each other out of the market. But we know each other well, support each other, and trust each other, facilitated by the NZO."
‘It's going to be force 10 in the dairy sector’
Looking to the future, what is important for NZO?
Einwachter: "We need to implement the strategy developed under the previous NZO director. Where the NZO board has said that we want to look ahead more, otherwise the daily grind will rule. And that danger is great in our turbulent world where there is always something happening. Our strategy has four pillars. Firstly, the ability to trade freely, which is crucial for our sector. Secondly, highlighting dairy as an important food with positive health effects. Dairy is a wonderful product full of valuable nutrients that are hardly processed and are also affordable. Then, as a third pillar, we must continue to work on further sustainability of our business. The fourth pillar is to further consolidate data and data systems. Think of JoinData and the Kringloopwijzer. Whether it's force 2 or force 10 around us, we as NZO must maintain this course together."
What does the consolidation wave in the dairy industry mean for NZO? Think of the intended mergers between FrieslandCampina and Milcobel, and Arla with DMK?
De Groot: "Looking at our members, you will find several foreign dairy processors active in the Netherlands. Think of Arla Foods, Ausnutria, or Hochwald Foods. Consolidation is therefore not new. But what remains is that there are always issues that are in everyone's interest, as Mireille mentions, and therefore must be collectively advocated. Emphasizing the nutritional value of dairy, market access, further sustainability of the industry, ensuring good milk quality, and of course, collective bargaining agreements."
You say strategy is paramount, whether it's force 2 or 10. What is the force now?
Einwachter: "I think it's going to be wind force ten. In the dairy chain, we are dealing with PAS notifications, nitrogen, phosphate, and manure issues, the ground-bound nature of dairy farming in 2032, water quality, enforcement of (nature) permits, the energy transition, the lack of technical staff, the vitality of rural areas, and animal welfare. All of this greatly impacts the dairy industry! What entrepreneurs thrive on is certainty, and that is exactly what is missing in this chain. I want to help create more certainty because if we know the conditions, the sector can move towards them. That's why it's even more important that as chairman and director of NZO, we keep things together and continue on the strategic course that we have successfully set."
How difficult is it to 'keep things together' given the diversity of the 13 members of NZO?
De Groot: "Each member has one vote. So, the vote of FrieslandCampina carries the same weight as, for example, Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten. So, statutorily, that equality is ensured. But of course, everyone knows and feels the magnitude of a company like FrieslandCampina. However, we deal with this in a very good and respectful manner, based on the common interest we have. It's sometimes complicated because discussions can quickly turn to cows, manure, nitrogen due to the intertwining with the primary sector. There must be room for that, and there is. But ultimately, we are here for the benefit of the milk processing industry active in the Netherlands. As NZO, we are also affiliated with ZuivelNL, the chain organization for the entire dairy sector, where the four largest farmers' representatives are also represented."
What do you, as the outgoing and incoming chairman, want to convey to NZO?
Einwachter: "The success of NZO depends on its relationship with its members. We must cherish and constantly work on that. As chairman, but also as director, it is important to actively involve all members in everything that happens. Meanwhile, the outside world also has opinions about us as the dairy industry. We, as NZO, must also actively manage those stakeholders: the government, social organizations, and science. If we do not keep this what I call golden triangle strong and focused on the future, we will fall behind. That's why we must continue to sail together on the strategic course we have set. It is not only necessary but also super fun to do in our beautiful and dynamic dairy sector!"
De Groot: "Dairy is a solid fact; 98% of Dutch consumers also use it. That's why our industry matters economically; over 80,000 families depend on it. And because of our connection with all those dairy farmers in the Netherlands, we are involved in managing a large part of the countryside. Of course, as an industry, we face challenges: costs are rising, and there is less milk. Normally, you would compensate for that by doing more. That's not possible within the Netherlands; hence the ongoing consolidation. But it remains a wonderful industry coming together in an association that I am truly fond of!"
