Diederik & Diederik – Managing Director & Co-Founder, Kernfarm
Office dog Max is lying lazily in his bed. There are decorations hanging due to the successful launch of a new ERP system. And if you arrive at the office around lunchtime, there's a good chance you'll find Diederik Scheepstra, Managing Director, cooking eggs for his colleagues. 'At Kernfarm, we have one shared goal every day; enjoying your work. Fun as the norm,' says founder Diederik van Rijn himself. Besides having fun, the still young company is making great strides and refreshing the pharmaceutical landscape with a completely different approach.
Diederik & Diederik, Managing Director & Co-Founder
Providing veterinary choice and efficiently getting valuable products to the right place. That's what Kernfarm stands for. Started as a trading company, but now with FIXR®, there is a complete line of their own medicines and vaccines. 'Precisely where other pharmaceutical companies fail to obtain a medicine or vaccine, we are happy to step in. We get a kick out of solving a problem,' says Diederik van Rijn enthusiastically.
Diederik van Rijn, once upon a time, there were three brothers, and then?
DvR: 'My parents had a company in human pharmacy. Entrepreneurship and the pharmaceutical world are in our genes. I studied Veterinary Medicine and then worked in the agricultural sector. There, I saw many gaps and opportunities emerging; specific vaccines without Dutch registration or those that were not or hardly available. Like my brothers Tim and Gijs, I wanted to venture into business, and in 2013, we jumped into that gap. My parents' company, Kernpharm, had been sold, and as a nod, we named our company Kernfarm.'
Diederik and Diederik, you were already a duo during your Veterinary Medicine studies. Now you work together within Kernfarm. How did that come about?
DvR: 'As we grew rapidly, my brothers and I reevaluated whether each person's tasks still provided enough challenge and energy. Growing brings additional tasks and creates spaces that need to be filled. There were still quite a few organizational and management challenges that we all felt could be better handled by another person. And that's how we found Diederik.'
DS: 'After my studies, I chose a management position in the business world outside the agricultural sector. I have always had a passion for animals and for entrepreneurship. So when Diederik asked me, I didn't have to think long. The most important thing for me is to go to work cheering and come home cheering. And I found that at Kernfarm.'
Started 10 years ago, there is now a complete product line, and you deliver medicines and vaccines throughout Europe. What is your strategy?
DvR: 'We want to maneuver as fit as fiddles between the elephant's legs. We can do that because we are a private company, and due to our size, we can move very quickly. We are open, you won't find any big shots here. For example, we always ask our customers what they find annoying about us. That's a question not many people dare to ask. We have many ideas, also hear from the market what is needed, and immediately check with the veterinarians. Yet it's quite scary to throw your ideas out there in the market right away.'
You are incredibly fast and agile. At the same time, you are growing very rapidly, how do you ensure that you don't turn into an elephant yourselves?
DvR: 'Our ambition is not necessarily to become bigger, because if you grow fast, you also need more structure, which can be slowing. We want to organize our organization mainly with a fun and small team that fits our services. It is our speed and way of working that sets us apart from competitors, and we also pay close attention to whether we still have fun and grow as individuals.'
So, personal growth of your employees. What does that look like in the workplace?
DS: 'Everyone is empowered and in the right place. The brothers are different, one is an initiator, one immediately sees the challenges veterinarians face, and the other prefers to delve into regulations. I myself focus more on overview and connecting people. Looking at our team, we have the right people in the right positions, we respect each other, and we can let go. That is important, not thinking that you can do it better on your own. And it's also our culture. When you are balanced, you feel good and you get shared energy. Fun is the norm.'
So no 9-to-5 mentality for you?
DS: 'No 80-hour workweeks for us. I prefer someone to leave in the afternoon to pick up their children from school if it helps them maintain balance. We like it when colleagues are in the office, so you really feel the team spirit and can have lunch together in the afternoon. But feel free to come in later if you avoid traffic, and if it works for you to walk the dog in between, that's fine too. It's about being yourself. In terms of working hours, recommending new colleagues, or developing new ideas, there is plenty of room for that.'
That sounds like a lot of freedom and initiative for your employees. What type of person fits in at Kernfarm?
DS: 'Someone who is authentic. Social and entrepreneurial. Perhaps someone who is currently feeling constrained by a large organization. We are actually the Rivella Light, we do things a bit differently. And the nice thing is that we are a small company, so you are involved in everything. From product development to literally holding the product in our warehouse. We are very transparent. We are transparent to the market, but also within our team. We want to know how someone is feeling. If someone resigns and it is unexpected for us, I really see that as a failure.'
What are you proud of?
DvR: 'The result that stands: a healthy organization with happy people. And I am proud that our customers see it that way too.'
