Launch of ‘Gelderse Vallei’ rolls in Wageningen Campus food forest. Photo for Food Valley Region Following in the footsteps of cities such as Utrecht and Nijmegen, Wageningen now has its own bread rolls with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, named the ‘Gelderse Vallei roll’. The roll is available in three variants that will be on sale in all the campus cafeterias and restaurants as of this week. Researchers and students will be carrying out studies with the rolls.
Admittedly, the ingredients for the Gelderse Vallei rolls come from a little further away than the Gelderse Vallei region. For example, the seasonal vegetables come from the Nijmegen area, the cress from the Achterhoek region and the onion chutney from Mariënwaerdt estate in the Betuwe village of Beesd. The other ingredients are from a bit closer than that.
‘Our aim is to work with small-scale local partners,’ explains WUR contract manager Marcha Sperna Weiland. ‘But some producers aren’t yet willing to take the risk or can’t supply their products in the form and quantities we require. I can imagine the more local producers changing their minds after a while and wanting to join the venture after all. That will let us offer more variants of this local bread roll.’
Collective procurement
The idea for the bread roll arose this spring, inspired by the examples of the Utrecht and ‘Nimma’ rolls. Sperna Weiland had just started a brainstorming process with the campus caterers Compass Group, Vermaat and Hutten to come up with a new Wageningen roll when she was approached by the organization behind the Utrecht and Nijmegen rolls — MVO Nederland — with the same idea. ‘That gave us access to a bigger network and let us get the project off the ground more quickly.’ The Gelderse Vallei hospital, the Food Valley Region collaborative venture and Ede Christian University of Applied Sciences also got involved.
One of the aims of the bread roll project is to shorten the supply chains. Sperna Weiland: ‘The ingredients are procured from the producers by a single collective purchaser and go directly from there to the caterers. In future, we want to get more purchasers, producers and farmers involved. That will let us extend the assortment and boost the profile and accessibility of nature-friendly agriculture.’
Research: regional food system
Researcher Marjolein Elings (Agrosystems Research) says the bread roll is a good example of the kind of developments prompted by the projects she and her colleagues work on. ‘We try to figure out the key factors that make local initiatives a success and then share this information with other regional food initiatives. Examples are having a solid network with the right parties, or a clear message for consumers. If we can sell locally sourced products to consumers, we will also be bolstering the links between farmers and consumers. If you do it right, you strengthen the regional food system.’
WUR students doing the course in Consumer Studies will also be studying the new bread rolls. Sperna Weiland: ‘They will look at how we could encourage the procurement of lunch options that are entirely regionally sourced. We also want to hear students’ opinions on how best to promote the Gelderse Vallei rolls.’
Three Gelderse Vallei roll options
Lupin Roll | A crusty Veluwse Twister roll from Mekx Brood in Bennekom – made using nature-inclusive grain from Graangeluk – with a curry-lupin spread from Lekker Lupine, fermented seasonal vegetables from Basic Theory/De Biesterhof, ‘green peez’ cress and a walnut-pumpkin seed mix from Veld 4 and Burgerboerderij De Patrijs.
Cheese Roll | A soft roll from Mekx Brood in Bennekom – made using nature-inclusive grain from Graangeluk and brewer’s grains from Stadsbrouwerij Wageningen – with organic Dutch cheese, boiled egg (Ons Ei – organic), mustard from De Hemel and a walnut-pumpkin seed mix from Veld 4 and Burgerboerderij De Patrijs.
Meatball Roll | A soft roll from Mekx Brood in Bennekom – made using nature-inclusive grain from Graangeluk and brewer’s grains from Stadsbrouwerij Wageningen – with mince from Hereford cattle on the Heuvelrug, a lupin spread from Lekker Lupine and onion chutney from Landgoed Marienwaerdt.
The Cheese Roll (vegetarian) and Lupin Roll (vegan) cost €3.95 each. The Meatball Roll costs €4.50. The rolls are on sale in all the campus restaurants and cafeterias.
