From field to freezer: how the Dutch edamame bean found its way to Jumbo

Insights

From 2025 onward, domestically-grown edamame beans will be available in the freezer sections of Jumbo supermarkets. This milestone in the protein transition was made possible in part by sustainability advisor Wouter Staal. What exactly was his role? And how does he look back on the journey towards this milestone?

The request

“The request came from Plant Protein Forward, an initiative of Foodvalley, Rabobank and the Interprovinciaal Eiwitoverleg. They’re aiming for a larger Dutch market for domestically-grown protein-rich crops. Foodvalley clearly recognised the core challenge: bridging the gap between production and consumption. Aligned with their Practical Approach—ensuring everyone plays their part—Jeroen Willemsen and Sylvia Raijmakers saw me as someone perfectly suited for this role. How? By becoming a ‘chain amplifier’. In other words: by bridging the gap between Dutch edamame bean growers and major buyers, such as retail companies and caterers, and thereby promoting a local, sustainable chain that would be financially attractive to all chain parties. Would I like to apply my experience and network – my background as a sustainability advisor and entrepreneur in the foodworld – to this?”

“For the Dutch edamame bean, no forest needs to be cleared and hardly any pesticides are necessary.”

Wouter Staal, Sustainability Advisor

The start

“It seemed to me like a wonderful assignment, so I set to work with full enthusiasm in April 2024. I first wanted to know more about edamame bean production – still an unknown territory for me. To do so, I began talking to the Flevoland growers who could collectively supply a large quantity of edamame beans. I also talked to the processor Green Organics and asked buyers in my network about their experience with edamame beans. Where did they buy them, for instance? And would they be willing to pay more for a more sustainable variant? Slowly but surely, I got a view of the market and the contours of the arguments with which we would eventually convince Jumbo to collaborate with Dutch growers on a long-term basis.”

The challenge

“The obstacle to getting buyers interested seemed to be the price: Dutch edamame beans cost twice as much as their predominantly Asian counterparts. When I discovered that, I doubted for a while whether I should continue as a chain amplifier. Wouldn’t buyers just laugh in my face if I presented them with such a relatively expensive alternative? Wouldn’t I be throwing away my reputation? I needed a very good story to prevent that. Fortunately, the growers, the processor and I found exactly that story. One element of this is that an increasing number of consumers like it when their food is grown locally. That is certainly the case with our edamame beans: one can simply go to a nearby field to check them out, so to speak.”

The sustainability

“More important still is that our story provides insight into the chain. We show, in a highly transparent manner, what happens to the Dutch edamame bean from sowing to packaging, including CO₂ emissions and working conditions in the chain. Our Asian competitors don’t come close to offering the same transparency. At the same time, it is clear that production in Asia involves extensive pesticide use and deforestation, with all its consequences for climate change and loss of biodiversity. For the Dutch edamame bean, no forest needs to be cleared and hardly any pesticides are necessary. In addition, this is a crop that fixes nitrogen, which is good for soil fertility. As a result, other crops in the field also require less fertiliser.”

The future

“It’s fitting that Jumbo is the first major buyer to partner with Dutch edamame bean growers. After all, this supermarket has placed great importance on healthy and sustainable food for years. I’m hopeful that other large companies will follow Jumbo’s example because there is new legislation requiring buyers to make their chains more transparent and sustainable. But also because they will hopefully notice that consumers are very keen to buy edamame beans at Jumbo. Increased sales will contribute to higher production and more efficient practices, which can bring down the price of the beans. Collaboration with Dutch edamame bean growers can therefore be financially attractive for all parties and make the world a little bit better. Who wouldn’t want that?”