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On the main road at the entrance to Cruchten is a small wooden house worthy of a fairy tale. It is the self-service house of the organic farm Trifolie. A concept that now appeals to more and more customers eager to know from where the products they eat come! We met with the owners of this organic farm.
Charel Noesen took over the family farm with his brothers Willy and Pol, although their parents are still involved in the management. Before starting to work on the farm, Charel studied environmental engineering for 5 years in Aachen and soon realised during an internship that an office job was not for him – too predictable and not exciting enough. What he was looking for was a job that involved personal responsibility. Thanks to the basic knowledge he acquired during his studies, he knows how to produce without causing great damage to nature.
Apart from the generational difference that sometimes causes tensions when it comes to new ideas and developments for the farm, everything runs smoothly. For a long time the farm only produced milk. But with the unpredictable evolution of the weather, the brothers wanted to have more than one string to their bow. This led to the production of eggs and meat, followed by vegetables and fruit. Finally, in 2019, they made the big switch to organic production.
Charel Noesen’s mother is mainly responsible for the small self-service house. The customer can pay by Digicash or cash, and it is rare that someone steals something. “99% of our customers are honest and come back if they don’t have enough money to pay. Unfortunately, theft is inevitable and is an unfortunate part of the process, even with camera surveillance.”
Don’t hesitate to visit and discover fresh, regional products. If Cruchten is too far away, you will find similar concepts all over the country.
For more information : Haff Trifolie
More information about other organic farm shops in the country: website
Pictures: Gilles Kayser