The seed of Nautilus, the organic arable, greenhouse and horticulture cooperative, was planted back in 1987. 25 years ago, organic and biodynamic cultivation was still in its infancy, but some Flevoland farmers decided to get together to defend the interests and continued professionalization of these products. Given the growing demand at the time for healthy and environmentally-friendly arable and horticultural products, these farmers also expect to be able to tap new markets.
Merger
After only a year, Nautilus was in a position to fully focus on finding purchasers for the farmers’ products. From that time on, stimulating and supporting the development of organic agriculture was continued by the Flevoland Organic Agriculture Foundation. Nautilus was very successful, because membership grew and new markets were acquired. Thanks to the support of the Province of Flevoland, the sales office was opened in 1991, and the export of cultivated products began.
The merger with Dutch Biological Products (HBP) in 1996 doubled the number of farmers (and therefore range) associated with Nautilus, and increased national coverage. The farmers were scattered all over the Netherlands. From that moment, the cooperative became an interesting partner for supermarkets, food stores and wholesalers, guaranteeing continuous delivery of a wide range of certified herbs, potatoes, vegetables and fruit.
