Tonny Van Gucht: a passionate way of living
Tonny Van Gucht had already a decade of experience in the organic agriculture and dairy products, when the organic certificate starts to get defined and recognized in the late eighties.
It started, just as for many others, in 1973, on a small scale in an allotment where everything was cultivated following the principles of organic agriculture.
In 1976, he starts up his own organic vegetable-growing farm. The farm is a success and there is only one way left, they organic way.
In 1985, he seizes an opportunity and buys out a large organic wholesaler, who is active all over Europe.
In 1989, he establishes Colmena.
In 1993, he buys a conventional cheese factory and transforms it into an organic cheese factory.
He is very close with the local dairy farms and helps them to get the best out of their products and to switch to organic dairy farms. Ask any l organic dairy farm in the neighbourhood who the most adequate and accurate source of information about switching to organic is, you will probably end up at Tonny Van Gucht’s doorstep. He knows like no other how to get the most value out of your organic products and nowadays not only local dairy farms are knocking at his door to get valuable help. Tonny Van Gucht lives and breathes organic.
In 2002 Colmena starts to trade organic dairy products. The ones he helped in his earlier days and who are now respected organic dairy farms, provide him today with a large number of upscale quality products on a daily basis.
Colmena stays on top of things and is well informed about what matters on the short and the long run in the organic dairy market.
Colmena supports intensely dairy farms who decide to switch to organic farming and stands by them during the whole process. Because of this close link we stay in touch throughout the years and together we can build on new ideas, new products and even new trends…. Being active in the organic dairy is never a dull moment.
