Stoffels and health
Friendship and connection play an important role when it comes to promoting overall health, whether physical or mental. Sport is the perfect medium for maintaining relationships and helps to keep stress to a minimum.
A
business
with a
heart
Sustainability is always a work in progress, and as a producer, we take the responsibility for bringing all-round ecological products to consumers. We are a pioneer in the sustainable use of energy and Stoffels has always taken the lead when it comes to economical use of water, crop protection products and fertilisers. State-of-the-art greenhouses and economies of scale allow us to operate efficiently and sustainably. We treat our staff, customers and consumers with respect at all times.
REUSING ORGANIC WASTE
Waste is converted back into raw materials as part of the cradle-to-cradle principle. We use coir as a growing medium, a residual product of coconut cultivation. After use, it is processed again in the nursery. All crop residues are composted, and even the packaging is always recyclable.
FEWER CROP PROTECTION PRODUCTS AND FERTILISERS
We see respect for nature as essential. With this mind, we use as many organic agents to control mould and insects as we can. All of our products are ready to eat, which means that they can be eaten without having to be washed first. Our ambition at Stoffels is to operate entirely residue free.
HEAT RECOVERY
We operate a combined heat and power (CHP) system to supply energy to our greenhouses. Gas motors are cooled with water, which is used to heat the greenhouses. Released flue gases are cleaned and the CO2 that is produced is used by the plants and converted into oxygen. Our greenhouses are fitted with skylight windows to capture as much natural light as possible, while helping to save electricity. When it’s overcast outside, we use energy-efficient lighting, which consumes around one fifth of the energy of a conventional light bulb. The electricity needed for this is also supplied by our CHP. Any excess electricity is fed back into the grid.
REDUCING WATER CONSUMPTION
Via our greenhouses, we maximise our rainwater capture and store the water in huge reservoirs. We treat the water with UV light so that we can keep reusing it, with no loss to waterways or nature. This closed-loop circuit keeps our water consumption low and helps us to minimise our environmental footprint. With these state-of-the art techniques, we can keep our water consumption well below that of arable farms.
Join us! Reduce plastic!
We endeavour to avoid plastic and use bio-based raw materials for our packaging materials. We also focus on a clear end-of-life story. Under our reduce-reuse-recycle principle, packaging must be clearly recyclable or compostable. To reinforce this message, we actively seek recognised certificates. We recently took another important step in our continuously evolving sustainability process, and converted our first packaging from FSC-certified cardboard to cardboard made entirely from agricultural plant residues. This step means that no trees need to be felled, and the production process is CO2 neutral! We persevere in our search for circular streams, and convert our waste streams into raw materials. Toma’Tapas packaging can be recycled with waste paper, with organic waste or even on your own compost heap at home!
REDUCING FOOD WASTE
We are always on the lookout for circular streams that slot into our sustainability story. In tomato growing too, we are looking into ways to generate as little waste as possible, and to convert waste streams into raw materials wherever possible. We grow on a coir substrate, for example – coir is a waste product produced during coconut cultivation. In the meantime, we have even begun processing plant residues into packaging, while the production of high-quality tomato sauce fits into our business philosophy perfectly. Not every fruit manages to pass the strict quality controls for tomatoes to be sold as fresh produce. But if only the colour, shape or firmness are abnormal, the fruit can be processed into a derivative product. The result is a real sauce to be savoured. Toma’amoris is a flavourful, pure sauce with a slight hint of spice that it is suitable for a wide variety of different dishes. It’s the ideal base sauce for pasta dishes, sauces and soups and the kind of sauce that will quickly become a master chef’s favourite.
OUR STAFF
Staff are a business’ human capital, and a good HR policy can determine the success or failure of the business. At Stoffels, we invest extra in coaching, training and supporting staff. This helps to ensure motivated staff with proper attention for the diversity of every individual. Stoffel’s tradition is to give opportunities to vulnerable members of society wherever possible.
