It’s just a coincidence that Johan Kluijfhout’s favourite type of potato is Dutch Cream, but the south-west Victorian potato farmer is all about the flavour, no matter what the variety.
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The family’s Flavofood potatoes at Koroit grows for the frozen chip market, the local fresh market and even for a Koroit Potato Vodka.
The business is named after the Flevoland region of the Netherlands where Johan and his wife Diane hail from.
“We chose that name because we come from Flevoland and because we want a good flavour potato,” Johan said
Coming from a farming background, Johan studied agriculture at university in the Netherlands and completed internships in Canada, Russia, the US and Sweden.
He came to Australia at the end of 2013 for a holiday and met fellow Dutch native tourist Diane — who grew up on a dairy farm and went to the same university at a different time.
They fell in love with the country and saw the potential for setting up their own farm.
“When you have a farming background you always look at paddocks when you’re travelling, what soil and how growing conditions are for the region,” Johan said.
They looked at northern Tasmania and Busselton in Western Australia, but ultimately chose Koroit in south-west Victoria.
“We like the Koroit town and the Irish heritage,” Johan said.
“The Irish are always in for a laugh and that suits us.”
But it was the rich volcanic soil of nearby dormant volcano Tower Hill that was the deciding factor.
Although potato farming isn’t as prolific as previous decades in the region, there are still about six separate local growers.
“It’s the volcanic soil,” Johan said.
“It’s really good for growing potatoes.”
When he was getting established, Johan liked to listen to the locals.
“You’ve got to listen to all the people around you,” Johan said.
“You have to make your own plan, but always keep in consideration what people tell you — go with your gut feeling but inform yourself.
“There’s no point making the same mistakes others have made in the past.”
He took on board good advice about areas best suited for potatoes, and in 2019, Flavofood became a reality.
Farming was always on the agenda for both Johan and Diane, who has used her background in dairy farming to add to the business’s knowledge bank.
“I help out where I can,” Diane said.
“The kids often come out too, so it becomes something we share together.”
“You’re outdoors all the time, I don’t like to sit indoors, and you’re working with the weather,” Johan said.
Flavofood has two separate farms, one at Koroit and one at Illowa, with a combined land of less than 100 hectares.
The family lives mid-way between the two properties with their two children and a third on the way.
The region’s climate is generally favourable for growing potatoes, though the dry springs and summer of the past two years have been challenging.
“It has been tough for the past few years, but we’ve been fairly lucky in this area with the wet spring this year, and any rain we get from now on will be a bonus,” Johan said.
Irrigation is an essential part of the operation.
“They say in the old days they didn’t need irrigation, but things have changed, and we couldn’t do it without it today.”
Their core market is the frozen chip industry, with Bliss the most popular variety of the myriads of options.
“They make really nice chips, but they don’t really boil, just fall apart,” Johan said.
“For every market, you have different varieties and every variety has its own strengths.”
For several years now, they have offered 5 and 10kg bags of fresh potatoes for the local market, through their own roadside stalls, and by supplying fruit and veggie shops.
“We started off small, but it became like an out-of-control hobby,” Johan said.
“We like to interact with the community. We enjoy it and get nice feedback from people.”
Dutch Cream are the most popular variety in the region, and Johan agrees.
“I guess it’s a coincidence because we’re originally from The Netherlands where the variety started, but it’s the potato we love.
“Every potato variety has its own strength, but my favourite for eating is Dutch Cream, because of their beautiful rich and buttery flavour.”
They also grow Red Pontiac, which is also in strong demand.
Flavofood also supplied a Koroit distillery Noodledoof for a limited batch of potato vodka, with the bottles being sold in special potato sacks.
“I’m not a regular vodka drinker but it’s pretty good … it warms you up,” he said.
Seasonal workers are employed for harvest and they have a staff member to assist with bagging fresh potatoes, but most of the business is run by Johan and Diane.
There’s one season per year for frozen chips, with planting in October and harvesting late February or March, while they aim for year-round supply for the fresh market.
“We plan when we want to sell and plan a few months ahead,” Johan said.
“We plant in July to have a Christmas crop in November, another lot in September, so you have some ready when they run out, and then again in November for new supply in April for supplies until July.
“Then we have a break and start again.
“We’re busy year-round, you never really stop.”
Johan said farming in Australia allowed more freedom to make practical on-farm decisions compared with the Netherlands, where regulation is tighter.
“Here you can farm based on experience and common sense,” he said.
For example, there are limits on fertiliser use, but Johan said common sense would tell you how much you need.
“Fertiliser costs a lot of money, so you’re not going to put out more than the plant needs.”
At Flavofood, fertiliser is applied directly into the furrows, so it’s available where the root system needs it most, followed by a top dressing as the crop develops.
With a growing family and strong local demand, the focus is now on continuing to build on what they have established.
Johan said the rewards came from producing quality food and supplying the local community.
“It’s a lot of work and it doesn’t come easy,” he said.
“But we’re proud of how far we’ve come, and we are happy with the direction the business is heading.”