Hutten Beef 90 years

Going for quality, sustainability, transparency, and innovation has proven to be the right choice for Hutten Traditional Beef (soon under the official new name: Hutten Beef) in Heeten. "Even though the market for meat is declining, the sales of the supplier of Dutch beef is growing", says Rick Hutten with some pride.

'Transparency will restore the trust in the meat industry.'

And he is just as proud of the ambition to be the first energy-neutral company in this industry. Rick Hutten is of the fourth generation who runs the family business. In 1928, his great-grandfather Gerrit started a slaughterhouse in Nieuw-Heeten, at the heart of Salland, the agricultural area in the province of Overijssel. In 2015, the company moved to a newly built and hypermodern slaughterhouse and cutting plant in the nearby village of Heeten.

Innovative

What was the reason for this investment? "With the new slaughterhouse, we substantially improved the quality and efficiency of the production as well as the sustainability. The new premises gave us the opportunity to structure the process and production optimally, according to the latest insights. This included the routing, the workspaces, and the disposal of residual and waste products. We also increased the sustainability. We are now very economical and efficient in our use of energy and we are the only company in this industry that has no connection to the gas network. Instead, we have a highly innovative heat recovery installation and an energy-efficient cooling installation. By organising the production on two floors, we save energy by making use of gravity and by creating an ideal production flow." The Hutten Beef building has a Breaam certificate. Breaam is a standard for the sustainability performances of buildings. "We have colleagues who find it very hard to believe that we are truly working without gas. I like to invite them to come and take a look."

Trust through transparency

Rick is convinced that transparency will restore the trust in the meat industry. Hutten is transparent. "We often give people a tour: suppliers and clients, farmers, students, and other relations. We do this because we know that we do something worthwhile which we like to share." The daily practice of Hutten Beef focuses on Dutch dairy cows. "We have a unique and sustainable concept. We only slaughter and process Dutch cows born in the Netherlands and coming from Dutch dairy farms. These cows are well taken care of. They don't have to travel far and we have 100% control on the provenance. We work with our regular suppliers with whom we have built up excellent relationships during the 90 years that Hutten exists.

Something for all tastes

Dutch cattle are not uniform, there is variation in weight, taste, fat content, and colour. "Our clients have their own preferences, however, and expect that the products they order match these perfectly and all the time. So they want uniform products. That is a second important part of our concept. Via selection stages, we make sure that all clients receive the products they prefer. This selection starts as soon as the animals arrive and it continues during every stage of the process right up to the final checks. All our clients have specific requirements. A Dutch retailer, for example, has other expectations and requirements than a restaurant on the Spanish coast. We meet every client's expectation."

Automated processes play an important role in the company. "Where possible, we use the right machines or robots. Besides that, this work absolutely requires a great deal of craftsmanship. Hutten has been developing this craftsmanship since 1928. We give our employees extensive on-the-job training. As we train our new employees so thoroughly, they also quickly develop a bond with the company and their work. We believe that to be important, we always go for the long-term relationship with our employees, suppliers, and clients."

What are Hutten's ambitions for the coming years? "We are not necessarily looking for growth. But we do want to make our production even more sustainable." They already have plans for this. "We were the first to work without gas and our goal is now to be the first to have an entirely energy-neutral production process. A major challenge in sustainability in our industry is, of course, the cooling and the use of hot water. Hutten will keep investing in its production facilities. We do investments that benefit the quality, food safety, man, and the environment. And then the rest will follow."

www.huttenbeef.com