Knocks polder bread is proving a hit at the Philippe bakery in Westkapelle. The bread is made of wheat from the Zwin polders, which is processed by an artisan Belgian miller. According to baker Kristof Van Haecke, you can even taste that the bread is made from local wheat.
For this product, the Philippe bakery in Westkapelle joined forces with farmer Bart Lanckriet from the Zwin polders. The new bread recently hit the shelves and is already a great success.
The concept was clear from the outset: a local product that would benefit both the consumer and the entire production chain. “It’s a win-win situation. Our farmer earns more for his wheat because it is produced in smaller volumes, and the environment also benefits. Wheat often has to be imported from Eastern Europe or even Canada, so our product covers a much shorter distance. Finally, you can even taste that Knocks polder bread was made with local grain. The composition of this specific wheat, a German variety, is different. And you can really taste the difference. From the field to the baker: that’s our slogan.”
Baker Kristof realises that ‘buy local’ has been gaining in popularity once again since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. “People are really conscious about it. They are more likely to go to the local bakery and butcher to buy local products instead of heading to the supermarket,” he says. “The aim is often to support traders, but many local products are a lot healthier too. They don’t tend to be padded out with lots of enzymes or other products.”
Waves and seawater
The fact that Knokke-Heist residents like to identify with their own products is another advantage. “That's why we chose an appropriate name. In addition, the logo is full of references to our coastal community: with waves and the colour of seawater as the background.”
Knocks polder bread is therefore the best example of a short chain in which the links in the production process take place a mere stone's throw from each other. “The miller works inland, because there are no local millers who process those kinds of volumes. But that’s relatively close too. What’s more, it’s a really great local bread. At the moment we are only selling the bread in our bakery, but who knows what the future will bring.”
