“Thirty years ago, being a chef was not a big deal,” says agrifood industry consultant Analisa Winther. “Now we have celebrity chefs with big brand names and multiple revenue streams and platforms. What would it look like if we were to make farmers recognized and known to the same degree?”
Top 50 Farmers, an initiative Winther started in partnership with Cindie Christiansen’s Denmark-based nonprofit Foodprint Nordic, wants to bring that level of recognition to regenerative farmers across Europe. Today, the initiative announced its first-ever cohort of farmers that will now embark on a year-long “recognition program” that will share their stories with both the agrifood industry and consumers.
“Most people, even if they buy at the farmers market, are completely disconnected from the people who stand behind those products,” Winther tells AgFunderNews.
“Stories seed change. By sharing this, we not only show that regenerative agriculture is a very cool space to be operating in, but we also start to seed into the public consciousness what regenerative farming means.”
The initiative, which was seed-funded by Astanor Ventures and financed by the Avina Foundation, Doen Foundation and, the Nest Family Office, received more than 500 applicants for this first cohort.
‘A lot must change to make farming more attractive’
Top 50 Farmers originated during a two-day summit in Denmark in which farmers, chefs, entrepreneurs, investors, and others in agrifood came together to discuss scaling regenerative agriculture across Europe.
The idea surfaced to showcase regenerative farmers in much the same way the restaurant industry has done with chefs for the last few decades.
According to Winther, Top 50 Farmers wants to make farmers “known to the same degree, so that if I were to walk down the street and ask someone to name their favorite farmer, they would be able to name at least one.”
That said, the initiative isn’t about creating celebrity farmers simply for the sake of doing so.
“A lot must change in order to make farming more attractive,” says Winther. “Oftentimes, farming is spoken about as if it is on the precipice of collapse because of the many dynamics that are influencing it.
“We see a different story, one that is very diverse and that promises a lot in terms of what farming will look like and how it can regenerate communities, people, the planet.”
Top 50 Farmers, she says, will also spotlight a diversity of farmers in order to show people that “you can do this at any age; you can come from any background.”
Currently, just 12% of farmers in Europe are under the age of 40.
To that end, the chosen 50 farmers come from 22 different countries in Europe, ranging in age from 26 to 70, and represent farms as small as 0.5 hectares and as large as 4,000 hectares. The roster also includes 10 women and one non-binary farmer.
It’s about ‘getting farmers paid’
On a highly practical level, Top 50 Farmers is also about getting farmers paid, says Winther.
Currently, most consumers aren’t willing to pay the higher costs for regeneratively grown products. Part of creating this farmer recognition is to “get to a point of understanding why food should cost more. That true cost of food then becomes more personal.”
There’s also a lot of curiosity around what makes a regenerative farming business profitable, she adds.
“There’s also a lot of data that shows farmers trust and love learning most from other farmers. So when it comes to even bringing in additional conventional farmers, that is the best source of creating social proof or social desire.”
In the coming months, Top 50 Farmers will share deep dives on each of the farmers in the cohort, including stories of how they got into regenerative farming and what it took to build up their businesses.
“When we publish the farmers’ stories and their profiles, it includes where they’re looking for support,” says Winther. “All of them need help, whether that be access to technology or support on the farm or some other kind of deal. It is about us all being able to say this is really important and finding ways to support them.”
Top 50 Farmers Cohort 1
Austria
Simon Vetter, Vetterhof
Alfred Grand, Grand Farm
Andreas Gugumuck, Gugumuck Hof
Belgium
Rone Fillet, Koolmees
Emilien Rottiers, Domaine de Graux
Mattias Plaetevoet, De Blauwe Spie
Dries Delanote, Le Monde des Mille Couleurs
Czech Republic
Karel Kalny, Statek Mitrov
Denmark
Andrew Harris, Søagergård
Estonia
Airi Külvet, Puutsa
Karl Lindam, Aru Põllumajanduse
France
Boris Spassky, La Granja
Felix Noblia, Ferme Larrous
Romuald Carrouge, Ferme du Faubourg de Cloguenard
Germany
Michael Reber, Innovative Landwirtschaft Reber
Alexander Zimmer, Marienhof Monheim
Greece
Kyriaki Chatzisavva, Hatzisavva Vineyards
Hungary
Zoltan Lengyel, Táncoskert
Ireland
Fergal Smith, Moy Hill Farm
Italy
Felipe Pasini, Amadeco
Ariane Lotti, Tenuta San Carlo
Matteo Mazzola, Iside Farm
Massimiliano Solano, Azienda agricola Parrino
Lithuania
Niels Peter Pretzmann, Farmers Circle
Netherlands
Howard Koster, de Biesterhof
Erwin Westers, Horaholm
Anne van Leeuwen, ‘t Gagel Farm
Arne Driessen, Koperwiek
Norway
Lars Olav Stavnes, Reppe Søndre
Poland
Mateusz Ciasnocha, Ciasnocha Family Farms
Portugal
David de Brito, Terramay
João Valente, Monte Silveira
Paulo Carvalho, Vivid Farms
António Coelho, Horta da Malhadinha
Slovakia
Robert Dohal, Poľnohospodárske družstvo Krakovany
Slovenia
Andrew Froggatt, Gramona Farm
Spain
Andrea Abad Bartolome, Terra Viva Ibiza
Jessica Dunlop, Can Purtell
Philipp Gandler, Terra Masia
Julia Soler, Cooperativa Mas La Sala
Sweden
Saba Nazarian, The Culinary Farmer
Marie-Claire Feller, Alnarp’s Agroecology Farm
Stefan Schörling, Hasta Gård
Switzerland
Matthias Hollenstein, SlowGrow
Regina Schwarzenbach, Hof Zalpenblick
Marcel Heinrich, Biohof Las Sorts
United Kingdom
Dougie Dawson, Feorh
Rachel Hall, Gutchpool Farm
Geoffrey Williams, Tretharrup Farm
Adam Payne, Awen Organics
