FrieslandCampina

Tight-knit, that is the best word to describe the collaboration between FrieslandCampina and Melkweg|Fritom. And that makes sense, knowing that the companies have been working together for over 50 years. Over time they built a solid foundation for a sustainable future: “Melkweg|Fritom is an important link between our dairy farmer members and dairy factories”, says Manager Milk Logistics Hans Wieleman.

FrieslandCampina is a dairy company with a rich history. In 1872, a group of dairy farmers in the northern part of Holland started a cooperation. Since then, it has grown into a dairy company that sells products to over 100 countries, thus making its mark in feeding the world population. FrieslandCampina produces and sells consumer products like dairy beverages, child nutrition, cheeses, and desserts, but they also make ingredients and half-fabricates for manufacturers of child nutrition, the food industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. FrieslandCampina to this day is still owned by the cooperation, which 11.104 dairy farmers from The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are affiliated with. This way they control the whole chain, from the start at the farm to the end product at the dinner table of the consumer.

The collaboration with Melkweg|Fritom goes back over half a century. At the end of the 1960s, a factory in the city of Bolsward, The Netherlands, asked companies whether they wanted to invest in bulk milk pickup and transportation. The Doorenbos, Veenstra, and Wiersma families took this opportunity to start a company called Melkweg – with one driver and 6 farmers. In 7 years’ time the company grew to a fleet of 20 tankers.

Nowadays, Melkweg|Fritom is on the road 365 days a year with 21 tankers from different posts. Around 80 drivers pick up milk 24/7 at 1,500 dairy farmers from FrieslandCampina – they even collect milk from the Dutch islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog. The exponential growth doesn’t stop there: The tanks went from 7 to 36 cubic meters and pumping speed went up to 1.5 cubic meter per minute; at Melkweg|Fritom we use electric pumps.

FrieslandCampina and Melkweg|Fritom work together closely on multiple areas like technique, innovation, and sustainability, of which automatic sampling is a good example. Drivers of Melkweg|Fritom check milk temperature, - colour and -odour on location. When approved, they take a milk sample of which the parameters are checked. When this process is completed and approved, the pump automatically starts pumping up the milk into the pickup container. The communication via the onboard computer system is also fully adjusted to bulk milk pickup. Therefore, our drivers are always well-informed about the latest wishes and needs of the dairy farmers. Melkweg|Fritom also contributes to a better planet; our trucks run on the more sustainable Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), helping us to reduce the number of CO₂-emissions caused by the transportation sector.