News

Start of the Cycle rest place and Tulip Route Flevoland

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And just like that, it’s already April — the month of spring, busy days on the land, sunny cycling trips, and of course… tulips! We’re excited to share some wonderful news for all enthusiastic cyclists. We are now part of the Flevoland “Fietspauzepunten” network: welcoming locations throughout the province where cyclists can enjoy a pleasant break. Together with 12 other Flevoland entrepreneurs, we form the official “Fietspauzepunten” of Flevoland.

We open on 2 April 2026, and on Saturday 18 April 2026 all Cycle rest places will host an open day.  Come visit us, take a look at the milk house, relax at the rest point, or browse our mini‑market in the greenhouse. And if you can’t get enough, book an overnight stay in our Bed & Breakfast.

After the Easter weekend, Tulip Route Flevoland begins with 2 car routes, 4 cycling routes, and a walking route. We are part of the Lelystad cycling route and the starting location of the Eastern Car Route. The cycling route is free of charge.The car route:  a ticket is required (€6.00). For more information, visit the Tulip Route Flevoland website: www.tulpenrouteflevoland.nl.

During the Tulip Route, we are open daily from 10:00 to 16:00 with a cozy mini‑market in the greenhouse. Browse for fun tulip gadgets, taste real farmhouse home-made cheese from our dairy farm, or ask for a guided tour. Coffee and tea with cake are ready for you!

 

 

Looking back on 2025

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Time flies—2025 is already almost a month behind us, so it’s the perfect moment to reflect on the past year. Although fewer news updates were shared due to circumstances, a great deal has happened on the farm. Last year, Joris took a step back from the daily work. To give him more space, Wouter van der Mannen became our dairy farm manager. With his background as a DeLaval engineer, he is very familiar with the milking robots. Wouter is a true cow lover, and the cows love him too! Every day he provides fresh feed, and their care is in excellent hands. We are proud to say that in 2025 we produced 1 million litres of milk!

Henny has also completely found his feet on the farm. Together with Mariska, he regularly looks after the cows and calves. Even more, he and Wouter take care of repairs and many technical improvements in and around the farm. Whenever time allows, we still enjoy making cheese. Recently, we produced delicious young cheeses in three flavours: natural, Italian herb, and cumin. They are available in the farm vending machine next to the milk tap in the little dairy hut by the roadside. We hope to have more time in 2026 to make cheese regularly, so we can keep our stock well supplied.

To promote our Bed & Breakfast, we occasionally sponsor local clubs. As proud southerners who never want to miss Carnival, we always advertise with CV de Bokken in Sint Hubert, and recently a lovely sign was also placed with CV de Zelfkant in Haps.

Now we loSponsoring CV De Zelfkantok forward to 2026—a year in which we will celebrate love with the upcoming wedding of Henny and Mariska on 20 June 2026. Plenty to look forward to! We wish everyone lots of happiness and good health in 2026!

 

 

Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar beloont met 3 tulpen

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Sinds vandaag is Bed & Breakfast de Kandelaar uit Biddinghuizen officieel ingedeeld in de klasse van drie tulpen. Dit is de bovengemiddelde kwaliteitsklasse van het Nederlandse classificatiesysteem voor bed & breakfasts. Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar ontving de drie tulpen na een bezoek van een mystery guest van Stichting Bed & Breakfast Nederland.

Op 20 november werden we bezocht door nieuwe gasten die de mystery guest van Bed & Breakfast Nederland bleken te zijn. De mystery guest was verrast door de aanwezigheid van een Bed & Breakfast op een boerenbedrijf en de aanwezigheid van de vele windmolens in de omgeving. De Bed & Breakfast werd als zeer schoon beoordeeld en had heerlijk beddengoed. Het gebruik van de keuken en bar werd zeker gewaardeerd.

De Nederlandse Bed & Breakfast Classificatie stelt minimum kwaliteitseisen aan deelnemende Bed & Breakfasts en geeft inzicht in de kwaliteitsverschillen. Deelnemende Bed & Breakfasts worden gerangschikt in klassen van 1 t/m 5 tulpen. Het classificatiesysteem wordt uitgevoerd door Stichting Bed & Breakfast Nederland en de controle gebeurt door middel van mystery guests. “Een bed & breakfast met drie tulpen biedt de gast een bovengemiddeld kwaliteitsniveau. Het bed & breakfast is comfortabel en gerieflijk en er worden extra voorzieningen en services geboden. Gasten hebben een eigen badkamer tot hun beschikking en het ontbijt is uitgebreid met brood, vers fruit en een eitje”, aldus Stichting Bed & Breakfast Nederland.

Autumn work and Christmas packages

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The autumn work on the land is in full swing. Last week the potatoes were harvested and the week before that the silage maize went into the pit. Today the first sugar beets are being harvested. Some will remain and can continue to grow until the end of November. The sugar beets will be loaded with the crane on Friday and sent to the Cosun factory in Groningen.

The milking robots have been working perfectly since they were started up. The cows are happy with them and regularly walk through the robot. The milking technique has improved enormously and the machine is also much quieter. And we, as farmers, are happy with it, because there are far fewer malfunctions and the quality of the milk has improved.

We make our own cheese every week. Are you looking for a Christmas package, let us know. A nice regional package or just a tasty cheese board. It is possible to place an order for Christmas packages until the end of November at the latest.

 

 

New Milking Robots

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After 24 years it was time to say goodbye to the DeLaval OerClassic milking robot.  It was the oldest, still working, operating milking robot from DeLaval.  In 2000, it was said that these robots would last at most 10 years!  24 years later … The new robot is like a switch from a gnome to a big giant.  What a beautiful machine, and not only us, but the cows as well, are very happy with this new robot.

1 May: the old robots were removed and the new DeLaval V300 was placed in a temporary setup on the grids.  In no time, the technicians and engineers Luuk, Erwin, Wouter and Bart managed to connect the new robot.  Despite the temporary setup, the cows were eager to enter the new milking robot. In the meantime, there was sufficient time to properly install all pipes, walls, etc., and recoat the floor in the milking room.  This work was carried out by Henny and an employee at Piersma Floors. 13 May: the new robots were placed in their final location and as soon as the gate was opened, the first cow entered! 

Calm has been restored and the new robot is milking to complete satisfaction.  All cows are properly connected, a few teething problems (that is, if we don’t forget to open any valves ourselves!) and milk production has increased.  The V300 provides significant energy savings and also maintenance costs will decrease.

Friday 24 May we officially put the new DeLaval V300 milking robots in use.  While enjoying a coffee and a delicious piece of cake, we looked back to the past 24 years with a few people who were there at the beginning. Obviously, including a tour to the new milking robot. We hope that this new V300 milking robot is going to do its job for the next 20+ years.

 

 

The tulip bloom is almost coming to an end

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Mother Nature cannot be controlled and as the Dutch saying goes “April does what she wants” the same is true for the tulips.  Due to the warm winter, the tulips started to bloom around 2 weeks earlier than usual for the time of year.  Partly due to the heavy rain and high temperatures the tulips are growing very fast.  More and more fields are being topped (removal of the flower).  After all, the tulips which are grown in Flevoland are for producing strong tulip bulbs and not for the tulip itself. The closing date of the Tulip route was initially on 5 May, however the tulip splendor and beauty will most likely end before the end of April.  For the latest news, please check the website Tulpenroute Flevoland.

For those who would still like to enjoy the beautiful tulip fields, visit this weekend or early next week, otherwise you will have to wait until next year. For the time being, until the tulip season ends, we are still open daily from 10:00 to 17:00.  You can visit our indoor tulip market where you can score nice tulip underpants, tulip bags, other tulip gadgets or exclusive tulips.  Of course coffee and cake is served.

The walking route ‘Pionierspad’ will open soon!

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The ‘Pionierspad’ is a unique walking route from Steenwijk to Muiden through the youngest Dutch county Flevoland (East to West). This Path offers what the name promises: ‘pioneering’. You will walk across what used to be the Zuiderzee (Southern Sea), which was only reclaimed half a century ago. A walk through forests and swamps, alternated with views of endless lowlands. The 200 kilometer route covers many unpaved footpaths along fields, ditches and grass dikes. In the top of the county Overijssel you will find peace and quiet and of course you should not miss the picturesque town of Giethoorn (also known as Venice of the North or Netherlands).  Walk along the Oostvaardersplassen (the newest Dutch Nature Reserve) to Muiderslot Castle.

Rust- en oplaadpunt e-bikes De Kandelaar

Stage 5 to stage 11 of the Pionierspad is easily accessible from Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar. Relax every evening in the middle of Flevoland’s rural area, where you can enjoy the polder landscape from a (hanging) chair and read the story of Flevoland on our terrace. After a restful sleep and a delicious breakfast, you will be ready to walk another stage of the Pionierspad. Plan your trip now, do not miss out and book a room at Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar.

Tulip route Flevoland almost started

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Despite the cold, rainy weather, there is always plenty to do at De Kandelaar. In recent weeks, we have made plenty of cheese in various flavours, which are now available in the farm vending machine in our milk house.  More and more people find their way to our delicious milk for cappuccinos, lattes, hot/cold chocolate or pudding and other products.  The milk house with the milk tap and farm vending machine can be found along the road, indicated by the flags and is open daily.

Tulpenroute Flevoland

We are also in full preparation for the Tulip Route Flevoland 2023.  This will start on Saturday 15th April.  De Kandelaar is again the starting location, and also along the cycle route.  You can relax on our covered terrace, visit our mini-market which has some nice gadgets or take a farm-tour!  There is also plenty of information about tulip cultivation.

During the Tulip Route we are open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 for 3 weeks.  Starting date is Saturday 15th April and the last day will be Sunday 7th May 2023. We look forward to meeting you during the Flevoland Tulip Route!

 

Retailer of the Year election – 2022

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Genomineerd voor detailist van het Jaar | Bed & Breakfast de Kandelaar | Dronten

The holidays are over now and we are already a few weeks into 2023. On January 7th, OVDD (Entrepreneurs Association “de Driehoek Dronten”) organised a party night. At this event, the final winners were announced for the election of Retailer and Entrepreneur of the Year in the municipality of Dronten. We congratulate Klamer bicycles from Biddinghuizen as Retailer and MooiWater as Entrepreneur of the Year 2022. We felt honoured and privileged to have been nominated as Retailer of the Year by OVDD.  Watch the video here of our company that was shown during the event.

Due to the heavy rain there are no activities on our land for the time being. We now mainly focus on the production of our cheeses and all the other jobs which are always there on the farm. We are proud that more and more customers find their way to our milk tap. There honestly is nothing better than enjoying a delicious cup of chocolate milk made from creamy cow’s milk during this cold weather!

Genomineerd Detaillist van het jaar 2022

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Dit keer een supermooi bericht vanaf De Kandelaar. Vrijdag jl zijn wij door Ondernemers-vereniging De Driehoek in Dronten genomineerd als Detaillist van het jaar 2022.  Wij zijn volledig verrast door deze mooie nominatie.

Begin november kregen we bezoek van de jury van de OVDD. We waren voorgedragen als bedrijf om genomineerd te worden als Detaillist van het jaar. Tijdens het bezoek van de jury werd gevraagd naar wie we zijn en wat we doen, uiteraard gaven we ook een rondleiding.

 

Door het jaarlijks toekennen van de prijs wil Ondernemersvereniging De Driehoek haar bewondering en waardering tonen voor alle, zeer uiteenlopende bedrijven in de gemeente Dronten. Daarnaast wil zij met de verkiezing Detaillist en Onderneming van het Jaar het belang van goed ondernemerschap voor de economie en de werkgelegenheid in de gemeente Dronten onderstrepen.

Afgelopen vrijdag na afloop van de ledenvergadering van de OVDD werden de genomineerden bekend gemaakt. Naast onze nominatie zijn ook Hairwish uit Dronten en Klamer fietsen uit Biddinghuizen genomineerd in de catagorie Detaillist van het jaar. Voor de titel Onderneming van het jaar zijn genomineerd: Flipse Makelaardij, Metafoor Vastgoed en Software en Mooiwater.

De nominatie vinden we een geweldige eer en een enorme waardering voor  het werk dat we doen op de Kandelaar. Zowel voor ons melkvee- en akkerbouwbedrijf met Bed & Breakfast, de kaasmakerij en natuurlijk onze onlangs geopende melktap met boerderijautomaat. We wachten nu in spanning tot de OVDD-feestavond op 7 januari a.s. waarop we zullen horen of we daadwerkelijk de titel in de wacht gaan slepen. Maar op dit moment zijn we vooral trots op de nominatie.