Step towards sustainable growth with new production line

The new production facility of TerraSana is fully up and running, and the nut butters are running at full speed. “This is a big step for our beautiful family business,” says Cees Barnhard. “We have worked hard over the past six months to optimize the performance of the machines. The production of our nut butters has almost tripled, which is fantastic because it allows us to serve many more customers. Our goal to mainstream organic food is getting much closer with this development!”

Sustainable Choices

When it comes to construction and equipment selection, we have looked beyond just production efficiency. We wanted to produce more, but that also means a greater responsibility. That’s why we built the new building as sustainably as possible and aim to offset as much of the production as possible with new solar panels. This is important to us because as an earth-loving brand, we aim towards a Healthy Earth (literally Terra Sana).

Better, More Efficient, and More Flexible

In the old situation, a lot of manual work was involved. “Now the production line is fully automated, and it’s favorable when the employees stand around the machines with their hands in their pockets. Then everything goes smoothly. They are responsible for interim conversions, so that a new product can be filled again.

Cees: “Actually, every part of the production process has been upgraded compared to the previous situation. For example, the metal detection is much more effective now. Even the smallest particles are now detected, which can prevent a lot of problems. But also tightening the lids is much more precise now. Where in the past we sometimes had problems with loose lids, we can catch that better with these machines. A positive sustainable improvement is that we no longer need the plastic that used to be behind the label sticker. On all these nut butters, that saves a lot of plastic!

In addition to significantly improving our production efficiency and nearly tripling our capacity, this new production line has also made us much more flexible. We now have the capability to enhance our delivery times and switch gears more swiftly, as we require less cleaning during product changes. This is due to the fact that we now use separate pipes exclusively for nut pastes, whereas previously, we produced all products—such as miso, powders, superfoods, and soy sauce—on a single production line.”

Making Nut Butter Is More Than Just Grinding Nuts

We’ve been making nut butter (now 19 varieties) in our own hometown of Leimuiden for years. We know exactly how to bring out that fine texture and delicious flavor. Cees: “Sometimes people think making nut butter is easy because it has only one ingredient. But it’s much more than that. You have to select the best nuts, roast and grind them just right, and ensure that the ‘crunchy’ variants have that perfect bite. And yes, you can also taste the passion!”

Future Plans for the Exterior

Now that TerraSana has access to much more warehouse and office space and the new production facility has been optimized as much as possible, Cees thinks it’s time to focus on the exterior. “There are plans to make the front of the original building identical to the new building. But we’re not in a hurry, we’re deliberately taking it step by step.”

Family Business, Pioneering in Organics for 35 Years

In 1989, the story of TerraSana began, with Kees Barnhard (father of Cees) at the helm. This year, TerraSana celebrates its 35th anniversary. The company has grown into a true family business, with now 3 of Kees’ children involved. “Kees has always dreamed of being able to pass on the company, which he has built with so much passion, to the next generations. To see TerraSana’s mission carried on by his children.”

Daughter Belinda was the first to join TerraSana 13 years ago. Since then, she has been enthusiastically managing sales in countries all over the world. We sometimes call Belinda TerraSana’s biggest fan, because that passion is deeply ingrained in her. Son Cees took on the role of production planner with great enthusiasm 5 years ago. Annabelle joined the ranks of the Barnhards and joined the purchasing team 2 years ago. Father Kees is still very involved in the background. Cees: “His knowledge is very valuable, and he looks at things very differently from us. It’s very special to be able to do this together.”