August 27, 2024

320 Matthijs Westerwoudt - Paying farmers for cultivating weeds and making biodiversity super tasty by selling drinks and teas made from native plants

1 hour 43 minutes

Matthijs Westerwoudt is the co-founder of Wilder Land, a company transforming native plants, often considered weeds, into highly desirable products. These plants, once dismissed as unwanted, are now being used to create delicious drinks, herbal teas, kombuchas, fermented teas, and even pasta. The company pays farmers more per square meter than they would earn from any other crop. How do they achieve this? First, by ensuring that these products taste as good as, or even better than, those made from monoculture crops. Second, through exceptional branding—highlighting the appeal of "nature-restoring" drinks over the concept of "biodiversity-restoring" beverages. The secret to success lies in continuous testing and refinement. In short, they are making biodiversity not just important, but incredibly tasty.

In the Netherlands, many things are well-organized, but the country also holds the unfortunate title of being a world leader in biodiversity loss. This raises the question: how can farmers be compensated for the extra biodiversity they create or support? While the idea of biodiversity credits might come to mind, these are difficult to measure and not yet fully developed. Wilder Land found a different solution for it.

---------------------------------------------------

Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits on www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag.

Support our work:

Share it
Give a 5-star rating
Buy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture

----------------------------------------------------

More about this episode on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/matthijs-westerwoudt.

Find our video course on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/course.

----------------------------------------------------

The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.

Thoughts? Ideas? Questions? Send us a message!

https://foodhub.nl/en/opleidingen/your-path-forward-in-regenerative-food-and-agriculture/

https://groundswellag.com/2025-speakers/

Find out more about our Generation-Re investment syndicate:
https://gen-re.land/

Thank you to our Field Builders Circle for supporting us. Learn more here

Support the show

Feedback, ideas, suggestions?
- Twitter @KoenvanSeijen
- Get in touch www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.com

Join our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P!

Support the show

Thanks for listening and sharing!

...more

View all episodes

By Koen van Seijen

4.8

8787 ratings

August 27, 2024

320 Matthijs Westerwoudt - Paying farmers for cultivating weeds and making biodiversity super tasty by selling drinks and teas made from native plants

1 hour 43 minutes

---------------------------------------------------

Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits on www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag.

Support our work:

Share it
Give a 5-star rating
Buy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture

----------------------------------------------------

More about this episode on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/matthijs-westerwoudt.

Find our video course on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/course.

----------------------------------------------------

The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.

Thoughts? Ideas? Questions? Send us a message!

https://foodhub.nl/en/opleidingen/your-path-forward-in-regenerative-food-and-agriculture/

https://groundswellag.com/2025-speakers/

Find out more about our Generation-Re investment syndicate:
https://gen-re.land/

Thank you to our Field Builders Circle for supporting us. Learn more here

Support the show

...more