The van Rooijen family emigrated from Groningen to Sweden in 2022.
Hendrik-Jan Achterhof guided the van Rooijen family in the Netherlands through the sale of their dairy farm in Overschild, Groningen. After this sale, they bought a new farm in Falköping, Sweden, in April 2022. In Sweden, the family was accompanied by Claudia Gloudemans, the Interfarms supervisor in Sweden.
Before the purchase, they visited Sweden three times. Initially, they thought of moving to Denmark, but it didn't feel right there. However, when they visited Sweden, they immediately fell in love with the landscape and space.
The new farm covers a whopping 400 hectares, of which 265 hectares are tillable arable land. At the time, it was mainly used for young cattle rearing. However, in June 2023 they started milking cows in a brand new barn, which can accommodate 350 cows and is equipped with six DeLaval robots.
The transition to Sweden was not always easy, mainly because the family did not yet speak the language. They are busy learning Swedish, which helps them make contacts and integrate into their new environment.
The van Rooijen family moved to Sweden with their three sons. Bart, the eldest son of 25, co-owns the farm with his parents. The youngest son of 14 also has ambitions to become a farmer. Last year they built a beautiful new barn, which is not only functional but also an eye-catcher in the Swedish countryside. Besides their dairy farm, they also keep horses and have already made many contacts in their new surroundings in Sweden.
The transition to the Swedish countryside has served the family well, and they have managed to adapt quickly to their new life and work.
Thanks to the construction project, in which they had to interact a lot with Swedish people, and the language education here in Falköping, they quickly managed to speak the Swedish language. They are also enjoying the space and opportunities their new company offers them and are looking forward to a bright future in Falköping.
