History

 

Where it all started

In Goodvalley, we have always believed that quality begins with caring. That is how it all began. When Tom Axelgaard questioned the efficiency and environmental impact of farming back in 1980, he began to form an idea that would grow into a proven model for sustainable farming.

Over the decades since, the Goodvalley way has been established in a number of European countries, all following a path to self-sufficiency, climate friendliness, high quality products and food safety.

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1980

Coming from a family of farmers, and with a pig farm in Denmark himself, Tom has an extensive understanding of agricultural processes and is motivated by a desire to achieve continued high quality and better sustainability. At a time where international food imports and exports is gaining momentum, Tom is perplexed by how agriculture becomes inefficient and impacts on the environment. He can’t see the logic importing corn on ships, just to export the pigs back to the countries where the corn and employees came from.

1992

Curious about pig farming outside Denmark, Tom travels to Ukraine where he visits a number of farms to see how they operate and whether or not his knowledge of Danish agricultural practices might benefit the quality and sustainability of production.

1993

With his farming experience in Ukraine in Eastern Europe, Tom is eager to do more. He decides to invite a group of skilled and adventurous Danish farmers on a trip to Poland. There, he shows them several Polish state farms and explains his vision about enabling Danish farming know-how and technology take root and grow in Poland. After just a few days there, the group is determined to also share their knowledge and invest in the project. This marks the beginning of a long-lasting relationship between Tom and these Danish investors and ensures a solid foundation of Danish competence at Goodvalley.

1994

With both knowledge, funds and support in place, Tom purchases the first farm in Poland, with its infrastructure centred in the middle of a large cornfield to minimise feed transportation. This is in accordance with his vision that all core competencies be integrated in one place to increase sustainability and minimise environmental impact. 

2000

We take the next step towards an integrated, sustainable farming model and acquire the first Polish food production unit in 2000, where we process our own quality meat.

2004

We expand our climate-friendly vision to Ukraine.

2005

Our first biogas plant opens in Poland, fulfilling our ambition of owning an integrated, fully-sustainable farming model. With our own biogas plant integrated in our production, we are now able to generate green energy from manure and crop waste. This enables us to come even closer to our goal of being a carbon neutral company. 

2011

With our full-circle, sustainable production in place in Poland, we take our unique farming model to other countries in Eastern Europe. In 2011, we integrate the first biogas plant in our Ukrainian division.

2014

Our sustainable way of farming gains international recognition. We are awarded for being a first mover in climate-friendly production at the Transformational Business Award held by The Financial Times and The World Bank.

2016

A sustainable production model, with a focus on limiting our emissions, is the foundation of everything we do. The natural next step is to transfer our ambition all the way to our quality products. In 2016, we deliver the first pork products from pigs raised without antibiotics.

2018

We continue our vision to work for a better tomorrow by focusing on sustainable agriculture – and in 2018, we included the entire Goodvalley into our calculation of emissions. 

2019

We shift to recycled – and recyclable – plastic for our Goodvalley products. It’s an optimal use of resources, where we don’t add new plastic, but only use what is already there. An important step towards creating a (more) circular economy.

+2021

As part of our sustainable philosophy we have put QR codes on our products in Poland, so you can scan each of them and see its specific journey from field to fork.

We believe and hope that the future will continue to become more sustainable, and that both transparency and dialogue are key elements in achieving this.

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We process our own feed

In Goodvalley we have our own feedmills where we prepare feed for our pigs. This way we can make sure our feed mix contains all of the natural components which are needed to keep our pigs healthy.

We prepare our own quality meat

Our processed products are always witout any preservatives. Only by controlling all stages of the production, we can take full responsibility for the quality of our meat.

We grow our own crops

In Goodvalley we have 36.500 hectares of land. We grow our crops by using degassed manure from our biogas plants. This way we cultivate our soil while taking care of the environment. We have wheat, barley, rape, corn, rye, sunflower and soy.

We raise our own pigs

Our animal welfare standards are certified by GLOBALG.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practice) and we make sure that our pigs have the necessary space, toys available and the right people, who, care for them at every stage.

We produce our own energy

In our biogas plants we use waste products from all steps of the production. This way we generate heat and energy for our units while we use the degassed minerals as a valuable fertilizer on our fields. This process makes our production less invasive towards the climate.

We harvest our own fields

It is important for us to harvest our fields by ourselves. This way we can control the harvesting proces and by using modern technology and equipment our machines are less invasive and less damaging to the environment.