Stories

Jan Bakker – feeding a sustainable future

2024-09-20

Even as he started out with one small tractor in 1985, Jan Bakker had a dream of one day operating in the dairy industry. Fast forward nearly 40 years, and the company he founded is now one of the major operators in the agriculture sector in his native Netherlands. And, with the help of Volvo on and off the road, he’s also become a trailblazer in the electric vehicle transition.

From sand for construction, to manure for agriculture, growth, in one way or another, has always been a motivator for Dutch hauler Jan Bakker. An entrepreneur at heart, over his 40 years in business, Jan has transformed a one-man one-tractor operation into a major actor in the agriculture sector in the Netherlands and beyond. And he’s using his success to inspire future generations by running a successful, profitable business with a strong focus on sustainability.

From modest beginnings, Jan Bakker has grown rapidly over the years. Expansion into various sectors, including manure trading, potato trading, cattle feed, and more recently, a wide range of sustainability initiatives, has brought with it the need to expand the transport fleet, with more vehicles in the pipeline.

Such projects require investment though, and here, Volvo Financial Services’ support has helped founder Jan Bakker turn his dreams into reality. Beyond just supporting financially, Volvo Financial Services has aided the entrepreneur by providing a raft of services and advise in the sectors he operates in. According to Bakker, that has been key to helping him navigate what is a complex transition toward an electric future.

I’m happy to make that commitment to someone who treats us faithfully. Sustainability is important to me too, so with Volvo Financial Services we just seem to click together.”

- Jan Bakker

“I can get money anywhere. But we’re a people business too. If they’re a good match you're going to find that it clicks. I’m happy to make that commitment to someone who treats us faithfully. Sustainability is important to me too, so with Volvo Financial Services we just seem to click together,” he says.

Despite the fact that Volvo’s trucks have long been part of Jan Bakker’s growth, working with Volvo Financial Services in the financial services area is a more recent development. Much of that comes down to a care for the environment and the future both sides share, according to Steven Jochems at Volvo Financial Services.

“Our first contact was via an agent several years ago, for an order of three electric vehicles. Then, as Jan Bakker got involved in more and more tenders, they wanted to take the next step into zero-emission vehicles, and asked us if we could fulfil that,” says Jochems.

Those discussions would later lead to an order of 15 electric vehicles and the start of a much tighter relationship.

“As part of Volvo Group, we’re close to our suppliers as well as the customers,” says Jochems. “We know the business and we understand what our customers do, whether its agriculture, infrastructure or some other sector. And we also know what an impact the electric transition is going to have on their business,” he says.

In practical terms, Volvo Financial Services offers customers a tailored service that includes assistance with business cases, subsidies, financing, and vehicle insurance.

The relationship has been fruitful on both sides. Despite once promising his wife he’d stop when they reached 7 trucks, Jan Bakker has a fleet already numbering 200 and growth showing few signs of slowing down. It makes the company an ideal reference case in terms of both financial services and vehicle delivery.

“I’ve built my business on two pillars: people and sustainability,” says Bakker, whose organization now employs some 350 staff.

“We need to move forward together sustainably, and the market demands that too. We may have to be there anyway, so you want to be ahead of the market. But if you don’t have good people, you can’t do anything. Even though we’ve grown tremendously in recent years, I still think of Jan Bakker as a family,” he adds.

Speaking of family, 2024 has seen another new phase in the development of the company, with Jan’s daughter Angela taking over the reins from Jan. She’s well aware that she has big shoes to fill.

“My biggest challenge is to gain people’s trust, because I’m the daughter and I always will be, in the eyes of some people. There are a lot of challenges in the agricultural sector and the same goes for sustainability, so you need to constantly broaden your knowledge and gain confidence from the people around you,” she says.

And as Angela Bakker steers Jan Bakker through its next phase of development, on the road and off it, she knows that in Volvo Financial Services she has a trusted partner to rely on.