Maker · Fruit

Menso Tijssen

Apples and pears from Altforst, from a grower who is making his orchard greener and can deliver year-round from his own cold storage. Origin you can put on the menu.

To the products ↓

The story

Altforst, Land of Maas and WaalApples and pearsOwn cold storage, year-roundTerra Ranger since 2023

Who stands behind it

Menso Tijssen grows apples and pears in Altforst, in the Land of Maas and Waal in Gelderland. Fruit Farm M Tijssen is a family business on the riverine clay between Maas and Waal, a region that has been turning on hard fruit for generations. It is an accredited training farm, so there are consistently people learning the trade. Tijssen himself says about this that good staff is an absolute must for the business: fruit of quality starts with people who know when an apple is ripe to pick.

What truly sets it apart

Two things. First, the innovation in the orchard. Since 2023, Tijssen has been working with the Terra Ranger, a machine for mechanical weed control in the tree row. Instead of chemicals under the trees, weeds are now removed mechanically. That saves herbicide and makes the cultivation provably greener, something you as a chef can pass on to a guest who asks where his apple comes from.

Second, the storage. Tijssen has own cold storage and is working on making it more efficient. For you, that means continuity: you get Elstar and Conference not just in the weeks after harvest, but far into the next season, with constant ripeness. That's the difference between an apple as a random purchase and an apple you can build a dish on that stays on the menu all year.

The varieties cover the entire kitchen. Elstar and Kanzi for raw and fresh work, Jonagold for baking and roasting, Conference as an all-rounder, and stewing pear Karmozijn for long, slow work in wine or syrup.

How to set yourself apart with this

Put the variety and origin on the menu. Not "apple pie," but "tarte tatin of Elstar, Altforst." A guest reads the difference, and it's true besides: you know the grower, the region, and the way the fruit grows. Combine that with the storage and you have a product you can source consistently without compromising on flavor.

Plan a tasting session to try the varieties side by side and determine which belong in your kitchen. Then you choose based on flavor and application, not on what happens to arrive.

Chef’s tip

Elstar is your workhorse: firm enough to bake, aromatic enough to serve raw. Slice to order and keep the flesh under water with lemon, then the color stays true. Want an apple that holds its shape after baking, go for Jonagold; keep Kanzi for raw applications where crispness matters.

How to use it