Maker · Dairy
Zwaanheuvelhoeve
Organic poultry from Boven-Leeuwen and Dreumel, with brown and white laying hens under 3-star Better Life. The eggs go out by their own transport and the manure goes to the mushroom farm.
The story
Who's behind it
Willem and Corina van Mourik took over the farm on the Zwaanheuvelstraat in Boven-Leeuwen on 1 May 2019, together with football friend Ton van Welie. They now keep brown and white organic laying hens at two locations, Boven-Leeuwen and Dreumel in the Land van Maas en Waal. Under the name Ons ei (Our Egg) they focus on eggs from nearby. As far as possible, the eggs go by their own transport to shops, care homes and restaurants in the area. Short lines keep the time between laying and kitchen short.
The hens have 3-star Better Life, the highest animal welfare standard in the Netherlands, and receive no antibiotics. In 2023 Ons ei came second in the national Organic Product of the Year election at the Biobeurs. The business is a member of Caring Farmers and Maas en Waal Boert Bewust and has a farm vending machine in Boven-Leeuwen that's open day and night.
The cycle
The chicken manure goes to organic mushroom growing, so a waste stream gets a second use within the organic chain. The Dreumel site runs energy-neutral on solar panels and Boven-Leeuwen is working towards the same. The eggs leave in reusable crates and biodegradable boxes.
The hens get more space than organic rules require. The run is full of willows, nut and fruit trees that give shelter, with room to scratch and dust-bathe. They eat an organic grain mix of corn, wheat, barley and soya, topped up with grain scattered by hand every day. In the kitchen you see full, coloured yolks, whites that stay firm and good binding. You notice it in the poaching pan, in an emulsion and in every base that relies on egg.
In your kitchen
Mention that you work with organic regional eggs from a closed manure cycle, and a dish like egg salad, an uitsmijter or a classic sauce gets an origin on the menu.
The regional delivery helps in practice: short supply lines, fresh batches and packaging from a tray to a box of 180, so you buy to match your use. Put the name Zwaanheuvelhoeve or Ons ei on the menu.
“We believe in eggs from nearby.”
Chef’s tip
Ask about the laying date and work per dish. For a tight poached egg or fresh mayonnaise you want eggs a few days old, the white is then still firm. Eggs that have been lying ten days you peel much easier after cooking. That way you get two applications from the same tray.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Poached egg
Fresh white stays compact in the poaching water.
Homemade mayonnaise and hollandaise
Organic yolks with full colour bind generously and stably.
Crème anglaise and ice bases
Fresh yolks give good binding.
Soft-boiled on table bread
A simple plate with the egg in the lead role.
For your menu
“Organic eggs from Zwaanheuvelhoeve, Boven-Leeuwen. Brown and white laying hens under 3-star Better Life, from a manure cycle that ends at the mushroom farm.”
Products from Zwaanheuvelhoeve
What we carry from this maker
Organic eggs, tray of 30
Freshly laid from the region, practical kitchen packaging
Prices and availability are in the portal. Become a customer or log in to order.
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels and taste it for yourself.