4 - Recognised
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Cooperatie Odin holds EKO, Skal, and Demeter certifications, maintaining 100% organic product sourcing across its stores and Foodcafes; it scored highest among all 15 Dutch supermarkets in the national Dashboard Duurzaamheid Supermarkten. The cooperative owns De Beersche Hoeve, a 20-hectare biodynamic farm in Brabant focused on heirloom seed preservation, and the Almere cafe operates directly on biodynamic farm Vliervelden.
Food waste is addressed through partnerships with Too Good To Go and Voedselbank Rivierenland, while the Friday dinner concept repurposes cosmetically imperfect produce. Green electricity, waste heat recovery from refrigeration, biodegradable cleaning products, and largely unpackaged fresh produce reduce the operational footprint.
The cooperative structure embeds social equity: 20,000 member-owners exercise democratic governance, and executive pay is capped at six times the lowest salary.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Named suppliers including own farms in Brabant and Almere, with direct-purchase relationships, though supply also extends internationally.
ODIN operates direct purchasing relationships with multiple named suppliers without auction intermediaries: De Beersche Hoeve (own biodynamic farm, 20 hectares, Brabant), Vliervelden (Almere farm where the cafe sits), Machandel (Demeter-certified preserved foods), Camposeven (biodynamic peach cooperative), and De Groene Weg (organic butcher, ODIN's first client in 1983). These are established, traceable partnerships.
However, the cooperative's supply chain is national and international rather than primarily provincial. Salamita (a biodynamic blood orange cooperative in Sicily, partnership since 1984) and other international biodynamic producers are integral to the product range. This reflects ODIN's founding ethos of quality and biodynamic rigour over geographic proximity. Score is capped at 3: strong traceability and direct relationships, but less than 60% of products can be confirmed as provincial-level local.
Quarterly seasonal menu rotation confirmed across all three locations, avoiding air freight to reinforce seasonal produce.
The Foodcafe operates a quarterly seasonal menu rotation confirmed across all three locations, with spring and winter menus observed. Dishes are described as organic and seasonal, and the recipe section on odin.nl reflects seasonal ingredients. ODIN's choice to avoid air freight reinforces reliance on seasonal availability.
Seasonality is not ODIN's founding principle — that is organic and biodynamic integrity. Quarterly rotation is the minimum frequency for score 3; there is no evidence of weekly or daily menu changes. The restaurant's primary identity is wholefood organic sourcing rather than seasonal cooking as a central ethos.
Named practices span food waste (Too Good To Go, Voedselbank partnerships, Friday cosmetic-produce dinners), packaging (unpackaged fresh produce, reusable containers, sugarcane film), and energy (100% green electricity, waste-heat recovery).
The cooperative operates multiple named and verified practices across waste, packaging, and energy. Food waste flows to Too Good To Go for surplus redistribution and Voedselbank Rivierenland (the local food bank); the Friday dinner concept at Almere repurposes cosmetically imperfect produce at EUR 7.50 per person. The vegetable subscription model gives farmers guaranteed demand, and ODIN refuses promotional pricing on meat and fish to avoid overstock-driven waste.
Nearly all fresh vegetables, fruit, and bread are sold unpackaged; reusable boxes are provided for De Nieuwe Band branded goods; bioplastic film derived from sugarcane waste and paper tape replace plastic tape; thermal receipts are BPA-free; customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable containers.
Energy efficiency includes 100% green electricity, waste heat recovery from refrigeration at the distribution centre, LED lighting conversion, automatic lighting shutoff, and biodegradable cleaning products throughout. EKO (EU organic) certification independently corroborates these standards.
Named supplier De Groene Weg for meat (organic butcher, 1983), Skal-certified organic across range, MSC certification for fish, with Demeter standards applied to preferred animal products.
The Foodcafe menu includes non-vegetarian items (HappyCow classifies the Eindhoven location as 'Veg-options'). All ODIN products are Skal-certified organic, maintaining a 100% organic product range. For meat, the named supplier is De Groene Weg, an established organic butcher and ODIN's first client since 1983. Fish products in the cooperative's supply chain hold MSC certification; Demeter and biodynamic standards are applied to preferred animal products.
ODIN actively supports the protein transition (the cooperative achieved 67.1% plant-derived proteins, highest among Dutch supermarkets surveyed) and refuses promotional pricing on meat and fish to discourage overstock and waste.
Cooperative structure with executive pay capped at six times lowest salary; 20,000+ member-owners; community events, farm talks, workshops; food bank redistribution; seed preservation programme.
ODIN operates as a steward-owned cooperative with over 20,000 member-owners exercising democratic governance via elected representatives. Executive pay is capped at six times the lowest worker salary, with all surplus reinvested into the mission of healthy, fair food. The cooperative employs over 700 people.
Community engagement includes regular farm discussions, themed dinners, film nights, and cooking workshops across Foodcafe locations; space rental for community events; pick-your-own gardens at Vliervelden farm; and a EUR 5,000 donation to Stadsboerderij Almere. Partnership with Vegetariersbond supports VegaFeb.
Cause support includes food redistribution via Voedselbank Rivierenland and advocacy for the protein transition. ODIN operates its own seed preservation programme at De Beersche Hoeve farm to counter corporate seed monopolies. The cooperative was nominated for ABN AMRO Sustainable Retailer of the Year 2024–2025 and received academic recognition in a Springer publication.
Dishes are heavily vegetable-led with pulled mushroom toast, croquettes, salads, soups; vegan and gluten-free options standard; plant-based milk for all drinks; non-vegetarian items also served.
The menu is heavily vegetable-led. Named dishes include pulled mushroom toast, oyster mushroom croquettes, muhammara toast, seasonal salads, house-made soups, and vegan cakes. Vegan and gluten-free options are standard; plant-based milk is available for all coffee and tea drinks. ODIN supports the protein transition (the cooperative achieved 67.1% plant-derived proteins, highest among Dutch supermarkets surveyed) and participates in VegaFeb with Vegetariersbond.
However, HappyCow classifies the Eindhoven location as 'Veg-options', indicating non-vegetarian items are served alongside the vegetable-forward offerings. Without access to the full current menu, the exact proportion of plant-based to animal-based main courses cannot be confirmed. The menu is clearly plant-forward in intent but does not qualify as fully plant-based or fully vegetarian.
Sourcing signals
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Certified organic ingredients
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Direct named-farm sourcing
Cooperatie Odin holds EKO (100% organic food products since 2017), Skal Biocontrole (first Dutch retail chain, all stores certified since 2021), and Demeter (biodynamic products) certifications, verified by independent bodies.
ODIN owns De Beersche Hoeve (20-hectare biodynamic farm, Brabant, heirloom seed preservation) and operates directly on Vliervelden (Almere biodynamic farm with pick-your-own garden), both supplying produce to the cooperative's supply chain.
Direct purchasing without auction intermediaries from named suppliers: De Beersche Hoeve and Vliervelden (own farms), Salamita (Sicily, blood oranges, since 1984), Machandel (Demeter preserved foods, 40 years), Camposeven (biodynamic peaches), De Groene Weg (organic butcher, since 1983).
