4 - Recognised
i
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✓
ODIN sources from multiple named suppliers including own farms (De Beersche Hoeve, Vliervelden) and established partners (Machandel, Camposeven, De Groene Weg), with direct purchasing relationships and strong traceability; however, significant sourcing is international (Salamita, Sicily), making the supply chain national-to-international rather than primarily local.
ODIN has multiple named, traceable suppliers with direct purchasing relationships (no auction intermediaries): De Beersche Hoeve (own farm, Brabant), Vliervelden (Almere), Machandel, Camposeven, De Groene Weg.
The cooperative's supply chain is national and international rather than primarily provincial-level local. Salamita (Sicily) and other international biodynamic producers are integral to the product range. Strong traceability and direct relationships across the board, but the dimension assesses local/regional sourcing specifically, and a meaningful share of products originates outside the Netherlands.
The menu rotates quarterly with seasons; dishes are described as 'organic and seasonal' and feature seasonal ingredients.
The Foodcafe operates a quarterly seasonal menu rotation, confirmed across all three locations (spring and winter menus observed). Dishes are described as 'biologische en seizoensgebonden gerechten' (organic and seasonal dishes). The recipe section on odin.nl reflects seasonal ingredients. ODIN avoids air freight, which reinforces seasonal availability.
Quarterly rotation is the minimum for score 3, and there is no evidence of weekly or daily menu changes. The primary identity is organic/biodynamic rather than seasonal cooking as a founding principle. Seasonality is one principle among several rather than the organising ethos.
Multiple named, credible practices across food waste, packaging, and energy: partnerships with Too Good To Go and Voedselbank, unpackaged fresh goods, 100% green electricity, waste heat recovery, and biodegradable products.
Food waste is addressed through partnerships with Too Good To Go for surplus redistribution and Voedselbank Rivierenland (food bank). The Friday dinner concept at Almere uses cosmetically imperfect produce. No promotional pricing on meat/fish reduces overstock, and a vegetable subscription model gives farmers guaranteed demand.
Packaging practices include nearly all vegetables, fruit, and bread sold unpackaged; reusable boxes for De Nieuwe Band branded goods; bioplastic film from sugarcane waste; paper tape replacing plastic; and BPA-free thermal receipts. Customers are encouraged to bring reusable containers.
Energy conservation includes 100% green electricity, waste heat recovery from refrigeration at the distribution centre, LED lighting conversion, automatic lighting shutoff, and biodegradable cleaning products. EKO certification independently corroborates packaging, energy, and food waste standards.
Meat comes from De Groene Weg (established organic butcher, ODIN's first client since 1983); fish products hold MSC certification. Demeter/biodynamic standards apply to preferred animal products; the cooperative actively supports protein transition and avoids promotional pricing on animal products.
The Foodcafe serves non-vegetarian items (HappyCow classifies the Eindhoven location as 'Veg-options'). All ODIN products are Skal-certified organic (100% organic product range).
Named supplier for meat: De Groene Weg, an established organic butcher and ODIN's first client in 1983. MSC certification is held for fish products in the cooperative's supply chain. Demeter/biodynamic standards apply to preferred animal products. ODIN actively supports the protein transition and refuses promotional pricing on meat/fish.
Cooperative structure with executive pay capped at six times the lowest salary; democratic governance with 20,000+ member-owners. Community engagement through farm discussions, workshops, donation to Stadsboerderij Almere, and VegaFeb partnership. Protein transition advocacy, food redistribution via Voedselbank, seed preservation programme, and ABN AMRO sustainability nomination.
Strong and ongoing social engagement across multiple areas. The cooperative structure embeds economic equity: executive pay is capped at six times the lowest worker salary, there are over 700 employees, and democratic member governance is exercised by elected representatives of 20,000+ member-owners.
Community engagement includes regular farm discussions (boerenpraat), themed dinners, film nights, and cooking workshops at Foodcafe locations. The cooperative rents space for community events, maintains pick-your-own gardens at Vliervelden, donated EUR 5,000 to Stadsboerderij Almere, and partners with Vegetariersbond for VegaFeb.
Cause support extends to food redistribution via Voedselbank Rivierenland, protein transition advocacy, and a seed preservation programme at De Beersche Hoeve to counter corporate seed monopolies. The cooperative has been nominated for ABN AMRO Sustainable Retailer of the Year (2024–2025) and received academic recognition in a Springer publication.
Sourcing signals
✓
Certified organic ingredients
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
Cooperatie Odin holds EKO, Skal, and Demeter certifications (100% organic product range; Skal certified all stores and HQ since 2021, first Dutch retail chain). These named, recognised certifications are independently verified.
ODIN owns De Beersche Hoeve (20-hectare biodynamic farm, Brabant, heirloom seed preservation) and operates on Vliervelden (Almere, pick-your-own garden), both working agricultural operations supplying the cooperative's supply chain.
Direct purchasing model without auction intermediaries. Named suppliers include De Beersche Hoeve and Vliervelden (own farms), Salamita (Sicily, since 1984), Machandel (40-year partnership), Camposeven, and De Groene Weg (since 1983).
