- English
On 21 May 1971, pig farmer Bert Verbakel founded his company in shed equipment for pig farming. Initially, the work took place in a shed near his house in Nijnsel. After 7 years, however, the workshop became too small and the company moved to the industrial site in Nijnsel (NL), where the company is still located.
Bert soon specialised in the development and production of pig feeders because he felt the existing feeding methods did not meet his wishes as a pig farmer.
In the early 1970s, feeders were partly made of asbestos cement and steel, but in the late 1970s, Bert was the first manufacturer to switch to the then-unknown recycled plastic sheets that he encountered at the Pig & Poultry agricultural fair in England. These sheets were made from fused granules of recycled PE plastic, obtained from, among other things, agricultural plastic. On average, Verbakel has been processing 700,000 kilos of recycled plastic per year for 40 years in a row, as a result of which an enormous amount of used plastic has been extracted from the environment and processed in products for pig farming. An achievement that VERBA, and also VERBA customers and pig sector, can be proud of.
VERBA was able to saw, drill and heat-shape the plastic sheets himself. The wet feeder was quickly created thanks to this flexibility and Bert’s great desire as a pig farmer for a perfect feeder.
Thanks to the success of this plastic wet feeder, the basic principles and sophisticated dimensions of which can still be found in many current products, the company grew very quickly and a solid foundation was laid. This also enabled VERBA to tailor the feeders even more to demands from the growing pig sector. For example, feed wastage has always been an important spearhead at VERBA. 1% less feed waste, which can easily be achieved with a good feeder, results in many thousands of euros less in feed costs per year. According to VERBA, a good feeder is almost always an underestimated but certainly one of the most important, if not the most important, investment in pig stables. After all, a good feeder counteracts unnecessary feed waste every day, ensures less feed and water end up in the manure pit, promotes the growth of the pig and ensures ease of use. The difference between a good feeder and one of less quality is often not easy to see at first glance, but lies in details such as a smooth finish, closed anti-spill edges, good adjustment and the use of high-quality materials.
Fifty years later, founder Bert Verbakel is still the owner of the family business VERBA and the more than 200 different types and sizes of feeders, piglet nests and floor heating panels are still being manufactured in their own factory in the Netherlands. This guarantees high quality and fast delivery times. The day-to-day management of VERBA has been in the hands of Jeroen Gloudemans, Bert’s cousin, who has learned all the ins and outs of feeders from Bert, for more than 5 years now.
Today, VERBA is still known for its high-quality pig feeders that are well devised and delivered worldwide. VERBA defines this high quality as reliability, animal friendliness, hygiene, ease of use and excellent feed conversion. Requirements that all VERBA products meet.
