Dutch teacher brings Belgian endive to Canada

Dutch expat Ria van Eekelen immigrated to Canada and in 1978, was frustrated by the imported endive she found which was of poor quality and very expensive, at $4 per lbs. Although educated as a home-economics teacher, the North Holland native from Middenmeer, who came from a long line of farmers, decided to take matters into her own hands and started with 1 Ha. (2.5 acres) field crop a year later in 1979. Upon success, Van Eekelen Enterprises purchased land in Abbotsford, BC, in 1981 and has since become the largest grower of Belgian endive in Western Canada.

A majority of consumers in Canada consume endive raw fresh for appetisers and salads, unless that grew up with it for cooking, it is rarely eaten warm in North America. Marinus van Eekelen said they have been promoting their endive with some instore tasting and food shows, where it was served raw as an endive leaf with garnish on it.

However, there is still room for growth in the market and Van Eekelen is still limited in what they can produce due to demand. Average endive consumption in North America is around 4 leaves per year compared to Europe, where France eats the most endive at 7kg/year, Belgium 6kg/year, and the Netherlands at 4kg/year.

Van Eekelen has created a website under their brand name, B.C. Belgian Endive, at www.endive.ca to help teach consumers about the vegetable, how to store it, along with the best ways to use it. They even brought Chef Ned Bell on board to create cooking videos to inspire consumers. Via the website, consumers can sign up for the 'I love endive' mailing list where they can comment on videos, rate recipes, get first access to cooking contests, hot new tips, and event notifications.

Their B.C. Belgian endives, can be found in IGA, Safeway, Real Canadian Superstore, Save-On Foods, Pricesmart, Thrifty’s Foods and Choices Markets, just to name a few. Along with Canadian retailers and food service, small quantities are also sent to the US. 

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