A little bit of Paris in Bos en Lommer

Frenchman Thomas Vieux-Pernon, Dutchman Mark Verweij and Englishman Mitchel Charles met in Amsterdam, where all three of them lived and worked. They left their corporate jobs in Amsterdam’s Zuidas to set up a French bakery together. One of the reasons being that – certainly compared to France – the city has so few bakeries. Google Maps showed that in the up-and-coming district of Bos en Lommer, there were no bakeries selling fresh bread. In 2023, Mark – the trio’s baker – discovered a property on Bos en Lommerweg. ‘A licence had already been requested for the building. It was vacant, dark and consisted of multiple small rooms. It had previously housed a tanning studio. However, there was a similar property next door, which looked wonderful and bright. The tenants tipped us off that the building was going to be rented out by AHAM. As a result, we had already agreed on a rent before it was even put on the market,’ according to Mark. Thomas elaborates: ‘The premises had everything we were looking for: the perfect location and the right proportions.’

Fortunately, Mark and Mitchel turned out to be handymen too. They designed,
constructed and installed the entire interior themselves. ‘We built the
coffee bar as well as everything you see around you: the tables, the wooden
bar, the sofa in the window,’ says Mitchel enthusiastically. ‘We had enough
time to build everything to fit, which resulted in a very distinct, French
atmosphere.’ The men have divided the work: Thomas manages finances, Mitchel is responsible for everything out front, and Mark is the French baker. ‘We
import our flour and butter from France, and the pastry techniques are
French. The bread is French, with my own special twist. I use classical
techniques for baking croissants and baguettes. Moreover, the flour
production process is carbon negative, which means the method has a positive
effect on the soil in which the grain grows. In addition, I use small Dutch
flour brands for other types of bread, such as sourdough.’

We practically throw nothing away: we toast leftovers and use them in our
syrups, or we put them back into our cakes to enhance the flavour. Their
goal is to turn Farine into a successful enterprise. The bakery is already
growing faster than they had dared to hope. They don’t want to become an
Insta hype—rather, they want to be a kind of home from home for local
residents. Meanwhile, Farine has also launched their B2B sales, delivering bread to
restaurants and other businesses. ‘There’s plenty of room to expand,’ say the
bread men. ‘Beyond that, we definitely aim to grow further.’ Keep an eye out
for the name Farine – soon their craft breads might be available in your
neighbourhood too.