At 45, Irene Beukeveld lives with her family on a dairy farm in Holthon, a small village in the northeastern Netherlands. The milk from their cows has long been at the heart of their livelihood, but for Irene, it also became the starting point for something more personal: a new ice cream business.
“I had been thinking about making ice cream for years”, she explains. “The milk from our cows is such a beautiful product, and I wanted to create something of my own with it. That was my dream”.
The opportunity came when a local ice cream parlour shut down. Irene saw the chance and took it, but she credits the GRASS CEILING project for helping her make that decision. “The project gave me structure, a network, and above all, the confidence to take the first step”.
Before launching her business, Irene had worked outside the farm. “I needed to find something that was mine. Something I could build myself”, she says. That personal motivation, combined with the desire to connect visitors with the land and the farm’s story, shaped the concept of her ice cream parlour.
Today, she has developed over 40 recipes using natural ingredients: from classic vanilla to strawberry, lemon, and other seasonal flavours. “I test them one by one, and customers love them”, she says. The farm now includes a cosy terrace, a play area for children, and even fresh flowers from Irene’s garden. “It’s a welcoming place where people can enjoy the ice cream and also learn about the history of the farm”.
Still, the road wasn’t easy. “The biggest challenge was my insecurity, and the fact that people around me weren’t very optimistic about my idea”, she recalls. “But thanks to GRASS CEILING, I found a support network and gained the confidence I needed”.
For women considering launching a business in a rural area, Irene is clear: “Just start. Everyone feels insecure at the beginning. Find people you trust, talk about your ideas, and take small steps. You can do more than you think”.