From broken bones to ice cream cones: a Belgian farmer's second harvest

After two life-changing accidents, Marc De Boey and his wife turned hardship into opportunity—reinventing their livestock farm as a thriving, visitor-friendly ice cream business. With the guidance of an advisor in short food supply chains, they blended sustainability, tourism, and local cooperation to show how rural innovation can grow from sheer resilience

Ijshoeve De Boey is today a multifunctional farm run according to sustainability principles. It produces and sells its organic ice creams through short food supply chains, attracts tourists from across the region, and supports two generations. Yet behind its success lies a story of resilience—and of a family who turned repeated misfortune into a new beginning. About an hour from Antwerp and ten kilometers from the nearest village, the farm lies in the municipality of Sint-Gillis-Waas, a remote rural area in East Flanders. Forty years ago, it spanned 20 hectares where Marc De Boey's father mainly raised livestock. Following in his footsteps, Marc took over the farm in 1982 and expanded it over the decades by acquiring new land. In 2011, he was still determined to continue growing. But fate had other plans. First came a car accident that severely reduced his wife Christine's ability to work. Four years later, a serious work accident changed everything again: while building a new stable for a planned herd expansion, Marc broke his foot and ankle in over 115 places. "Our accidents were a real turning point. We had to think differently about the future, about our finances, about what was really possible," he recalls.

Yet those same accidents also convinced Marc and Christine that the time had come to finally pursue their long-cherished dream—to start an artisanal ice cream business. "We already had a fairly clear idea, but we were coming from a completely different world, so it was a real challenge—a leap into the unknown. We needed a professional, someone who could help us shape our plans and understand if they were feasible," explains Marc. That person appeared in 2011 at a meeting on short food supply chains: Patrick Pasgang, a consultant for the Belgian farmers' union Boerenbond and active member of COREnet, a European project supporting short food supply chains by developing a more effective advisor network. "My main job is to advise farmers involved in what we call multifunctional agriculture—all the activities they can organise alongside primary food production," he explains. "It goes from selling your products differently to integrating production with recreation, tourism, or educational activities."

With Patrick's help, Marc and Christine redefined their business model and laid the foundations for their new venture: transforming their farm into a multifunctional, visitor-oriented enterprise centered on ice cream production. From their increasingly frequent meetings emerged a long-term plan. And this plan also included hosting corporate meetings and educational visits, creating a large indoor café and children's play areas, and converting an unused stable into a guesthouse where visitors could stay, meet the cows, and join farm life. After the 2015 accident left Marc working at half capacity, he downsized his livestock herd and accelerated the professional transition. "We changed everything, sped up in making our dream real, and turned it into a short food supply chain project. From that moment on, my wife and I put our whole soul—200%—into our company, especially with the ice cream," he recounts. Patrick guided them through drafting detailed plans and visual designs, securing funding and subsidies through agricultural and innovation projects, and organising study visits to similar farms in Belgium and the Netherlands—while also helping navigate complex legal and administrative hurdles. "My main role was putting their long-term vision on paper but also ensuring they got the necessary permits. As everything they wanted to do was quite innovative, I knew it would be challenging," he says.

Marc and Christine moved the ice cream shop to the front of the property, creating a larger indoor café and visitor area, and planted flower fields where guests can pick their own bouquets. But the permits came slowly—and not for every project. Belgian law requires that at least 50% of turnover come from primary agricultural production, which prevented them from opening a full restaurant or converting the stable for accommodation. "It took a long time to get things in place, and we haven't finished struggling yet," Marc admits. "Bureaucracy and permit requests are extremely complex. There's a lot of resistance from local authorities, but we don't give up."

A key turning point, Marc says, was the creation of a cooperative—an idea that came to him between surgery after his accident. "While in a wheelchair, I was more efficient," he jokes. "When I got home, I was faster in attending founding meetings, and the cooperative was quickly approved." The cooperative brings together eleven local farmers who cross-sell each other's products, such as beer brewed by a nearby producer that Marc now serves to his guests. Called "Smaak van Waas" ("Taste of Waas"), in homage to their region, it promotes the visibility of its members and it even launched a very creative initiative: a solar-powered tourist train that several times a year takes visitors to discover products and specialties from ten different farms on both sides of the Belgian–Dutch border.

"Following Marc over such a long period was extremely positive," says Patrick. "Not only could I give him advice, but I could also see what the results were. For me as an advisor, that was truly precious. I almost became part of his family and started playing a mirror role—a second voice—supporting him in his choices." What began as a shared dream between Marc and Christine has since become a true family enterprise, now involving three of their children. Their eldest daughter, Liselotte, lives on a nearby farm and handles ice cream production and sales. Her sister Eline organises visits and manages the meeting rooms, while their brother Maarten, who still lives with his parents, takes care of the cows and daily farm operations. Though Marc plans to retire in 2030, slowing down is not in his nature. He's currently building small mobile accommodations for tourists on his fields, exploring new ways to make the business more sustainable, and has even earned his enterprise the title of "Golden Case" within the COREnet project, as an exemplary model of innovation and success in short food supply chains.

Photo credits: IJshoeve De Boey

Contributors:

Marc De Boey

Patrick Pasgang

Contacts:

Project manager

Fedele Colantuono, Ph.D.
fedele.colantuono@unifg.it

University of Foggia—Department of Economics

Communication manager

Leonardo Improta
leonardo.improta@icons.it

Fondazione ICONS

Project website: https://shortfoodchain.eu/

Facebook: COREnet

LinkedIn: COREnet

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