Groningen, Haren, Noordbroek

Anyone who thinks that craftsmanship in Groningen is a hip trend should look a little further. Here, craftsmanship is not a fad, but a matter of course. For centuries, products have been made here using traditional methods, with ingredients supplied by the surrounding countryside and knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Not because it has to be done, but because it works.

What you taste here is deeply rooted in the landscape. The fertile clay soils produce the best potatoes, asparagus and grains for bread, cakes and beer. The canals and waterways, once constructed for peat extraction, stimulated trade and ensured that products found their way to the city. To this day, Groningen is a region in which craft and environment are closely linked.

The Groningen mentality is one of stubbornness and perseverance. No frills, no exaggerated marketing stories—what you make simply has to be good. Artisanal products from the region do not change with every trend. They remain because they have proven their worth. A biscuit tastes just as good today as it did fifty years ago, a genever is still distilled according to an age-old recipe, a windmill still grinds grain using only wind power.

But that does not mean that craftsmanship has stood still. New cultivation techniques and more sustainable processes are being experimented with, without compromising quality. Innovation and tradition do not compete here, but flow into each other.

It is an interaction that has existed for centuries: the countryside provides the raw materials, the city gets the trade going and adds creativity and refinement. Groningen as a hub of trade and craftsmanship is not a new phenomenon. Groningen once traded grain at the Korenbeurs, which was brought in via waterways and processed into products that were appreciated far beyond the province's borders.

That same dynamic can still be felt today. Farmers, millers, bakers, distillers and brewers ensure that their products are made with respect for the trade. The city offers them a stage, a place where flavours come together and new ideas are born. One cannot exist without the other—that is what makes this region so unique.

This cycle route introduces you to the flavours and stories of Groningen. Not through big words, but through the products themselves. While cycling, you will discover the influence of the landscape, the traces of history and the craftsmanship that has been cherished for generations. Here you will not only taste the flavour of the North, but also its character.


This Premium Cycle route was compiled by our editor: Désirée van Uffelen.