Biologisch fruitbedrijf
Noord-Brabant
HELP NEEDED for HARVESTING
Hallo Wwoofers, wij zijn Marc en Jacoba en hebben een kleine biologische boomgaard in Noord-Brabant. We telen biologische appels, peren en pruimen. Wij voelen een grote verantwoordelijkheid en passie om zo goed voor ons stukje aarde te zorgen als we kunnen. Daarom telen wij zeer extensief en laten we veel ruimte aan de natuur. Bij ons groeit en bloeit kruipt, vliegt en graaft van alles.
We wonen in een boerderij, samen met onze twee kinderen (9 en 11) en onze twee katten.
In augustus, september en oktober is Marc een groot deel van de dag bezig met het plukken van de appels en peren. Die moeten ook gesorteerd worden voor de verkoop. Verder zijn er werkzaamheden zoals maaien, onkruid wieden en snoeien. Ook maakt Marc heerlijke cider. Tijdens de oogst hebben we genoeg werk voor twee WWOOFers dus een duo kunnen we goed gebruiken. Maar ook alleen ben je zeer welkom.
We vertellen graag over de biologische fruitteelt en zijn blij om je vragen hierover te beantwoorden. Je zult dus van alles kunnen leren over de biologische fruitteelt.
Wij hopen in een sociale vriendelijke sfeer met je te werken en samen met liefde en respect voor ons land te zorgen. Dat klinkt misschien een beetje wollig maar het is eigenlijk wel wat we bedoelen.
We eten meestal samen 's avonds, niet altijd op dezelfde tijd vanwege de sportactiviteiten van onze kinderen. Je bent van harte welkom om aan te sluiten maar eet je liever rustig in je eentje dan is dat helemaal prima. Lunch is samen met de mensen die aan het werk zijn op het land. Omdat het 's ochtends nogal druk is in ons gezin is het ontbijt individueel.
Alles in overleg - wil jij het liever anders, dan kunnen we het daar over hebben.
We hebben een compleet ingerichte twee persoons-caravan waar je in verblijft (foto volgt snel). Er zit een kacheltje in, een kooktoestel en keukenbenodigdheden. Onder de grote luifel kun je lekker buiten zitten.
Er is ook een zeer ruime retro bungalowtent beschikbaar. Ook volledig ingericht met bed, keuken, koelkast, electriciteit, tafel en stoel. Deze accommodatie is misschien toch minder geschikt voor koude en regenachtige seizoenen.
Als je liever in je eigen kampeermiddel verblijft, dan kan dat natuurlijk ook - er is ruimte genoeg.
Wij houden van zingen, koken en wandelen en trekken in de vakantie graag de bergen in. In onze buurt kun je leuk fietsen en wandelen. De poel op ons eigen terrein is heel geschikt voor een frisse duik, maar wil je echt zwemmen, dan zijn er diverse zwemplassen en zwembaden in de omgeving. Het dorp (met horeca, supermarkten etc.) zit op 1 km afstand, grotere plaatsen (met theater en bioscoop) op ongeveer 10 km. Er is openbaar busvervoer.
We vinden het gezellig om mensen op het terrein te hebben. We organiseren regelmatig werkweekendjes, met vrienden en kennissen die komen kamperen. Lekker samen werken en daarna eten en gezelligheid bij het kampvuur.
We kijken ernaar uit je te ontmoeten!
Hi Wwoofers, we are Marc and Jacoba and we run a small organic orchard in the South of the Netherlands. We grow apples, pear and plums, and also leave a lot of space to nature. We live in a big farmhouse with our two kids (9and 11) and our cats.
August, September and October are harvest time. In those months we will be picking fruit most of the time. Also, we'll be sorting fruits and preparing them for sale. There is the year-round orchard work, such as pruning, mowing and weeding. And Marc makes a great cider.
We love talking about organic fruit production and are happy to answer all your questions. You’’ll be able to learn lots! During the harvest time we often have busy days with up to six hours work.
We hope to work together in a social and friendly atmosphere and together care for our land with love and respect. It may sound a bit fuzzy but hey, that’s kind of what we mean.
We are happy to welcome you to eat with our family in the evenings, though sometimes this may be a bit chaotic with the kids and all their sports activities. Lunch is shared with the farm workers. Since breakfast is rush hour here, we'll provide you with breakfast but you'll eat on your own.
If you prefer a different setup , let us know - we can work something out!
You'll stay in a complete furnished two-person caravan (picture coming soon). It has a heater, a cooking stove and kitchen equipment. You can sit outside under the large canopy.
There is also a very spacious retro bungalow tent available. Also fully furnished with bed, kitchen, refrigerator, electricity, table and chair. This accommodation may be less suitable for cold and rainy seasons though.
If you prefer to stay in your own camping equipment, that's fine - we have plenty of space.
We like to sing, to cook and to hike, especially in the mountains. Not much of those around here, but there's nice biking and walking in the area. We have a small water pond on our terrain, which is perfect for a quick dive in the evening, but there are several large swim waters and swimming pools in the area for larger distance swimming. Our village is well equipped with shops, bars and restaurants. Cinema and theater are found ~10 km away. There's a good bus service taking you there if you don't want to bike.
We enjoy having people around and regularly organise weekends when friends come to camp amongst the fruit trees. We work together and then enjoy a nice meal and a camp fire.
We speak Dutch at home, but have no problem at all with English. German may be a bit rusty but should be fine. Jacoba would love to practice her Spanish (used to be quite okay) and her French.
Couples are welcome, but don't hesitate to respond if you're on your own.
We are looking forward to meet you!
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Learning opportunities
Fruit or nut farming
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Marc
Member since 2024
Languages spoken:
Dutch, English
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Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 4 days
Noord-Brabant
Treinstation Eindhoven, Den Bosch; Luchthaven Eindhoven
Reviews
Hassan
Netherlands
•
October 2025
Review voor host: Marc & Jacoba – Hoeve de Heivelden
Van: Hassan & Narcis
Onze ervaring bij Marc en Jacoba op Hoeve de Heivelden was geweldig. We voelden ons meteen thuis en hebben genoten van de fijne sfeer op de boerderij. We aten vaak samen en Jacoba kookte heerlijke Nederlandse biologische maaltijden — echt met liefde bereid.
Het was heel interessant om te werken op een biologisch fruitbedrijf met appels, peren en pruimen. We kregen veel informatie over biologische fruitteelt en konden verschillende, afwisselende taken doen. Het contact met Marc, Jacoba en hun familie was warm en goed, en de verzorging was perfect.
We werden netjes opgehaald bij aankomst en voelden ons meteen welkom. Ook hebben we heerlijke appelcider en appelsap geproefd — een echte specialiteit!
Een van de hoogtepunten was de vrijwilligersdag, waar we samen met meer dan twintig vrijwilligers hebben gekookt en gegeten. Een dag vol gezelligheid en mooie ontmoetingen.
Dank jullie wel voor de gastvrijheid, de warmte en alle kennis die jullie met ons hebben gedeeld. 🌿
— Hassan & Narcis 🍎
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BAYRAM ALİ
Türkiye
•
September 2025
Our Wwoof Netherlands experience was wonderful. My wife and daughter and I had the chance to experience life in the Netherlands and farm life. The farm family was incredibly loving, sensitive, and informative. We shared cultural experiences. As Turkish and Dutch people, we bonded very well. Thank you for everything.
J
Germany
•
July 2025
This was my first time wwoofing and I’ll never forget how I showed up so spontaneously and Marc welcomed me with such friendliness and so warmly. I am very happy that I spend almost two weeks with Marc his family and everybody else who was staying at the farm. It felt like a big family. The atmosphere was full of energy, positivity and appreciation.
The Orchard is a very beautiful and calming place with lovely sundowns. However I also learned a lot about apples but also about organic farming and a bit of Dutch. I stayed in a tent and did different types of work. Mostly pruning and removing disease from the apple trees, but we also planted new trees, cut willows and controlled the water system.
Thank you for everything: the bonfires, the dinners, and so much more. It was a lovely experience and I would do it again.
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Akira
Japan
•
July 2025
Dear Mark,
Thank you so much for welcoming me like family, even though it was only for 10 days!
I’ll never forget the daily farm work, cozy family dinners, after-work tea times, hot coffee, and sipping apple beer by the campfire.
I also really appreciate all the useful advice you shared for my dream of starting my own agritech company in Japan.You’ve given me not only knowledge, but also a lot of inspiration.
Hope to see you again someday—maybe in Japan or back here at the farm!
Warm wishes,
Akira
To future WWOOFers considering Mark’s farm:
I highly recommend this place—it’s a great environment for learning, working, and feeling truly welcomed. Below is some info from my stay that might help you plan:
🏡 Accommodation: Caravan
🛒 Nearest supermarket: ALDI (10 minutes by bike)
🕒 Working hours: About 6 hours a day (more or less)
🌿 Tasks I did: Pruning, fixing irrigation systems, cutting off diseased parts of apple trees, washing harvest crates
🚴♂️ Other info:
• Bike available
• Hot shower
• Laundry possible
• Wi-Fi available
• Delicious homemade meals every day!
Enjoy your stay—it’ll be a memorable one!
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Yuet Sing
Netherlands
•
June 2025
During this month, I worked with Marc, including pruning dead wood, building a home for horses, making cider, etc. These are all things I have never experienced before, and it was a good experience for me.
In addition, Marc is a good farm owner. Although my English is not very good, he is willing to communicate with me, and even when I don’t understand, he is willing to use a translator to communicate with me. He will ask about my purpose of coming to the farm, and when he knows that my purpose is to experience the life of the locals. He is willing to take me to parties, visit schools, and sailing. I am very grateful that he took me to experience different activities because he is not obligated to do these things.
Finally, their family is very good. They took good care of me during this month, so I cooked Chinese food for them at the end. Thank you for giving me an unforgettable month. I will come back to visit you next time I come to the Netherlands. 💪
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Angela
Netherlands
•
October 2024
The world of apples... I got to experience it for one whole month. Even though Marc told me that the way he works is quite different in some ways than the really big, mass production orchards, I now feel respect with every apple I buy or the oh so lovely organic apple juice I consume: The trees should stay healthy, the apple should be picked exactly at the right moment, when the color changed into that tone that shows it has ripen and befóre the apple has fallen on the ground... And then there is selection for different purposes and shops...
It's very special to stay with Marc and his family. It felt like truely being part of family life. Enjoying dinner together ( outside with nice weather), playing board games, seeing the kids do their special things... it has been fun and special to be part of it all and to be so extremely welcomed into their home and to share so many parts of their life together with them. I actually had to get used to this very generous hospitality.
Marc has a great sense of humor and is good company to work with. And you get to drive the most cute little tractor imaginable, my favorite part of every working day.
Also...they have special weekends every now and then, where they work together with a whole group of people, whoever wants to join. Group work, great food and evening campfire. Very nice as well.
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