Emma Beijer - Product Manager Laying Hens
Emma Beijer (29) grew up on her parents’ poultry farm in the Dutch village of Wamel. In view of her interest in the agricultural sector, studying at Wageningen University was the logical next step. She joined De Heus as an intern five years ago, in the final phase of her master’s degree in animal science. After finishing her degree, Emma was delighted to be allowed to stay on at De Heus, where she subsequently became a researcher in parent stock and laying hens. She currently works as Product Manager Laying Hens for the Dutch, Belgian and German markets, and is responsible for the feed range for laying hens together with her colleague, Florian van der Hoeven.
Product Manager Laying Hens
What does a product manager do?
A product manager safeguards the quality of the feed and ensures that our feed range meets the needs of not only the laying hens, but also of the poultry farmers. Emma and Florian start by creating a framework to determine which criteria the feed must fulfil in order to align with the nutritional needs of egg-laying hens. These criteria can vary depending on a layer’s age, health, and the local climate, for instance. Emma and Florian also take advancements in genetics into account. “When the framework is ready, it’s time to develop the feed formulation. We give close consideration to which raw materials are available, because the quality and availability of raw materials can vary from one season to another,” says Emma. Lastly, the feed has to be produced, before being shipped to the poultry farmer. Emma: “During the production process, we always maintain close contact with the factories to ensure that the layer feed has the right texture, for example.”
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Contact with lots of different colleagues
Product managers maintain close contact with various departments within De Heus to achieve optimal results. “Besides regularly visiting the De Heus factories, we also have a lot of contact with the specialists in our purchasing department, formulation department, marketing department and R&D,” comments Emma. “That makes our work very interesting and varied. Moreover, we’re not just working on today’s feed, but we’re also involved in thinking strategically about what kind of feed will be needed in the future.”
If you know what you want to do, almost anything is possible at De Heus
A great atmosphere and plenty of opportunities at De Heus
Emma is very happy working at De Heus, which according to her is a company with a great atmosphere and a positive mindset. “At De Heus, we put the customer first and view challenges as opportunities. This ensures that everyone – regardless of their gender, age or role – is willing to help one another,” she states. The company’s ‘opportunity thinking’ also extends to its employees’ personal development; if you know what you want to do, almost anything is possible. “For example, I mentioned that I’d be interested in working abroad for a while – and not long afterwards, in 2022, I was offered the chance to go to Vietnam for 12 months to start up a new research company,” says Emma. “The whole experience was amazing and the memories will stay with me for a long time!”
World-class Workplace
We are extremely proud that De Heus was awarded the World-class Workplace label for 2024-2025. At De Heus you work in an environment where the employee is central.
