Glutenvrij Le Poole

Gluten-free food

The Twello company Glutenvrij Le Poole from Christien and Anton Le Poole would probably never have existed if their daughter, Karin, hadn’t been diagnosed in the late 1980s with coeliac disease. Gluten-free products were hard to find in those days and the products that were available were anything but appetising. It was time to do something about it – initially for their daughter, but soon more people with coeliac disease followed. Thanks to Christien and Anton’s pioneering work in this field, the gluten-free range of products in the Netherlands has grown and improved greatly. Glutenvrij Reform Le Poole is now the largest and most specialised supplier of gluten-free foodstuffs in the Netherlands. Coeliac disease is a chronic disorder in the small intestine that manifests itself in a congenital gluten intolerance, leading to damage to the intestinal mucous membrane unless you follow a gluten-free diet. The condition is caused by an auto-immune reaction to the proteins found in gluten. About 1% of the population suffers from coeliac disease.

Largest selection in the Netherlands

The gluten-free product assortment has expanded to more than 700 products. These are purchased from specialised producers as far afield as Canada and Australia. Glutenvrij Le Poole has an extensive bakery and confectionery where all sorts of breads, biscuits and baked goods are produced under their own private label. In the bakery, oven-fresh breads are baked in a gluten-free environment. The bread is made from corn starch or gluten-free wheat starch. Long-life bread from brands such as Schnitzer and Schar are also available in the shop. They also have their own ‘stroopwafel’ (Dutch treacle waffle) line, as well as their own spiced ‘Snelle Thijs’ cake, named after their grandson, Thijs.

Besides bread, you will find everything you need for a gluten-free life at Glutenvrij Le Poole with products such as cake mixes, bread mixes, crackers, muesli, pastas, soups and ready-made products. Sweets, crisps, cakes, other sweet and savoury snacks, and even gluten-free drinks are included in the assortment.

Glutenvrij Le Poole acts as a wholesaler to primarily health-food shops, and to bakeries as a supplier of cake and bread mixes. Still, most of their products are sold to individuals. Most of the more than 20,000 customers – or fans, as we should probably call them – order the products online. Twice a year, the business organises sales days at location, where they work with time slots to manage the large number of fans.