Together with Miet and Jo Herbots, we headed to Brummen to visit living legend and international pigeon icon Hans Eijerkamp.
Hans runs “Greenfield Stud” together with his son Evert-Jan, where phenomenal top performances have been recorded for decades.
The purpose of our visit was to browse through Hans’s “collection of stories.”
We were looking for stories about and with Hans that have not yet been written down.
This report will be published online in two parts.
Rhetorician
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and both Hans and Evert-Jan master the art of rhetoric. Both are exceptional speakers who command the five basic skills: “inventio” (knowledge of the subject), “dispositio” (a logical storyline), “elocutio” (a flawless style), “memoria” (the art of telling anecdotes), and “actio” (conviction in the delivery). When Hans and Evert-Jan tell their story, it becomes completely silent; they have everyone’s attention, and there is no doubt that many stories were told during our visit to “Greenfield Stud.” Stories that always contain a message or a “lesson to be learned.” Hans is currently still recovering from a major operation on both knees, but thanks to the help of his son Evert-Jan and granddaughter Fleur, he has comfortably settled into “his armchair.” An armchair positioned in a central place in the beautiful VIP room—this is the space where all visitors are received, a room where dozens of trophies and diplomas can be admired, a room that breathes pigeon sport and where the great class of so many well-known “Eijerkamp pigeons” makes visiting enthusiasts’ hearts beat faster. Hans and pigeons… when his son Evert-Jan places a 30-day-old youngster (a joint breeding with the Herbots family from “White Man” x “Daughter Zoë”) in his hands, you can immediately see the sparkle in his eyes. It is wonderful to see how the 91-year-old, enthusiastic Hans, with 75 years of pigeon experience, judges the quality of the presented pigeon within a few seconds. In a similar and equally refined manner as his splendid example and mentor, the late Piet de Weerd, Hans delivers his “judgment” on this young grey pigeon. Only when this youngster makes a good “first impression” and has the desired appearance and qualities (soft, silky plumage, good muscles) does he look at the pedigree. Hans is impressed by the result of this joint breeding… and the youngster in question receives a “pollice compresso” (the sign for mercy in the time of the Roman emperors) … “this one will be for our breeding loft,” he says to his son. Correctly evaluating pigeons is an art that few among us truly master.
The “Fingerspitzengefühl” needed to judge pigeons is a quality many claim to possess, but few master as Hans Eijerkamp does. “No one really knows it,” he apologizes to us, but we know better. Hans may say he doesn’t know it, but I certainly wouldn’t let him choose from your loft—because he would undoubtedly walk away with your best pigeons.
Always try to stay at the front…
As a visitor, you can feel within just a few minutes that a well-thought-out strategy lies behind this “Eijerkamp pigeon empire.” Nothing is done hastily here; no impulsive decisions are made, and tasks and responsibilities are clearly set out on paper. Hans and Evert-Jan are masters of “leading by example.”
Their own dedication, knowledge, and life experience are generously shared with their employees, ensuring that everyone remains motivated to make the Eijerkamp name world-famous. There are no secrets between them, and everyone is fully supported in achieving their goals.
“One team, same target — united to succeed.”
1950
Hans takes a sip from his bottle of sparkling water, picks up a black notebook, takes a deep breath, and begins his story. “In 1950, I started with pigeons. At first, I had chickens, and they obeyed perfectly. I could line them up, and when I called one of them forward by name, only that chicken would step forward. With that act, I could have performed in the circus. But a neighbor raced pigeons, and that fascinated me more. Pigeon racing captured my heart. The various odd jobs I did as a young boy brought in some guilders, which allowed me to buy feed from the miller. With five young pigeons, I took part in my first races, and the Dutch pigeon federation had gained a new fancier. My father, Evert-Jan Senior, opened his own mattress factory in Zutphen in 1928, and it was only natural that I helped in the business. Things went very well, and in 1962 we even opened a second furniture store.”
In addition to the business side, there was also the ambition to make the Eijerkamp name famous in pigeon racing, and Hans quickly realized it… “We need to go to the Janssen Brothers in Arendonk,” he told his father, and the long journey to Arendonk was made. Hans thought he would return home with a few pigeons, but that was not how the brothers’ sales strategy worked. When he asked if he could call to find out when he could pick up youngsters, Hans was told “no.”
“Then give me your phone number, and I’ll call myself” … but again, the brothers answered “no.” “What now?” Hans thought to himself. He took another sip of the lemonade he had been offered (from a bottle, not a glass), gathered his best “Dutch charm,” and addressed the lady of the house. She gave in and handed Hans the phone number. “I must have called at least 15 times before I could return to Schoolstraat to pick up newly ringed young pigeons,” Hans continues his story. “When I wanted to pay, they only accepted cash, and the shutter of the street-facing window was first pulled down so the neighbors couldn’t see it. These purchases later turned out to be the most successful investment I ever made,” Hans says with a touch of nostalgia in his voice. “The Janssen pigeons lived up to expectations, and the results made an impression throughout the Netherlands.”
Furniture pigeons
We can already tell you that you won’t find this word in the dictionary— even ChatGPT doesn’t know what to make of it—yet it is the word that perfectly captures what the Eijerkamp family owes its success to, both in business and in pigeon racing. “Furniture pigeons” … no, they are not pigeons that no longer perform and are only kept “for decoration” in the loft—like furniture in a house. Rather, it is a brilliant commercial move by the Eijerkamp family that has paid off tremendously. “We owe everything to our ‘Furniture Pigeons,’” Hans begins his next story. “The idea came about when a fancier from Nijmegen came to buy furniture together with his wife. We’re talking about the year 1966. He had bought new furniture worth several thousand guilders, and before we could finalize the deal, he said, ‘We’ll only buy this furniture if I also get a few young pigeons with it.’ I didn’t hesitate for a second, and when those people left the shop, I thought to myself: that’s it… all those fanciers in the Netherlands… I’m going to start a promotion where, for every 1,000 guilders spent on furniture, they can choose a young pigeon. Believe it or not, we were amazed by the success of this campaign. A year later, we made another golden move. All those pigeon fanciers also have a brother, sister, or cousin, and when buying furniture, they could mention the name of their pigeon-loving friend. All fanciers in the Netherlands encouraged their relatives to come and buy furniture from us. It became a tremendous success. ‘Would this also work in Germany?’ was brought up during a brainstorming session, and it was decided to place pigeons on display at a major furniture fair in Germany to promote our campaign. ‘Bull’s eye’… a perfect hit… I still remember a German customer who wanted to take full advantage of the promotion. His wife chose furniture worth 6,000 guilders, and the man replied… “Aber für 6000 Gulden Möbel ausgesucht. Das ist viel zu wenig, geh ruhig noch einmal richtig im Geschäft schauen.“ “Experiences like that, you never forget.” Meanwhile, the story of the “Furniture Pigeons” has become a thing of the past, as it got a bit out of hand. When Hans discovered that the vouchers for “Furniture Pigeons” were being resold and that some fanciers were becoming demanding about which pigeon they received, it was wisely decided to quietly discontinue the concept. And so, Hans still had many wonderful stories to tell—stories that always showed how thoughtfully he approached everything. One more example… when Hans visited people at home to sell unused furniture, he would first carefully look around, and if he saw a photo of the children, he would address the mother and ask how old they were. Afterwards, he would examine the sofas, inspect them from all sides, and say, “those pieces of furniture are that old and due for replacement.” People couldn’t believe that Hans could estimate the age of their furniture so accurately. His trick… ask the age of the children and then add a year. That wouldn’t work today, but it did in the past. Back then, people bought furniture when they moved in together, and a year later, children would arrive. So, Hans constantly applied the art of rhetoric, using it every second, and in this way, he sold furniture in a fair and proper manner. “Honesty is very important,” he emphasizes. “Those who act honestly will not go bankrupt easily. Honesty is appreciated by everyone, and the saying ‘honesty lasts the longest’ is something every businessman should write on the door of his office.”
1971.. Olympiad Brussels
The first “pigeon highlight” of the Eijerkamp family. Their “Bange van 67” (NL67-1328552) was selected to represent the Netherlands at the Pigeon Olympiad in Brussels. “We had a buyer from the USA who put a blank check on the table to buy the ‘Bange van 67.’ Fortunately, we refused at the time because he became a top breeder. Even today, we still find his ring number in the pedigrees of our current champions. Once again, the commercial aspect was linked to pigeon racing, and Hans was present at a fair where both pigeons and furniture were exhibited. “Believe it or not, that’s where we first met Eric Limbourg,” Hans says. “Eric was there with his parents, and I can still hear him telling them… buy furniture so I can also get free pigeons. That story came up again later when we purchased the ‘Geeloger.’ Eric also remembered it very well.”
Evert-Jan takes over the conversation: “Both my brother, the late Martin (who passed away at the age of 20 in 1990), and I were crazy about pigeons. In the 1970s and ’80s, we traveled with our father to visit many well-known fanciers in the Netherlands, but especially in Belgium. Belgium is and remains the cradle of pigeon racing. Thanks to your racing system, you have developed true specialists in Belgium for every distance (sprint, middle distance, long distance). As a result, everyone continues to perform at the highest level, no mistakes can be made, and the standard keeps rising higher. That is the strength of Belgian pigeons. But let’s go back to the many visits. I don’t think you can name a top fancier we didn’t visit, and everywhere we went, we observed and learned. For example, at Vanhee’s, we saw that he raced young cocks on widowhood—this was back in 1974. And we will also never forget our visits to Jan Grondelaers, Tournier, Cobut Raymond, and Raoul Verstraete. Another little trick we always used during our visits was that, as young boys, when we went to the lofts, we would lightly tap against the drinking pot. Our father would immediately apologize for the misbehavior of his sons, but in the meantime, we could see the color of the drinking water and ask questions about it. We used the same trick at Raoul Verstraete’s, but there the drinking pot turned out to be empty. We asked Raoul why it was empty, and he replied… these are pigeons raced on long-distance events. During transport, they also go without water for several hours, so they are already accustomed to it. We are talking about the year 1977.”
As the “Furniture Pigeons” concept had run its course, we started looking for a new challenge to bring fanciers together, and that’s when the breeding station “Ponderosa Green Field Stud”—here at the same location where we are now—was founded. The formula was simple… we purchased top pigeons and birds from well-known fanciers, and the youngsters bred from them were sold. It became a tremendous success—so much so that we even linked a championship to it. Even today, fanciers still talk about these unique championship days, and you can still see the diplomas from our competitions hanging in their living rooms. We made it a point to make our championship days “unforgettable.” We were only truly satisfied when the fancier’s wife shed a tear of pride and joy as her partner was being honored. Many beautiful prizes were awarded, with a car as the top prize. One of those cars was won by the young Bas Verkerk (then still racing in Alphen aan den Rijn). We spoke with Bas many times afterwards, and we could sense that he was a special young man—someone who thinks and lives like a pigeon. When he asked us for advice on becoming a “pigeon professional,” we fully supported him in that decision.
The “05” of Bertie Camphuis
And then the next question: despite all the top pigeons that have passed through the impressive breeding lofts here in Brummen, which pigeon or which pair has left the greatest impression on you? After this question, it became quiet for a moment. Evert-Jan and Hans looked at each other, and without exchanging a word, they quickly agreed to point to “the 05” of Bertie Kamphuis. “The 05” (NL77-476105) was crowned 1st National Ace Pigeon Middle Distance WHZB in 1981. His father is “NL74-1262495” (Janssen line via Freek Romein), and his mother is NL72-516418 (Smeulders line, which also traces back to the Janssen Brothers). The fact that so much Janssen blood flowed through the veins of “the 05” was decisive for the Eijerkamp family to go for him. Bertie himself was not immediately convinced to sell his top pigeon, but Hans turned to “Annie,” Bertus’s wife, and the deal was sealed. In Brummen, “the 05” became a foundation breeder of an unprecedented level. From the “05 breeding line,” the Eijerkamp family bred, among others, “James Bond” (1st National Ace Pigeon Middle Distance 1984), “Wonderboy 05” (2nd National Ace Pigeon 1990), and “Wonderboy 06” (1st National Ace Pigeon 1990).
“Especially when paired with the ‘Merckx hen of ’74,’ it was more than a jackpot. Famous offspring such as ‘141’ and ‘142’ came from this pairing, from which the lines of ‘Jonge Generaal’ and ‘Flitz’ originate. And we could go on listing a whole series of successful descendants.” You could clearly see that Hans and Evert-Jan were still enjoying the memories.
Bringing in pigeons that also perform well in other lofts.
Evert-Jan turns around in his chair once more and says, “when my father and I start talking about buying pigeons, we can never say ‘no’ to each other—but we do have our own strategy. Your remark that ‘you don’t buy good pigeons, but a good family of pigeons is correct. Up until around 2004, we mostly looked for top pigeons from the famous Janssen Brothers’ lines, but in 2005, during the national days in Rosmalen, we were sitting together with Willem de Bruijn, and Willem said… ‘I’ve found a goldmine in Belgium,’ referring to Heremans-Ceusters. Those words did not fall on deaf ears, and in 2006 we brought in 30 youngsters from Vorselaar. The Heremans-Ceusters pigeons changed a lot in Brummen. They were even better than the Janssen pigeons, and when they crossed, they were unstoppable. What class! The contact with Leo was well maintained, and when Hans and Evert-Jan heard that all Heremans-Ceusters pigeons would be sold in March 2007, they wanted only one thing: to buy and cherish the absolute best pigeons. They had achieved a lot of success with these birds in a brief time, and both Hans and Evert-Jan were firmly convinced that acquiring the best from Vorselaar would give the Eijerkamp colony an unprecedented boost. It became a sale the men would never forget pigeons such as “Euro,” “Rossi,” “Spinneke,” “Peter,” “Charlene,” “Goochelaar,” “Mysterious,” and of course the super crack “Jackpot” moved to Greenfield Stud to ensure the next generations. We invested a great deal of money in that sale because we thought it marked the end of Leo’s success story—but Leo Heremans did not stop and once again achieved phenomenal results. In May 2013, Leo sold his pigeons again, and my father and I believed so strongly in these birds that we purchased, among others, the “New Olympiad” (€210,000). Looking back, the Heremans pigeons turned out to be more than a golden investment.”
A similar story applies to the purchase of the “Geeloger” from Eric Limbourg. “Geeloger” became 1st National Ace Pigeon KBDB Allround and was bred from two original Willem de Bruijn pigeons—and anyone who knows Willem de Bruijn knows that those pedigrees are richly infused with Heremans blood. So once again, we bought a top pigeon from a family that had already proven its quality both with us and in many other lofts. A superb deal was also made with the Leideman Brothers. Just like with Heremans-Ceusters, we first bought a few youngsters, and it was immediately a hit. “Speedy Grizzle” (NL19-1248576) won 1st National Ace Pigeon Sprint Natour 2019. She was raced only four times and achieved: 5/10,065 birds – 6/6,829 birds – 6/6,209 birds – 27/3,325 birds.
Later, significant investments were also made during the total sale of the Leideman Brothers, and currently we have a world-class breeding pair in the loft with “Viton” x “Daughter Goed Grijs.” “And” Evert-Jan continues without hesitation, “all these purchases have one thing in common: a passion for pigeon racing. At home, I have ten ‘tile sayings’ on the wall, and one of them is: ‘From true passion, something beautiful always emerges.’” Evert-Jan glances over at his father and says: “we owe so much to pigeon racing. Not only the commercial success through the furniture pigeons, but above all the relaxation that pigeons bring. When you’ve had a remarkably busy day at work, or when things in life don’t go as planned, the pigeons have always been there to bring peace—and for that, we are profoundly grateful to the sport.”
The future in Brummen and the Pulderbos project
Evert-Jan: “It is an open secret that since 2025 we have been running a new project in Belgium, more specifically in Pulderbos. Starting from the 2026 racing season, we will make our dream come true and begin racing in the highly competitive Belgian scene. On July 8, 2025, thanks to our swift and decisive way of doing business, we were able to purchase not only the house and the pigeon lofts, but also the pigeons and even the guard dog of Antwerp icon André Roodhooft. A unique deal that means a great deal to us, as it gave us the opportunity to acquire a loft that has achieved 6 national victories, Olympiad pigeons, national championships, and even a national KBDB ace pigeon. Something like that was an opportunity we simply could not let pass. The supervision of “Project Pulderbos” will be entrusted to Oliver Sabol—the man who has already proven in Brummen that pigeon racing is in his DNA. A man who knows very well how to guide a pigeon colony to the top of the results and who also has the skill to maintain performances at an exceptionally important level throughout an entire season. But please, let us not judge too quickly, because Oliver will need time to adapt to the Belgian system and the Belgian competition. Let 2026 be a year of gaining experience, and we have agreed with André Roodhooft that he will guide Oliver in this process. There is no better mentor than André to show Oliver the way in Belgian pigeon racing. We know that both Belgian and Dutch fanciers will closely analyze and compare our results, but all of this has already been thoroughly discussed within our team, and we want Oliver to start the 2026 season without any pressure. Our respect for Belgian pigeon racing is immense, and we hope we will succeed in making a strong impression.”
We also look to the future in Brummen with great confidence. I have taken a bit more “distance” from the furniture retail parks, which allows me to spend much more time at Greenfield Stud. In addition, our daughter Fleur is becoming increasingly involved in the day-to-day running of the pigeons. The role of head caretaker—due to Oliver’s move to Pulderbos—has been entrusted to the Polish fancier Michal Jagielski. Michal studied animal care and, a few years ago, asked if he could complete his internship here. After his internship, he kept coming back, especially during the racing season, to lend a hand—and now he has been given the opportunity to take over Oliver’s role and prove his dedication and knowledge in the 2026 season. We also have Arnold Paalman. Arnold is responsible for the breeding pigeons, but in addition, he also manages his own colony under the name Paalman-Eijerkamp. Arnold has incredible knowledge of pigeons and an exceptional feeling for them. He came here at the age of 14 to clean the lofts, but he hardly spoke a word. Only when he was alone with my father did he begin to talk more freely, and my father’s insight into people told him that this would become a top fancier. Since the age of 20, Arnold has been a permanent fixture in the breeding lofts in Brummen. And of course, we must not forget Henk Juriëns—the man who commercializes the Eijerkamp pigeons worldwide. He also started here at the age of 14 as a student worker, and remarkably, he has never had another employer; he has now been with us for 44 years. No one knows us and the pigeon world better than Henk. As the Eijerkamp family, we are extremely proud to have such people on our team. Good and loyal employees are vital, and when things don’t go well, it is up to us to remain enthusiastic about our team. That enthusiasm will always motivate them not to give up, but to do everything possible to get out of a difficult period and push forward. And of course, as a fancier, together with your team, you must closely follow the evolution in pigeon racing—in every aspect. Many roads lead to Rome, but you must not allow yourself to be pushed aside by the crowd. As we have already said… make sure you stay at the front!
Conclusion
The day flew by, and although we still had so many questions—and despite how much we enjoyed listening to the emotionally told stories—it was time to wrap things up. Despite all their success, the Eijerkamp family has “kept both feet on the ground” and treats everyone as equals. In a financial magazine, we once read an article about the success of the two furniture retail parks owned by the Eijerkamp family, and we are happy to echo the conclusion drawn by the author: “The success of the retail parks is based on the hospitality experienced by the customers.” Well… hospitality… that is exactly what Greenfield Stud and its owners radiate! As we leave the magnificent pigeon facility, we take one last look at the impressive setup. We glance at Evert-Jan and can’t resist asking one final question: “Evert-Jan… if you were locked up for 24 hours with a fancier and could only talk about pigeons, who would it be?” Evert-Jan doesn’t hesitate for a second and answers, “Ad Schaerlaeckens… and if he’s on holiday, Willem de Bruijn would also be fine.” We share a laugh and once again see that sparkle of happiness in Evert-Jan’s eyes. And while he gives his granddaughter a warm kiss on the cheek, he glances toward his father Hans from the corner of his eye to make sure he is doing well. Evert-Jan watches over his family and everything happening at Greenfield Stud like a devoted guardian.
Hans, Evert-Jan, and the entire team… thank you for your time, thank you for your hospitality, and we wish you every success!
Stefan Mertens
Loft
Winners
