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Jeroen de Jager — Castricum, Netherlands

Between
ground &
sky.

Manufacturing director by day. Pilot and flying club chairman by passion. Somewhere in between, there's great coffee, Caribbean sunshine, and the view from 5,000 feet.

PPL Pilot · VFR / NVFR Site Director · UCC Coffee Benelux MBA Chairman · Vliegclub Flevo The Breeze · Curaçao Board · Stichting Uno Más

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Castricum, Netherlands

About me

From the factory
floor to the flight deck.

I'm Jeroen — a director with a passion for operations, people, and the moment an aircraft lifts off the runway. Based in Castricum, I lead manufacturing at UCC Coffee Benelux while chairing Vliegclub Flevo, a flying club I care deeply about.

Outside of work, you'll find me in the cockpit, planning the next escape to Curaçao, or somewhere between a good cup of coffee and a perfect crosswind landing.

20+

Years in operations

PPL

Private pilot licence

VFR·NVFR

Day & night visual rated

MBA

Business administration

Professional

Running a site.
Building a team.
Making great coffee.

As Site Director at UCC Coffee Benelux, I lead all manufacturing operations — production, safety, quality, sustainability, and the people who make it happen every single day. With an MBA behind me, I'm drawn to the intersection of operational excellence, sound business strategy, and responsible innovation.

Since 2022, I also serve as a board member of Koffie & Thee Nederland, the Dutch coffee and tea association — representing the sector's interests beyond the walls of our own factory.

View LinkedIn profile ↗

Current role

Site Director · UCC Coffee Benelux

Leading the manufacturing site in Bolsward, Friesland across production, safety, quality, and people — with a focus on continuous improvement and a long-term energy transition roadmap.

Focus areas

Energy & Innovation

Active in hydrogen pilot programmes and broader carbon reduction initiatives — building a manufacturing site fit for a sustainable future, one step at a time.

Board member · Since 2022

Koffie & Thee Nederland

Serving on the board of the Dutch coffee and tea association — the industry body representing Dutch coffee and tea companies on sustainability, legislation, and the interests of the sector, bringing the manufacturer's perspective to the table.

Visit koffiethee.nl ↗

Flying

Clear skies, Dutch airspace,
and a world to discover.

Flying opens up a different world — one where a new destination is always within reach, and where safety and preparation are never optional. The cockpit teaches you to respect the sky, plan with precision, and make sound decisions. That discipline is what makes every flight worth it.

🛩

Private pilot · PPL · VFR / NVFR

Licensed PPL pilot flying visual flight rules by day and night. The skies here offer some of the most interesting low-level flying in the Netherlands — open horizon, flat polder, a lot of water and plenty of challenge when the wind picks up. After dark, the night rating opens up a whole different world of lit runways and city lights below.

📡

The craft of navigation

There's something deeply satisfying about planning a route, reading the METAR, and arriving exactly where you intended. Aviation rewards preparation and punishes complacency — lessons that carry well beyond the cockpit.

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Club chairman

Vliegclub Flevo

I chair Vliegclub Flevo, the oldest and largest flying club and flight school at Lelystad Airport. For over 50 years the club has trained pilots — from first trial lessons and PPL(A) all the way to Night Rating and Instrument Rating — flying a fleet of five club-owned Piper PA-28s. Beyond flying myself, I work to make the club a great place for every member: governance, community, our own Skybox overlooking the runway, and keeping the passion for aviation alive from generation to generation.

Years active

260+

Club members

Piper PA-28 aircraft

770+

Pilots trained

Visit vliegclub-flevo.nl ↗

Learning to fly at Vliegclub Flevo, Lelystad Airport — Flight training at Lelystad Airport

Night flying with the Night Rating (NVFR) — Night Rating — flying after dark

Glass cockpit instrument flying — Instrument flying in the glass cockpit

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Blue Bay Beach

A 5-minute walk to one of Curaçao's most beautiful beaches, with sun loungers included for guests.

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Golf & resort facilities

18-hole championship golf course at your doorstep, plus tennis, diving, kayaking, sailing, and multiple restaurants on site.

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Twin pools with waterfall

Upper and lower pools with waterfall feature set in tropical gardens. Spacious private terrace for the apartment.

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2 bedrooms, 2 en-suite bathrooms

Spacious layout with modern European bathrooms, walk-in showers, fully equipped kitchen with premium appliances, and full A/C throughout.

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Gated resort, 24/7 security

Set within a 420-acre gated resort community. Minutes from Willemstad, the airport, and Curaçao's best beaches and dining.

Curaçao

Our home in the Caribbean.
Available for you.

Nestled within the Blue Bay Golf & Beach Resort, The Breeze is a beautifully designed 2-bedroom & 2-bathroom apartment with a generous terrace, premium finishes, and direct access to one of the Caribbean's finest resort communities.

The apartment is professionally managed by Blue Bay Collection, ensuring a seamless holiday experience from check-in to check-out.

Interested in staying at The Breeze? Check availability directly on the Blue Bay resort website, or get in touch personally.

View availability at Blue Bay ↗

Giving back

Uno Más. One more child
with a chance to learn.

Alongside work and flying, I volunteer as a board member of Stichting Uno Más, a Dutch charitable foundation supporting children and their families in Guatemala. Uno Más means “one more” — every time enough funds come together, one more young person from a poor but motivated family receives a scholarship for secondary school, followed by vocational training or preparation for university.

With many years of daily presence on the ground around Antigua and Cobán, the foundation makes sure every donation lands where it matters — education first, and where needed also nutrition, hygiene, and medical care. Helping to give these young people a real shot at shaping their own future is some of the most rewarding work I know.

Visit uno-mas.org ↗

🎓

Scholarships that go the distance

Funding is secured for the full three-year secondary school programme before a student starts — so no one drops out halfway for lack of a sponsor.

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Local, every single day

A permanent local presence in Guatemala and a network of volunteers means direct contact with the students and families being supported.

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Fully transparent

A registered Dutch ANBI charity with open annual accounts — every donation is traceable to where it was spent.

Betweenground &sky.

From the factoryfloor to the flight deck.

From green bean to perfect roast.

Running a site.Building a team.Making great coffee.