Hillenraad100 edition 2016 English

Volume 14 | 2016 Price € 15,00

Interviews with

Prof. dr. Willem Vermeend ‘Standing still once meant going backwards.

Now it means going out of business.

So get a move on!’

Former Commander of the Netherlands Armed Forces Peter van Uhm

From chain to netwerk

‘You may be able to understand yourself, but that is not enough. You must also be able to understand your environment.’

The one hundred most prominent companies in the horticulture industry

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 3

Colophon Publisher Aldenborg B.V. Westlandse Poort ABC Westland 127 2685 DB Poeldijk The Netherlands

Table of Contents 5

The vision of 6

Research and compilation of the top 100 Hillenraad Partners The Committee of Experts www.hillenraad.nl

8

Editors

12

Henk de Kleine Miranda Koelemij Anita Bassie Martien Penning

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Forweword of Martien Penning, publisher Hillenraad100, in this edition’s theme: From chain to network

Prof. dr. Willem Vermeend, former State Secretary, minister and chairman of the Committee of Experts of the Hillenraad100 about the expiration date of the Dutch Agriculture and Horticulture industries Peter van Uhm, retired Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands, about the transformation into a much more responsive and dynamic professional army Hillenraad Partners about increasing the options

Hillenraad100 10 14 15 58 59

The Committee of Experts Intro Hillenraad100 The Hillenraad Top 100 Intro Hillenraad500+ The Hillenraad Top 500+

Professionals from the horticulture industry on the theme ‘From chain to network’ 56 Bert van Tol of Delft Research Group 64 John Willems of Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds 68 Wim van der Plas of Floral Trade Group

Horticultural business worldwide 63 Global players in horticulture 66 The continent North-America and Mexico

Horticulture in perspective 70 Composition and division of Top 10 companies in turnover and number of employees Composition and division of Top 100 by category and region Top 10 horticultural countries worldwide in salade vegetables and floriculture Top 10 horticultural municipalties and horticultural products in the Netherlands Composition and division of Top 10 companies in total greenhouse area and number of international branches Composition and division of Top 100 by ownership structure

We are Harvest House,

one of the Netherlands largest grower-cooperation’s specialised in salads. With a

skilled group of growers and employees we are continually aware of any development in the market to which we respond quickly and flexible. This specific product- and market knowledge combined with our innovative ability make us the solid, team playing partner we want to be. This results in harvesting the best possible results. Not just for us and our growers, but for everyone.

WHERE BUSINESS GROWS

www.harvesthouseinternational.nl

Foreword

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 5

From chain to network

What is the best way to summarise in a few words the developments in the horticulture industry? I think nothing says it better than: the shift from chains to networks. That is the essence of what is happening in the horticulture industry. Traditional chains are not only being shortened, they are being broken, too, which means that clear horticulture chains, the world in which one had a fixed place in the chain, are obsolete. Rapidly, new, unexpected connections are forming, as are new hubs. How are you to acquire your own, new place in this world of dynamic networks?

Fibonacci

In this context, the image of a head of Romanesco broccoli adorning the cover is very appropriate. Its network of expanding, seemingly irregular spirals strongly call to mind the Fibonacci sequence, a special mathematical series in which every number is the sum of the two preceding ones. Project this onto the horticulture industry and you will see that the new horticulture industry is the sum of its predecessor.

This is no linear development; it is practically exponential. Immediately, it touches on another major movement, i.e. our frequently-reported rise of new technologies that reinforce one another and which open up new technological possibilities. We are seeing ‘singularity,’ literally a phenomenon to which the old rules and regulations do not apply. In the horticulture industry, it is the point at which existing technologies and earnings models are surpassed by new earnings models based on new technologies. We have observed disruption and an increasingly advancing symbiosis between technology, growers and consumers.

Moral compass

Many people feel that all these technological changes are not directly to the benefit of society. Where is the human touch? Where are the shared values? Where is the binding emotion? All these rapid developments (technological, social and political) are resulting in strong reactions and bold statements that no longer fit within the old political labels of ‘left’ and ‘right.’ And simply returning to a medieval arrangement of Christians and pagans would also not provide any useful tools for use in the modern world. How can we order our thinking and activities in a strongly changing world? It involves more than just our motivations or objectives; more often, our moral compass and the effects of our actions are what matter.

Peter van Uhm has clear ideas on the subject.

Open versus closed

The analysis of Europe expert and German historian Ulrich Speck goes a step beyond the above. He considers Brexit to be both a clear sign of the definitive end of the Cold War and an unambiguous signal that sketches the shape of the new arrangement. The world shapes itself as is required by citizens who are focussed on open or closed societies. The one world view comprises openness, globalisation, cosmopolitanism, investigation, forging connections and a large degree of diversity among neighbours.

The other world view is that of rural areas, with closed cultures aimed at preserving, protecting and retaining the post-modern paradise.

This division is not only visible in the UK; it can also be found in the US and in large parts of Europe. And even in our own horticulture industry.

Network strategies

Here too we see a number of interesting parallels with what military strategy prescribes: ‘shape the battle field’ and create room to manoeuvre.

New strategies revolve around increasing your options, thinking in networks, creating dynamic connections, creating room to manoeuvre, and moving from closed to open structures. It seems to me that the theme of from chain to network is clear and it is up to you to create your own place in the network. Read more on the subject in the magazine.

We too will be changing

Among all these developments, we are preparing ourselves for our 15th anniversary in times of change, which also means that we too will trim our sails to the wind. A new model, a different ranking and (it should be no surprise) a greater focus on networks rather than chains. But all that is next year. First, we are looking forward to, together with you, discovering the ranking offered by this our 14th edition.

Martien Penning

6 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Interview

Prof. dr. Willem Vermeend, former minister, state secretary, entrepreneur and chairman of the Committee of Experts ‘In the coming decades, 13 trillion dollars will be spent on Climate Change. As a self respecting Dutch green company, you really should be part of that!’

Interview

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 7

The expiration date of the dutch agriculture and horticulture industries

After eight years, Dr. Willem Vermeend is stepping down from his position as chairman of the Committee of Experts. This does not, however, mean that he will be slowing down. On the contrary.

His agenda is packed with boosting start-ups and his role as professor of Economics 4.0. He has also been the special FinTech envoy on behalf of the Dutch government since February 2016. His urgent message to the Dutch agriculture and horticulture industries is as follows: ‘Standing still once meant going backwards. Now it means going out of business, so get a move on!’

As a professor, Willem Vermeend must have said the following to beginning students a number of times: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a new year. I do not want to discourage you, but by Christmas half of you will be gone.’ The stronger students saw it as an incentive to do their very best, and that is the exact advice the outgoing chairman of the Committee of Experts of the Hillenraad100 would like to give the reader.

‘I spoke some time ago with a top executive at Google,’ he recalls. ‘I expressed the idea that he and Google had nothing to worry about.

A massive company like that has today become part of the landscape. He had to laugh: ‘Willem, at this very moment there are thousands of brilliant people sitting in attics thinking about how to replace us. Just one of them is enough to bring us down. We have no illusions.’ It is this attitude I’m missing in all too many entrepreneurs in the Dutch agriculture and horticulture industries.

‘Things are going well, aren’t they?’ say many.

‘We are turning a profit again and the recession is over.’ I tell them they are seeing nothing more than a revival of the Old Economy. I give it ten years and the world will look unrecognisably different than it does today. Ten years. You should probably start adapting your business model tomorrow.’

On to the Economy 4.0

In his characteristic rapid speaking style, Willem Vermeend explained what will affect each company in each sector. ‘First, we will see an accelerated advance of digitisation. The phablet, the big brother of the smartphone and the little cousin of the tablet, will for billions of people be the multifunctional window onto the world.

Retrieving information, communicating, receiving education – it all goes through that single device.

In India I saw that the phablet has taken the place of our old textbooks; children follow entire courses on it. Also remarkable: India skipped the laptop in one powerful movement. Emerging economies are capable of that like no one else: immediately embracing innovation while we are still suffering from the law of the handicap of a head start.

Secondly, we will see an influx of new, disruptive technologies: the Internet of Things, everything that has to do with big data analysis, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, drones, robotics etc. The combination of these two movements

is the fuel for the Economy 4.0. I’d emphatically add a third pillar to it: agreements made in Paris during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. This trio will have a huge impact on the world economy and each one provides opportunities for the Dutch agriculture and horticulture industries. To my regret and surprise, I actually do not see much of it in the sector as a whole. Here and there, an individual company is doing something with drones, sensors and robotics, but it has not yet been happening across the board. And you can no longer tackle tomorrow’s world on your own. Forget the chain.

Start thinking in terms of networks, because everything and everyone is tied together.

Whoever does not wake up, can forget about it.’

satisfies a growing global need, i.e. reducing CO2 emissions through technology. CO2 is increasingly becoming an expense companies want to be rid of, including for image reasons. If you can come up with clever solutions to that, the world will queue up for you and your product. Start looking today for start-ups that will challenge logistics, finance or marketing. In doing so, retain those aspects of your current business model that are good and apply those parts of Economics 4.0 that bring you further. Look for partners that are currently outside your field of vision. Examples include the Alibaba trading platform. If you can and may conduct online business there, you will have more success than at the retailer around the corner.’

A new Hillenraad100?

‘Standing still once meant going backwards. Now it means going out of business, so get a move on!’

The jackpot: 13 trillion dollars

The strength and scale of the Dutch agriculture and horticulture industries are also their Achilles heel, says Willem Vermeend. ‘It all looks so solid, who could possibly mess that up? Well, for example, one of the many start-ups that I see at work in the UK, who capitalise on the opportunities offered by Climate Change. In the coming decades, 13 trillion dollars will be spent on this development. As a self respecting Dutch green company, you really should be part of that!

In the past, small fish were eaten by the big fish; now, the slow fish are being hunted and eaten by the fast fish. Too many business owners still believe in the idea that you have to be big to survive. No, you have to be fast. So quickly take notice of the many things those greentec startups are thinking of. They see what many have yet to: greentec is booming because it

Although (and perhaps because) he himself is a former politician, Willem Vermeend recommends not waiting on politics. ‘While politicians discuss, the world is developing. So do not fixate on the top sector policy and choose your own route.

Do not get annoyed by the fact that education is no longer producing the right people, but instead educate them yourself. There are already plenty of companies running colleges, because the established order is not meeting their needs.

And finally, I would not be surprised if next year, the Hillenraad100 began measuring companies by the criteria of the Economy 4.0. How do you score on the application of new technology, how open are you to greentec, what are you a pioneer in: big data, sensors or drones? I think that seed companies will still score quite well there, but that innovations like a differently shaped or coloured flower are no longer enough. Because in the end, it is all happening at a higher level: where is your network, what is your connection to the future? I therefore look very much forward to a Hillenraad100 that assesses companies more on future prospects than on current results. Because when I look at myself, I too once thought in terms of five-year plans. But they became threeyear plans, one year, one quarter. Tomorrow, you may have been overtaken and as such, the Hillenraad100 will become a disruptive list.’

8 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Interview

Former Commander of the Netherlands Armed Forces Peter van Uhm ‘Always make sure to be aware of what is going on around you. We teach our soldiers both situational and cultural awareness. You may be able to understand yourself, but that is not enough. You must also be able to understand your environment.’

Interview

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 9

Sometimes, you are your own worst enemy

If there is anyone who fits this year’s theme, it would be Peter van Uhm, former Commander of the Netherlands Armed Forces. In this capacity, he was in charge of an organisation that had to be transformed into a much more responsive and dynamic professional army in the wake of the Cold War. After all, we know now that even a person in a lorry on a French boulevard can be a combatant. What can we learn from this?

During our conversation, Peter van Uhm referred to a classic piece of military history.

In May 1940, the Belgians thought they were safe in Fort Eben-Emael, situated near Liège.

The German Wehrmacht was never going to get past it. After all, it took years to build it during the period between the two World Wars, as did the Maginot Line. No, that was never going to happen. However, on the Internet, we find the following - literal - text: ‘Organisation, innovation and daring were the keys to the German success.’

Yes, the Germans did the unthinkable: 78 gliderborne paratroopers captured the fort in a few minutes. Peter van Uhm can cite dozens of examples from his métier in which a combination of outmanoeuvring the opponent, having a clear mission and thinking outside the box dramatically changed the playing field in no time, such as the emergence of the submarine did in the First World War, when all of a sudden, danger could come from below. ‘When I went to the Royal Dutch Military Academy (KMA) in 1972, our entire philosophy and actions were focused on the Warsaw Pact. It was all about the North German Plain. When I retired from the army in 2008, our troops had executed missions in Afghanistan and elsewhere. My own son had been killed by a roadside bomb, an almost invisible enemy.

The question is: who will make it in our ever more dynamic and transparent world? In his book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman outlines a number of types of people that will survive, but this can be easily extrapolated to organisations: The Very Special (but not everyone is a Steve Jobs), The Very Specialized (but not everyone can become a brain surgeon in a matter of days) and The Adaptable (which you can start on tomorrow).’

Doing nothing or doing something

The example of Fort Eben-Emael shows, according to Peter van Uhm, that doing nothing can be a form of action too. ‘You can choose to adopt a laissez-faire and laissez-passer attitude and see what happens. We teach our troops on the ground that this seemingly passive attitude can have unwanted consequences, for which you also bear responsibility. Your buddies are billeted somewhere while you stand guard. Someone approaches. What do you do? Something or nothing? Always make sure to be aware of what is going on around you. We teach our soldiers both situational and cultural awareness. You may be able to understand yourself, but that is not enough. You must also be able to understand your environment. That is why the soldiers were

going to be sent on a tour of Afghanistan had to visit a Dutch mosque first. And then, just when you have most of it on your radar, the next crucial decision has to be made: in which direction do we all actually want to go? Do we have any idea about where we want to be heading? Because you can only be truly adaptable when you yourself have found your footing. If not, you are not adaptable. You are a plaything. That process requires leadership. We teach our soldiers that on a mission, everyone can - no, must - participate in the conversation about what we are going to do.

You want to have all the information you can get.

Only then you can weigh all the pros and cons.

The biggest danger for an organisation is having a leader with too much of an ego. There is a crucial difference between being proven right and taking

‘The biggest danger for an organisation is having a leader with too much of an ego’ the right decision. Everybody needs to know what has been decided and why, because that way you create unity of effort and ensure that everyone from top to bottom is working towards the same goal. Whether you reach that goal from the left or from the right is irrelevant. You have to determine the framework conditions, but you also have to rely on the professionalism of your people and make use of everybody’s creativity. That way, they will be better equipped to decide whether to do something or nothing.’

Forget your own context

During his career, Peter van Uhm has always attached great value to collecting mirrors around himself, not literal ones in which to admire his uniform, but the metaphorical ones provided by others’ opinions. ‘For example, after several foreign missions, we went to visit organisations that we had hardly even spoken to before, such as the Ministry of Development Cooperation, and NGOs like Oxfam Novib and VNO-NCW

(approx. CBI). We were truly shocked. We were presented with an image of ourselves that we found completely unrecognisable! The experience resulted in a much closer collaboration with these organisations and their goals - diplomacy, development - became an integral part of our goal: defence. That’s how the Ministry of Defence’s well-known 3D approach came to be.

We had to reinvent ourselves to a certain extent, which is something you cannot do without the help of others. As such, I am convinced that the organisations of the future will be open ones.

You have to let the outside world in. There is a nice, if somewhat broad, expression with regards to that: ‘You better have them standing inside pissing outside than standing outside pissing inside.’ In other words, you have to organise you own riposte.’

Unity of Effort

The nice thing about the good old chain is that each chain partner can concentrate on their own business. If everyone does that successfully, the mission is accomplished. Peter van Uhm: ‘That only works as long as the chain is unbroken and by now, there are quite a few examples of forms of cooperation that no longer exist. So, if you want to develop into a network player, you will find yourself in a much more fluid environment.

It boils down to trusting others as well as your own moral compass. Trust can be betrayed, but your moral compass is something you are able to control. Be open about where you stand and what you ask from others, but make sure you have something to offer as well. Your employees will instantly notice or feel it when you start cutting corners, which is just as it should be; that should be the strength of your internal staff.

In fact, select them for it: will they be able to keep up with you as you travel towards your joint goal? Use this strategy to select your network partners as well: does everybody understand the joint goal, is everybody well equipped for it and can you trust each other? Loyalty to other people also means being able to say no at the right time.

However, it is undeniably more difficult than working in closed chains. But do not forget: the future belongs to the people and organisations that are open.’

Committee of Experts

10 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

a

André Nieuwenhuijse

Senior Officer Horticulture, Ministry of Economic Affairs/Directorate-General for Agriculture and Nature

‘The Dutch top sector Horticulture and Propagation Materials will be confronted over the next few years with a number of social issues, including in the area of sustainability. To stay ahead and to make investments in sustainability requires market-oriented entrepreneurship and a strengthening of the sales force. In this way, the perspective is maintained for the horticulture industry. In addition, there is a trend towards an increasing awareness of citizens and consumers of the importance of good and healthy food, and the importance of green space in the living environment for their own well-being.

The horticulture industry can respond to this like no other. It is important to entice consumers in the Netherlands and beyond to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. Further urbanisation of the world offers opportunities for the floriculture and horticulture industries to keep cities liveable.’ b

Fred van Heyningen

Former Global Head of Food & Agri Banking at the Rabobank*

‘While the Hillenraad100 is the premier league of the Dutch horticulture industry, it is still quite a static group. There are (too) few new fast growing companies on the list. Innovation is happening within the companies themselves, but the sum of the cluster should be more than the sum of its parts. There are too few new fast growing companies for a dynamic sector like the (greenhouse) horticulture industry to remain healthy and innovative. Identifying and recognising this shortcoming is the beginning of a solution. This observation may be the beginning of a solution to that challenge.’ *On 1 September 2016, Fred van Heyningen entered into service as Managing Director at Nature’s Pride, of which the expert committee has been duly informed.

c

Niels Louwaars

Managing Director of Plantum

‘In my view, there are three trends that will further enhance the quality of propagation material for growers, traders and consumers alike in the coming years. In floricultural breeding, we are seeing increased research capacity thanks to consolidation and cooperation between companies. This allows for ‘higher goals,’ such as a response to limitations in chemical crop protection, to be addressed. The vegetable seed cultivation sector is strengthening its global leadership position in a growing market, by paying more and more attention to the parties further down the chain. The propagation of seedlings is becoming more professional and is looking for ways to strengthen its position in the (international) chain.’ d

Nico van Ruiten

Chairman of LTO Glaskracht

‘Increasing market orientation and increased sustainability are two dominant trends in greenhouse horticulture production. Increased

market orientation is shaped by concept development, market research and chain cooperation. Sometimes, this is done by individual companies, but mostly in collaboration with likeminded peer companies. We are seeing increased sustainability in all aspects of the business; from energy and plant health to Human Resource Management. The production companies in the Hillenraad100 show that successfully addressing these trends offers many opportunities and returns. Partly thanks to the example they have set, I see this development taking place in many more companies, enabling the sector to earn and maintain its ‘license to produce’ and ‘license to deliver.’ e

Harm Maters

Martien Penning

Managing Director of Hillenraad

‘Being independent from the chain sounds liberating, but for many players in the sector, it is also frightening. In a network society, combinations can be quickly formed that increase your chances, but networks can also backfire if you happen to be on the wrong side of the rapidly forming public opinion. Increasing your options and reducing your response time are becoming more and more important. Horticulture has indeed become a global sport.’ g

Jan van den Heuvel

Entrepreneur, founder of Hagé

‘The changes in the market are dynamic and are accelerating. The supermarket world determines the direction, especially at the urging of various social organisations. A necessary scale is required to meet the resulting multiplicity of regulations regarding crop protection, pest control, certification, registration and everything else. It thereby makes it very difficult for smaller companies and calls on them (almost forces them, in fact) to collaborate or merge, or perhaps find a candidate buyer. Only this allows for survival.

It enables them to continue to fulfil their function within the big picture in the market. Perhaps their efforts will be more successful, partly because close cooperation with seed companies (desired by the retail sector) is a must.’

Cees Uitbeijerse

Accountant and Horticulture Specialist at BDO Accountants & Adviseurs

‘The trend that has been visible for years will continue in the next few years. We see an ever more mature market, to which entry is becoming more difficult, the chains are shortening and it is possible for leading companies to achieve healthy returns. The key here is that these companies are ‘agile’ and adapt quickly to the challenging market conditions. By their very nature, the more cooperative organisational models lend themselves less well to this. They will therefore rapidly lose ground in the industry.’ i

Chairman of AVAG

‘The most important global trend is, of course, that the demand for healthy and safe food is increasing tremendously. The growing global population requires a broader range of products; the world also increasingly needs more sustainable production methods. This need has been filled largely by Dutch players, as evidenced by the increasing export of greenhouse technology by important Dutch companies, but we’re not there yet. We need more innovation, including in the areas of finance and integrated project realisation. Internationally, demand is arising by investors who see opportunities in healthy and safe food for the growing global population.

More than in the past, Dutch companies will need to continue to focus on integrated knowledge management.’ f

h

Herman de Boon

Former chairman of the VGB (the Association of Wholesalers in Flower Nursery Products)

‘The auction as a traditional marketing organisation still had a place in the florists’ industry of 2010. This institution does not however have a place in the florists’ industry of 2020, which is characterised by new horizontal and vertical partnerships for optimisation, innovation and value creation in the sales chain.

If the auction wants to participate in the creation of new customer values, it must transform into a supportive, collective, digital services platform.’

Arnold Hordijk

Administrator, Consultant and Supervisory Director

‘Expansion and professionalisation are developing rapidly in both production and trade. Partly because of this, the number of entrepreneurs in greenhouse horticulture has decreased structurally by 5% over the past decade. Not everyone seems to have the quality of all-round entrepreneurship required today.

This involves more than cultivation knowledge and experience. More often, skills in the areas of market and commerce, finance, logistics and automation plus strategic thinking ability are mattering more. The business is becoming more complex by the day.’

Gert Mulder

Director of Fresh Produce Centre

‘This probably sounds familiar: when you are abroad, the Dutch horticultural industry is spoken of admiringly. Nice to hear, but we should not allow ourselves to get too comfortable. I am just as often impressed by the innovative strength of horticultural businesses elsewhere in the world.

I hope the Hillenraad100 inspires each company to take a step forward, so above all, let us not forget to keep looking outward.’

Committee of Experts

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 11

The Dutch horticulture industry needs to make more connections to create new possibilties

With the Hillenraad100, we chart the movements of the sector on an annual basis.

We look at the moves made by the leading horticulture companies in the Netherlands over the past year and where this has led them. But Hillenraad100 is also a crossroads where yesterday, today and tomorrow meet. With the theme, the vision article and in a number of profiles, we take a look ahead and so do the members of the Committee of Experts.

What trends do they expect to be important in the years to come? Naturally, each member of the committee answered that question from their own perspective. The following quotes give a varied picture of what the sector can expect and what we will have to do.

c

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

12 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Martien Penning, Hans van den Ende and Jaap Stolze, Hillenraad Partners ‘True entrepreneurs use Dynamic Routing: they increase their options by ensuring that they can take multiple exits, not automatically taking “the road less travelled”.’

Vision

Vision

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 13

Increase your options

This is the year in which an American presidential candidate sees a wall along a border as the solution to a problem; the year in which a Dutch political party wants to return to permanent employment as the norm; the year in which the Dutch TV programme ‘Heel Holland Bakt’ (All of Holland is Baking) returns to the airwaves, and all of Holland longs for days gone by. The partners of Hillenraad Partners place this penchant for overview and control in the context of doing business in drastically changing times.

In September of this American election year, Dutch broadcaster VPRO released its series ‘Droomland Amerika’ (America Land of Dreams), produced and presented by Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal. In the first episode, he takes viewers to the so-called Rust Belt, an area that stretches from New York to the Midwest. This is where the American auto industry once flourished.

The inhabitants of the nigh-abandoned Youngstown, Ohio, still have hope that those bygone days will return. Donald Trump has promised they would, too: ‘We’re going to bring back our jobs...’ from China. His vision appeals to tens of millions of people. It connects with a zeitgeist that we’re seeing around the world, even in the Netherlands: a return to a clear and predictable world. Martien Penning has seen that this way of thinking is also deeply ingrained in the horticulture industry. ‘It’s not for nothing that our theme this year is From Chain to Network.

Chain-thinking has been deeply internalised by practically everyone in this sector. At its core lies the idea that if you have things properly arranged at both the front and the back, then no one can touch you. If you are also in charge of chain management, then you have definitely got it made. This is an expression of a way of thinking that we’ve all been raised on: linear thinking, i.e. thinking in straight lines.’ Hans van den Ende adds: ‘Today, we see signs everywhere – which in particular is causing a backlash in so many people – that increasingly, the world is no longer following straight lines and developing gradually. Instead, it’s developing exponentially.

Consider the arrival of Picnic, which we reported on last year. Picnic and its ilk are retail players that suddenly appear on the scene, like a train from the right that you did not see coming.

Picnic works according to new principles made possible by (Internet) technology. This newcomer is able to intensify its contact with consumers and producers, and the traditional chain, with all its physical stores, and store personnel, simply replaced by something new. Previously, it was practically impossible to successfully move products from the producer to the consumer unless you had an enormous media budget.

Now, newcomers are easily able to take a shortcut.’ With his financial expertise, Jaap Stolze takes it one step further: ‘The traditional banking world is also changing rapidly, driven by FinTech companies and the Blockchain. Who would have ever expected Facebook, Amazon or Google to have aspirations of beginning a bank? Here, too, we are seeing new connections arising, new methods of financing.’

Making connections

More than ever, entrepreneurs will require the skills needed to make connections. Thankfully, with all the dynamism and volatility in the industry, there are two anchor points that we can use to stabilise ourselves: we can assume people will continue to buy real flowers, and continue to eat real food. But everything in between is changing. Not linearly anymore, but exponentially. It is happening faster and in every direction. With our advice in the areas of strategy, organisation and finance, we examine the things that are required to allow your company to adapt, as well as what is going on. We offer solutions to issues that entrepreneurs are still grappling with.

Questions that, sometimes, have not even been thought of, with great opportunities. Businesses are able to work with others much faster now and with lower transaction fees. But the partners are very aware that not everyone possesses this level

‘There is only one solution: minimise your response time.

Be able to make new connections quickly’ of flexibility. In that regard, we can make a very good comparison with crowd-driven navigation systems, like Google Maps. When there is a traffic jam, they send everyone along the same alternative route, meaning that the congestion merely moves elsewhere. True entrepreneurs use Dynamic Routing: they increase their options by ensuring that they can take multiple exits, not automatically taking ‘the road less travelled.’ We do not have the illusion that we know which exit any particular entrepreneur should take. We can, however, prepare them for the need to be ready to respond when a ‘black swan’ threatens their existing security. In these uncertain times, it all boils down to increasing your options and becoming more responsive.

Be sure to read the interview with Peter van Uhm, who has seen how old battle strategies are no longer effective. Your enemy or the competition could suddenly appear behind you or come from anywhere. There is only one solution: minimise your response time. Be able to make

new connections quickly. Do not become mired in a chain that makes you dependent on others.

Jaap Stolze: ‘It can also lie in the way in which you arrange your financing. Will a bank still be able to offer answers to every question when the new FinTech companies can change tack much faster, and when the Blockchain has taken on and automated the banks’ confidential position?’

Hans van den Ende: ‘Or ask yourself whether your research department will still suffice if the knowledge you need can be found anywhere in the world. In this case, ‘research’ is really just a ‘search’ for the right knowledge and people within the network you have created.’ Martien Penning: ‘It eventually boils down to gathering people and organisations around you who also understand how today’s and tomorrow’s world works.

Instead of thinking in chains, you can also think in opportunistic clusters that, together, can perform a function and create value, always keeping in the back of your mind that any particular combination is not set in stone. Tomorrow, the tides could change and new solutions could be required.

The businesses that understand this are in fact always warming up on the sidelines, waiting for a different match, giving new services and products a chance at the edges of your organisation. It is always possible that some new product on the side could become your core business at any time. Remember: who would have thought that a facebook for a high school could grow to become a bank? Only entrepreneurs who are constantly able to increase their options. Let us end on the provocative words of Donald Trump on an open society: ‘The American Dream is dead.’ But if so, is it walls that we need? Or perhaps doors?

We choose the latter. Increase your options!

| Top 100

14 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

The Hillenraad100, 2016 edition Things are heating up in the Dutch horticulture industry again. Believe it or not, there is a slight shortage of future-proof production locations, greenhouse construction capacity and, of course, qualified personnel. But have the horticulture industry’s structural problems also been solved? One thing is certain; many companies are performing structurally better than in previous years. Businesses dare to invest in new opportunities again, but they have to be fast. Only a limited number of them can be winners, which is why we would like to encourage some healthy competition and once again see the top 100 represent the developments in the horticulture industry.

The horticulture cluster and the Dutch Business community

The companies in the Hillenraad100 are the leading companies from the approx. 24,600 that make up the Dutch horticulture cluster.

This cluster is of great value to the Dutch economy, and is regarded by the government as one of our top sectors. Innovativeness and competitiveness are high, as is the importance for the Dutch economy. The horticulture industry provides approx. 100,000 jobs (FTEs) and has an added value of 8.4 billion euros. Its production value is 15.8 billion euros and its export value is 15.6 billion euros. The list of the Hillenraad Top 100 companies represents a turnover of 10.7 billion euros and employs 37,563 people, of wich 17,487 in the Netherlands. If we include the 500+-companies to these numbers, the complete turnover is more than 21 billion euros and they employ 56.837 people, of wich 22,190 in The Netherlands.

Recognition for entrepreneurship

The selection of these top 100 businesses goes beyond a ranking. We also try to capture and clarify the latest trends. Thus, we see companies that are emerging and companies which have to reinvent themselves to catch up with changing market conditions. Getting to the top is hard, but sometimes it is even harder to stay there.

A place in the top 100 is recognition of strong entrepreneurship. All honour to the 100 who made it onto this list.

Assessment

In making the assessment, Hillenraad employs a multi-disciplinary business model based on a wide-ranging assessment of 19 quantitative and qualitative factors. The evaluation mainly focuses on performance trends for the key figures over time. For a number of figures, a progressive average is applied. The qualitative assessment is primarily based on the principles of High Performance Organizations (Michael Beer, Harvard Business School).

Committee of Experts

The Hillenraad100 is compiled according to a careful procedure. The point of departure for the assessment is the research of the Hillenraad100 editorial team and the consultants of Hillenraad Partners. The results are then combined with an analysis from the expert committee. It is an intensive process of balancing the scales.

The final listing is the combined result of facts, noteworthy information and the experts’ opinions. This makes the list vital and distinctive.

Justification

To discover how the assessments are made, what the entry criteria are, which assessment criteria have been chosen and how a stratified cluster model works, visit our website at www. hillenraad100.nl/verantwoording.

Open competition

The Hillenraad100 is an open competition for companies in the knowledge and capitalintensive horticulture industry. We take a broader view than just greenhouse products. It revolves around companies from the horticulture cluster with a firm foundation in the Netherlands and a strong international perspective. Hillenraad intensely follows no fewer than 250 of them.

We look for the leading companies in the horticultural industry. The Hillenraad100 is, therefore, the leading monitor when it comes to trends, developments and dynamics in the sector.

Because we wish to sketch an overall image of the industry, businesses can also be placed on the list without first being asked. By doing so, we create a list of companies that matter.

Ascending or descending

The sector is constantly evolving thanks to internationalisation, scaling-up, chain reduction, mergers and acquisitions, and this affects the rankings. To stagnate is to decline, and companies that are performing well rise on the list and force others down.

Our aim is to achieve a stringent assessment but to always put this in a positive light.

Together, we can make the sector stronger.

Top 100 legend

Since 2003, the Hillenraad100 has provided an overview of the leading businesses in the knowledge and capital-intensive greenhouse and horticulture industry. We assess companies throughout the cluster, because the power of the industry lies in its internal coherence.

The company profiles have been carefully compiled by our editorial team using a variety of sources. A short description of the company is accompanied by various figures on its size.

In formulating its evaluations, the editorial team used information provided by the companies and gained from public sources, and took developments into account up to mid-August 2016.

Category Category within the horticulture cluster Total turnover Total group turnover Turnover H100-Q Turnover relevant to the Hillenraad100 assessments Employees Total number of employees on the payroll in the Netherlands and no employees elsewhere Employees TOT Total number of employees worldwide Employees NL Employees on the payroll in the Netherlands International branches Number of branches outside the Netherlands Figures marked with * Estimates by Hillenraad100 due to lack of public sources

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 15

100 (–) Biobest Category supplies Total turnover €50,576,000 Turnover H100-Q €5,792,000 Employees total 492 Employees NL 12 International branches 16 www.biobestgroup.com

And so Biobest enters the Hillenraad100! Koppert Biological Systems, Royal Brinkman, and Bioline: watch out. This still young expert in integrated pest management has everything necessary to rise to a much higher ranking.

Biobest was created in early 2014, after Arend-Sosef went bankrupt.

This bankruptcy obviously did not suddenly cause the knowledge and expertise of the bio-advisers to evaporate. Their expertise in the field of (biological) pest management was available to customers again surprisingly quickly. Biobest Netherlands may therefore be young in years, but it has a wealth of experience. Just consider the fact that Bart Sosef is at the helm of this De Lier-based company. Biobest operates in a niche that has a lot of potential. The company not only provides useful insects, but also MRL-free, registered pesticides. It develops new products in intensive cooperation with customers. So too with the introduction of Greenstim, or when testing new ‘scout software’. Biobest is full of strong ideas, which led to, among other things, the brilliant Flying Doctors concept, in which bees are used to disseminate a biological pesticide. What makes Biobest even more interesting is the fact that it is a subsidiary of the Floridienne Group.

Therein lies a wealth of knowledge in the field of insect chemical blockers, pheromones, enzymes, essential oils and spices. Cross-pollination here could lead to something beautiful for horticulture. The established order may want to keep an eye on Biobest.

99 (–)

Kreling Chrysant

Category production Total turnover €25,000,000* Employees 25 www.krelingchrysant.nl

Why here and why now? Why is Kreling Chrysanten 99th on our list and why at this time? To answer the latter question first: if you look at Dutch greenhouse horticulture, you cannot avoid Kreling Chrysanten (chrysanthemums). It is quite simply the market leader in spray chrysanthemums in the Netherlands. Kreling Chrysanten was already gigantic with 23 hectares, but another 17 hectares will be added in 2017. Around 100 million branches now find their way to the domestic and international retail sector annually. Retail customers find perfect standardisation at Kreling Chrysanten, as well as exact timing and great prices. Kreling Chrysanten is co-owner of Deliflor Hoogveld, where 225 million cuttings are produced annually. Ties with the Beekenkamp Group provide a strong combination. All in all, we are clearly talking about a superpower. Suppliers are therefore justifiably proud of the technology that they can deliver to Kreling Chrysanten. And now for the question: why is this company not (yet) higher than the 99th place? Because we have been insufficiently able to take a look behind the scenes.

The Committee of Experts does however believe that this powerful player belongs in the Hillenraad100. It is possible that son Koen Kreling, who will run the new premises in Zuilichem, will provide a little more openness. If so, then a new ranking will follow.

98 (98)

Bromelia Specialist

Category sales cooperative Total turnover €21,900,000 Employees 11 www.bromeliaspecialist.nl

If the way we assessed our ranking was based purely on design, styling and the website, Bromelia Specialist would sky-rocket up the list. This company presents its product in such an enthusiastic manner. ‘We live on Bromelain,’ we can read. Very nice, it all looks very hip and happening. And this at a time when experience and emotion are so important. There is a good reason the ‘Why’ of Bromelia Specialist is expressed as: ‘the product specialist becomes a consumer specialist.’ Here, what the consumer wants is thoroughly understood. Bromelia Specialist puts products on the market for the two leading bromeliad growers: Bunnik Vriesea and LKP Plants. It has perfected the entire process from breeding to shelf. And by working with the startups Floral Innovations and Blooming Solutions – both of which focus on the store shelf and consumer demand – this will only become stronger. This strong, market-oriented approach to production has led to a substantial market share. This has not escaped the attention of others, because growers have already joined hands, working together in a soft franchise with Bromelia Specialist. The market strength of the group appeals to us. We were – like the whole sector – pleasantly surprised by its presentation at the ‘Trend Fair’ domestic trade fair. What other surprises are yet to follow?

97 (–)

Schneider Youngplants

Category youngplants Total turnover €9,300,000 Employees 35 www.schneiderbv.nl

Americans say that you are not a true entrepreneur if you have never gone bankrupt. Schneider Youngplants has seen it all and that experience has refined them. Everyone in the company knows the importance of consistently delivering high quality products and how crucial the payment behaviour of customers is for a healthy company. Schneider Youngplants does not want to risk another misstep. The echo of the 2014 relaunch still sounds, while the company is currently very solid and solvent today.

One remarkable thing about how Schneider Youngplants operates, is its vision of entrepreneurship and leadership. Its management realises that it is not only about rationality and cognition, but that you also have to rely on your own feelings and moral compass. This is for example reflected in the approach to relations in outlying districts such as Russia, Romania and Slovenia. It is investing heavily – yet not financially – in a close relationship with these countries, for example by learning something of the language.

This approach is paying off; Schneider Youngplants is doing business in 30 countries and experiencing healthy sales growth. This company clearly shows that sometimes you have to bite a bullet to recover, but eventually, you can end up with a smile on your face.

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Top 100 |

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 17

Onings Holland

Category youngplants Total turnover €45,100,000 Employees 40 www.onings.com

Onings Holland is just barely able to hold its own on our list, while such an epitome of a traditional Dutch family bulb business should really be a fixture. The third generation is already warming up on the sidelines, ready to enter the game. Theirs is the task of driving one of the absolute lily specialists forward in the march of civilization. This specialisation started in a range greenhouse, where the famous Dutch Lily Days were born. There is currently a wonderful initiative to start an actual ‘Lily League’. This league will rank the 50 best lily varieties and we know from experience how much this excites entrepreneurs. Although Onings Holland is not known as an innovator par excellence, it still manages to surprise again and again.

It does so however within the strict boundaries of its own field.

95 (97) SV.CO Category production Total turnover €13,800,000 Employees total 224 Employees NL 49 International branches 1 www.svco.nl

SV.CO is one of those groups of people that clearly enjoys what it does.

That is likely the reason the relationship between Strijbis and Verbeek has only gotten better over the past decade. This is an achievement in itself and deserves congratulations. After all, everyone in the industry knows how difficult it is to find truly like-minded businesses and to work together intensively. Especially for the longer term. The cheerfulness and enthusiasm may be explained by the significant rejuvenation of the team. People have been brought on board who are genuinely enthusiastic to be there. And if you also give them enough space to develop themselves, you will have a solid turbo under the hood. He who has the youth, has the future, is the motto here, but that does not mean that everyone can simply do what they want. SV.CO places great importance on performance, costs, objectives and standards. It is therefore guided much less by intuition than we suggested in our profile last year. This year, said drive led to successful introductions like the celosia, lisianthus and lisilova. SV.CO formulated its ‘Why’ as ‘A warm welcome makes people happy.’ It certainly makes us cheerful: enjoying what you do while simultaneously booking such beautiful results.

94 (100) JEM-id Category services Total turnover € 2,600,000 Employees 31 www.jem-id.nl

Last year’s last newcomer made a nice step up on our list. What a great company! JEM-id is of significant value to the horticulture industry. It was, for example, the cradle of FloraXchange and GreenXchange, two platforms that enable chain players to work together faster. JEM-id is thereby partly the technological foundation of our theme this year: networks.

The company contributes to the development of businesses in the sector, but must itself also continue to remain ahead of developments. To this end, the switch was made from a demand-driven organisation to a ‘vision’driven organisation. A crucial move, as a demand-driven system still mostly responds to past events, while you want to look ahead to tomorrow and the day after with and for your customers. Identifying latent needs; here we hear the echo of Steve Jobs. This will in any event lead to a beautiful stream

of innovations and ideas, such as the Truckterminal for digital order picking or a pilot in which ‘beacons’ make working in warehouses more efficient.

JEM-id also responds to the ever-manifest need of horticultural enterprises to cut costs. In this context, the decline of subscription-based software is ideal. It is all about innovation for this Hillenraad100 company.

93 (99)

Van der Ende Group

Category supplies Total turnover €16,300,000 Employees 77 www.vanderendegroep.nl

The motto of the Van der Ende Group is: ‘Keeps your business running.’

And indeed, this now internationally-active company is at the foundation of many horticultural production processes. Because where would these processes be without ventilation, pumps, water treatment and systems for deploying pesticides? Its sales growth is strong and has been in the double digits for a number of years already. To keep up with this growth, the organisation was recently further tightened and it is now working with a separate water treatment and environment department. In addition, the group has already acquired larger premises in Maasdijk. The strength of the group lies in the extent of its range and its impressive stock. The latter may look like a business risk, but the group can take a hit. If a customer asks for something, it quite simply has to be there. Simple. Of course, we also see plenty of product innovation here, often prompted by new laws and regulations. Entirely in keeping with the trend of the Internet of Things (IoT), the option now also exists to collect and share real-time pump data, resulting in better understanding of efficiency. To help customers with troubleshooting, the website features a smart Support button. This allows a service engineer to watch and act remotely. All in all, a nice company, which measures up well against the leading strategic partners that also adorn our list. In other words, a real winner.

92 (–)

KP Holland

Category production Total turnover €19,800,000 Employees total 320 Employees NL 120 International branches 1 www.kpholland.nl

KP Holland has fought itself back into the Hillenraad100 and the company, which celebrated its 65th anniversary last year, is looking younger and perkier than ever. The anniversary provided an excellent opportunity to introduce a new corporate identity and show the world what KP Holland stands for: Breeding & Growing. The combination of breeding and growing is a unique one and that is worth showing. For the past few years, KP Holland concentrated on strategic reorientation and restructuring, and successfully at that: the results are excellent again and the company is more focused than ever before. For Breeding, the emphasis is on large markets such as Brazil, the US and China, where genetics are produced in collaboration with local partners. This is a smart move considering transport costs, import operations and exchange differences. For Growing, on the other hand, the company is focused on the European market, in the context of which excellent market concepts have been conceived, such as the ‘hip’ mix and match mini plants. This is just one example of how KP Holland, more than ever, looks at the market and translates what it sees into growers’ products. Its methods also underwent changes, in that the company now puts more faith in its own strengths and workfloor entrepreneurship.

For the workforce, this means a greater challenge to improve and to innovate. Add to that the strategic cooperation with Air So Pure, Breeding Accel and ‘Roots for Moods’, and it becomes clear: KP Holland is back on the Hillenraad100 stage.

A prize won together Last summer, we were awarded the 'Koning Willem I voor Duurzaam Ondernemerschap' (King Willem I plaque for sustainable entrepreneurship) by Queen Mรกxima of the Netherlands in recognition of the efforts we invest to work with People, Planet, and Performance in a sustainable manner. In other words, we ensure that we do things in such a way that future generations can still have a good life. As a family company, this is even more important to us: we realize like no other that the best results can only be achieved by collaborating with the right people in the right way. KAS Magazine shares this view, saying that collaboration is the key to generating added value.

This is just another reason to praise our partners once more.

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 19

Sjaak van Schie

Category production Total turnover €15,300,000 Employees total 92 Employees NL 32 International branches 2 www.sjaakvanschie.nl

Say hydrangea, and you say Sjaak van Schie. This company is working hard to further extend its leading role in Europe, focusing on Turkey, Southern Europe, Norway and the United Kingdom. The customers in these countries keep being surprised with new species under the Hy-pe label, such as the Solomia Curly Wurly, the Solomia Double Dutch and the Avantgarde. For these products, there is more and more cooperation with prominent breeders such as Kühne HBA, Dijk van Dijk, and Ball Ornamentals.

The completion of the organisation’s reshuffle on which we reported last year has brought peace and quiet. Also, the entire chain from breeding to market introduction was streamlined. Nevertheless, Sjaak van Schie has slipped somewhat on our list. Stability and peace and quiet are simply not enough to rise on the list, as other companies are distinguishing themselves.

The company describes itself as ‘a good company with a good product,’ but if you want to be among the very best, more might be required than just that.

90 (93)

Berg Hortimotive

Category supplies Total turnover €13,051,000 Employees 54 www.berghortimotive.nl

If there is a single business in this top 100 that has the hang of this year’s theme, it is Berg Hortimotive. Berg Hortimotive has reinvented itself and, together with an extensive network, supplies the market with complete logistic solutions for greenhouses and office spaces. After all, Berg Hortimotive reasoned, the world has become so complex that one simply cannot make it alone with a specific product range. To this end, Bas Lagerwerf made significant commitments. There was an intense collaboration with Bosman Van Zaal, Flier Systems and Aris in the ‘Cooperation in controlled growing’ consortium, but in practice, this transpired to be more difficult than expected. The market clearly needs more time to get used to a network approach to business, but Berg Hortimotive is not easily discouraged and it has several irons in the fire. The acquisition of Robocar at the end of 2015 fits with its plotted course of innovation and change. Where solutions are not yet immediately obvious, they are developed using the Lean Startup methodology. Innovations are quickly mocked up and directly attuned to possible buyers. In the area of phenotyping, Berg Hortimotive is thoroughly taken with new techniques, searching for the right type of data collection coupled with time-honoured pipe rail trolleys. Great things are being thought of and made here, which has resulted in a jump up the list.

89 (89)

Wesselman Flowers

Category production Total turnover €22,600,000 Employees 15 www.wesselmanflowers.nl www.tulpen.nl

Wesselman Flowers’ 2013 strategic decision to establish the present franchise organisation is still proving to be a rather sensible one.

Although 2015 was slightly down on 2014, the formula still is rock solid, giving new impetus to both Wesselman Flowers and the good old tulip.

The organisation is now at a point where it can be enhanced, extended and professionalised. Furthermore, Wesselman Flowers collaborates with

its business partners in terms of combined sourcing, even better social media – while its online communications were already quite pleasant – and increased joint production capacity. In close collaboration with its customers, it puts a strong focus on the entire chain, from greenhouse to cash register. Increasingly, Wesselman Flowers operates side by side with its customers in total transparency. A good example of this is the mutual insight into planning, stock management, waste reports and sales margins, enabling the optimisation of both category management and concept development. The way Wesselman Flowers cherishes both seasonal workers and challenged persons – the latter by thoroughly supporting the ‘Buurman Toon’ (neighbour Toon) project – is heart-warming as well, and contributed to the company winning the ‘Ondernemersprijs Kaag en Braassem 2016’ (Entrepreneurs Award Kaag en Braassem 2016), the prize money from which will be donated to local education. A nice gesture from a nice enterprise.

88 (86)

Fachjan Project Plants

Category production Total turnover €11,400,000 Employees 29 www.fachjan.nl

Fachjan Project Plants is nicely on course. This is a suitable description, as earlier this year, this niche player delivered 17 trucks of trees to the world’s largest cruise ship: Harmony of the Seas. Fachjan Project Plants has spread its activities across day trade, interior plants and the project market, and in that first area, the largest growth can be seen. The unique markets in which Fachjan Project Plants is active revolve around exceptional assignments and relatively high client investments. As such, it helps if you have both great products and good stories about the key role greenery has to play in a corporate or recreational environment. For this reason, this business participates in the ‘Groene Agenda’, a network of entrepreneurs of which Royal FloraHolland, universities Wageningen UR and VU Amsterdam, and a range of HBO institutions are also a part. The Green Agenda positions greenery as an essential component of buildings, not as a luxury or nonissue. As an extension of this, there is Benefits of Nature, an initiative of which Fachjan Project Plants is the founding father and which primarily deals with sustainability. However, at the end of the day, these stories all tie in together well. It is these elements, together, of course, with spotless service and a nothing-is-impossible approach, that give Fachjan Project Plants an advantage with critical customers and which have won this business a regular place on our list.

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Holstein Flowers

Category production Total turnover €11,700,000 Employees 59 www.holsteinflowers.nl

The 70-year old Holstein Flowers is firmly supported by its two pillars: cultivation and in-house distribution. This combination ensures that this global topper in gerberas is able to maintain its large assortment of unique varieties, such as the successful ‘Spike’ gerberas. Moreover, it is working closely with a number of top players in the cut flowers sector under the flag of Premium Flowers. The collective presentation available at www.flowerfactor.nl and www.floralfundamentals.com is stunning.

There is so much inspiration and experience here; it is exactly what modern consumers are waiting for. Major floral designers were involved in the creation of the lip-smackingly beautiful presentation, which was a smart way of reinforcing each other’s reputation and sharing market information.

Holstein Flowers has also discovered the power of social media and online marketing. The direct sale of flowers through webshops has taken off enormously; Holstein Flowers is nicely close to its customers. This does require a different way of working and the internal logistics were quickly

KP Holland develops and propagates new and distinctive varieties and produces flowering plants in the Kalanchoe ROSALINA™, Spathiphyllum CUPIDO™ en SIAM™ Curcuma product groups.

The unique combination of two disciplines gr - breeding and growing - in a single company is what makes KP Holland a special player in this market.

If you would like to benefit from our expertise and experience, please contact us. We will be pleased to show you new varieties that will give your collection a competitive advantage.

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Want to find out more? Please call Cees Uitbeijerse or Frank Meijnders, our specialists in your sector, on +31(0)70 -338 08 08 and schedule a personal appointment.

Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 21

adjusted to suit. In addition, for reasons of sustainability and cost reduction, a begin has been made on introducing The New Cultivation. This allows Holstein Flowers to supply gerberas that not only look great, but which also make the world a little bit more beautiful, too. The bar has been set high here, but Holstein Flowers keeps jumping right over it.

86 (81)

Wayland Plants

Category youngplants Total turnover €60,000,000 Employees total 175 Employees NL 106 International branches 1 www.wayland.nl

At Wayland Plants, the key leading principles are ‘efficient operational cost management and capital discipline,’ together with ‘customer satisfaction’.

In other words, this business carefully examines the market’s needs and translates them into a well-oiled production process. ‘Command performances’ are demanded of employees and the business is hard on itself, too, with its dedication to ‘strict compliance with all legislation’. These quotations from the supplied information may sound harsh, but Wayland Plants realises that success can only be achieved with great products and full dedication. Growers have to be able to trust Wayland Plants blindly.

Increasingly, Wayland, in close collaboration with customers, is delivering custom orders and that is an enormous achievement when supplying more than 250 million plants annually. That level of trust from the garden and DIY centres to which Wayland Plants directly supplies herbs, leaf vegetables and fruit-bearing plants, is essential. With that drive and passion, Wayland Plants has grown to be one of Europe’s largest vegetable plant growers, with branches in Bergschenhoek, Maasbree and Duffel. As stable player with a consolidated market position, it has much to be proud of. It is not enough to move up our list, unfortunately; other enterprises scored just slightly better.

85 (92)

Bosman Van Zaal

Category supplies Total turnover €33,600,000 Employees total 157 Employees NL 154 International branches 3 www.vanzaal.com

Now that Bosman International and Totaal Techniek Frans van Zaal are becoming increasingly integrated, and are drawing closer together under the Green Innovators Group umbrella, we are seeing the contours of a new business forming – a business that more and more is determined to deliver total solutions to its clients. High-profile projects are being realised in the ‘crop science’ customer segment in particular and for a renowned German client, a state-of-the-art research project is being realised. Bosman Van Zaal also acknowledges that not every market is ripe for high-tech products. It boils down to adaptation: adjusting to the level of technology in an area or market and the prevailing climate there. A crucial point is the reliability of the chosen technical solution. At the end of the day, everything revolves around the performance of the installation and not just the initial investment. Thanks to its understanding of installation design, and hardware and software-based remote control and monitoring, Bosman Van Zaal can guarantee maximum uptime. In order to always make good on that, a new Service and Performance department has even been established. The new structure and strategy for the coming years have clearly borne fruit. A great example in this series is the expansive research centre for the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority; an institution that, among other things, works to safeguard its country’s food safety. Bosman Van Zaal is conquering the world.

84 (78) Moerings Category production Total turnover €8,400,000 Employees total 22 Employees NL 17 International branches 1 www.moerings.nl www.sempergreen.com

In 2013 we saw the comeback of a very special entrepreneur on the Hillenraad100; a man who tackled everything at once and did so successfully. One of those people who seemingly has more than 24 hours in a day. Ever since, it has been a pleasure to be able to write profiles for Moerings, based on the enthusiastic input from Ronald Moerings.

Our shock was therefore great when we found out in November 2015 that Ronald had been killed in a fatal accident. It became immediately apparent what an impact he had had on the sector. Ronald was liked by many.

His infectious enthusiasm and flair for entrepreneurship made Moerings into one of the top companies in aquatic plants. Ronald had a mission: ‘An aquatic plant in every hand.’ He managed to get the Netherlands to view this product differently. Any decline in the list after a blow like that is of course not surprising, but we are confident that the organisation will fight back. It is moving forwards and everyone is doing what he or she should do.

The company is continuing at full speed. In late 2016, all its old greenhouses were replaced by new ones, the production processes were optimised, and the sales process is supported by FloraXchange. A lot of work is therefore being done, but as Fiona Moerings says herself: ‘Ronald’s unerring sense of entrepreneurship will be missed.’ Yet what he has built is a solid foundation from which to stay on top.

83 (85) AAB Category services Total turnover €3,900,000 Employees 34 www.aabnl.nl

AAB is surging along on the swell of the economy and the peaks and valleys of the Dutch horticultural sector. The sector, as AAB puts it, ‘awoke from hibernation in 2015, so the assignments are coming in again from every nook and cranny.’ Project management at Enza Zaden’s new building and at that of the Greenport Horti Campus, negotiating the purchase of a breeding greenhouse for Axia Vegetable Seeds, a feasibility study for the Canadian Serres Toundra, and process support with environmental procedures for Koppert Biological Systems. It is an impressive series of achievements.

Growth has been achieved on all fronts, which is reason to significantly expand the team again. AAB benefits from the ever-changing laws and regulations in the field of light emissions and water purification, but also from the demand for complex heat projects, breeding complexes with growing cells, and CO2 advice. In short, AAB enables (Dutch) horticultural enterprises to safely and sustainably move forward, and thereby plays an important role in the total cluster. The wide range of tasks explains the motley variety of specialities that can be found at AAB. There is even a mining expert on the payroll. Because AAB works according to the design of a matrix organisation, putting together the right team for a question or a task (for example: ‘Tell us all about The New Cultivation’ or ‘We want to get into geothermal energy’) is easily done. Even a startup that wants to obtain natural gas from plastic will have come to the right place. AAB is a solid pillar in the sector.

Top 100 |

22 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

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Proeftuin Zwaagdijk

Category services Total turnover €6,700,000 Employees 52 International branches 2 www.proeftuinzwaagdijk.nl

Commercially skilful players like Proeftuin Zwaagdijk have successfully jumped into the gap in the market created after the disappearance of the ‘Productschap Tuinbouw’ (Product Board for Horticulture). This company is now the source of much-needed expertise in the area of the application and use of fertilizers and pesticides for the forerunners in this sector.

One key pillar is the admission test for pesticides. Constantly changing laws and regulations, the development of resistance and new cultivation systems require ongoing research. A new branch at Proeftuin Zwaagdijk is the research into green pesticides. This is important, because it is popular with consumers and retailers. In the development of new methods and techniques, Proeftuin Zwaagdijk works closely with the companies that will eventually use them. In this manner, and through regular customer satisfaction surveys, the company is guaranteed to retain its connection to reality. The list of innovations to which Proeftuin Zwaagdijk contributes is impressive. We are seeing – in addition to what has already been mentioned – LED projects in greenhouses, hydroponic growing systems and multilayer cultivation; all developments that are of great importance for many of the companies on this list. Demokwekerij (demo nursery) Westland also plays a nice role. This too makes Proeftuin Zwaagdijk a major player in the new Greenport Horti Campus project, where business, education and research come together. This modern experimental garden is a key driver behind the development of the sector.

81 (84) Arcadia Category production Total turnover €14,800,000 Employees 30 www.arcadiachrysanten.nl

Arcadia is another, Greek, name for Utopia. A perfect land full of flowers, fruits and forests. A fantasy world with clear water, birdsong and eternal summer. This is what we read on the website of this leading chrysanthemum grower. The real world is unfortunately somewhat less idyllic. In real life, you just have to do your very best and make sure you continue to surprise your customers with new products every time; something at which Arcadia is doing a great job. So much so, that the company won gold earlier this year in Essen, at the International Grower of the Year awards, in the cut flowers category. It is the culmination of hard work and good results. Arcadia is positioning itself more and more as the undisputed specialist in the field of chrysanthemums. Its range is continuously expanded, replenished and renewed at the company’s own locations or in cooperation with fellow chrysanthemum growers. Plans are already being made with an eye on the growing movement toward direct (i.e. online) sales. Growth has remained constant since 2007, and Arcadia currently produces 25 times(!) as much as it did in that year. This requires the most modern new building, so acreage was added again in 2016.

Noteworthy here is that Arcadia was the first in its sector to apply The New Cultivation. The world is no Arcadia, but the world certainly is kind to Arcadia.

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Delft Research Group

Category services Total turnover €8,400,000 Employees total 70 Employees NL 68 www.agrocontrol.nl

The Delft Research Group focuses on two themes: optimal plant production and product quality, and optimum food safety. These are themes in which advanced technology increasingly plays a role. It is therefore not surprising that the group, based on the three pillars of Groen Agro Control, FytoConsult and Agro Expertiseburo, is increasingly developing into a high-tech service provider and advisor. This has led to, among other things, a breakthrough in the study of the pathogenic Ralstonia type 3 in roses. The search for an economically viable production of astaxanthin from algae is also very interesting. The development of technology to produce crops and clean water in space underscores the fact that the sky is the limit in this research.

That feat was good for the Space-MATCH award of the Netherlands Space Office. This space technology is also valuable for optimal plant production on Earth, and therefore has concrete applications. It goes to show what the ambitions are. Two new affiliates make the family even more complete: Sendot Research, which specialises in the development and production of sensors, and the Foundation Control in Food & Flowers, a research institute focusing on strategic research into the production and quality of food.

A year full of beautiful new developments, rewarded with a substantial climb on our list.

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Schoneveld Breeding

Category youngplants Total turnover €11,100,000 Employees total 200 Employees NL 110 www.schoneveld-breeding.com

Schoneveld Breeding writes in its submission that it is focusing on the organic connection in the horticultural supply chain, horizontally and vertically. That is only a small step towards a network approach!

The company wants to transform from ‘product-oriented’ toward ‘relationship-oriented’. Everything is geared to placing the grower in a good market position. This is all very much based on consumer demands.

An initiative like www.deinspiratietafel.nl plays an important role here.

A larger foothold is successfully being acquired outside Europe, gradually adding India and Iran to the picture. There is currently a strong focus on a worldwide ‘revival of the cyclamen.’ Globally speaking, Schoneveld Breeding is one of the big players in this area. The firm positions of primrose, ranunculus and campanula provide much needed diversification. Net sales have risen year on year, but the EBITDA is not yet what it was in the golden period. There is no need to panic, as ‘no pain, no gain’. We expect Schoneveld Breeding to rise again in the coming years. Recently, much has been saved in order to realise the new strategic location along the A1 towards Germany. Und dann geht es los.

Top 100 |

78 (–) Category production Total turnover €45,900,000 Employees 101 www.groenteproductions.com

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 23

Van Dijck Groenteproducties

This new venture in the Hillenraad100 is the driving force behind Lidl’s successful fruit and vegetable department, and is thus a major European player. The Limburg company grows iceberg lettuce, endive, broccoli, bok choy, mini romana, spinach, kale and Chinese cabbage on more than 1,500 hectares(!). Many of these field crops are staples of regular consumer purchases, but the whims of nature also make these risky products in terms of delivery assurance. Van Dijck Groenteproducties and Lidl have found a strong partner in one another; the one as a supplier who will do anything for consistent supply and quality, the other as a robust customer. Significant investments were made in order to meet high customer demands. The five scattered offices have been reduced to one central location with a total of 25,000 m2 of new production and storage facilities and state of the art machinery. For the financing thereof, Van Dijck Groenteproducties teamed up with an investment bank, together with the company bank. The company has already grown steadily for a number of years and may even continue to grow further. Europe is open to this newcomer to our list from the Dutch America. It underscores the fact that Hillenraad has expanded its horizons when it comes to greenhouse horticulture.

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Anco pure Vanda

Category production Total turnover €8,500,000 Employees 25 www.anco-pure-vanda.nl

Anco pure Vanda is definitely something of a rock star in our industry.

Few entrepreneurs succeed in appearing as often on the catwalk or at celebrity parties with their product. But when it comes to trade with the once lucrative Russian market, the lustre of the ‘jewel among the orchids’ has somewhat faded as a result of the changing economic tide. In the US, on the other hand, things are going much better, thanks in part to the custom packaging and private courier service to that country. There is also no erratic auction clock, a channel Anco pure Vanda would prefer to rid itself of as soon as possible. In the Netherlands, Anco pure Vanda can see that the outlet is under pressure due to florists and garden centres. This and the growing competition are reason to change tactics and transform Anco pure Vanda into a ‘gift factory’. To this end, the Vanique No.3 was developed.

This is a unique gift box consisting of three exclusive Vandas in luxurious packaging, a ‘Chanel-worthy’ presentation. This transition creates a threshold that – it sounds paradoxical – makes the Vanda so attractive that some consumers doubt its natural authenticity. In order to reach a larger audience than just the well-to-do, Anco pure Vanda participated for the first time in 25 years in ‘Kom in de Kas’ (Get into the Greenhouse). And it worked, because as many as 35,000 people visited the greenhouse. The ambition remains to position a global consumer brand at the highest level, but Steef van Adrichem and Ed Helderman are acutely aware of the fact that winning this position requires hard work.

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ZON fruit & vegetables

Category sales cooperative Total turnover €329,700,000 Employees 129 www.royalzon.com

ZON has been able to hold its own on the list for years. We are seeing a few businesses outdistance the cooperative, but ZON itself is not sitting still, either. Although 2015 saw great pricing, the turnover ended up a fraction lower due to smaller volumes than had been predicted. No reason to panic.

However, the departure of Wijnen Square Crops for Harvest House really is a shame. Wijnen Square Crops is one of the largest bell pepper cultivation businesses in the Netherlands and for years, it was purveyor to the Royal ZON. This might have been the final push that ZON needed to join the Federatie VruchtgroenteOrganisaties (Federation of Fruiting Vegetable Organisations; FVO), a great club consisting of Best of Four, Coforta/ The Greenery, DOOR Harvest House and Van Nature. With the addition of ZON, the six largest greenhouse cultivation organisations are united.

Their collective goal is to put the Netherlands on the map as the European supplier of high-quality fruiting vegetables. Through FVO, ZON has the opportunity to market bell peppers in China. Closer to home, investments were made in acquiring an even stronger position in the blueberry market in 2015. ZON is looking to thoroughly reap the fruits of the ‘hype’ surrounding soft fruit and strawberries are a blockbuster. Moreover, together with all that success, 10 new ‘inhabitants’ were welcomed to Fresh Park Venlo.

ZON is doing well.

75 (80) Plantenkwekerij Van der Lugt/WPK Category youngplants Total turnover €38,000,000 Employees 122 www.vanderlugt.com www.wpk.nl

‘How can we remain an attractive partner for our partners that are becoming bigger and bigger, and who are conquering the world?’ That’s the driving question of Plantenkwekerij Van der Lugt/WPK. These relationships require more expertise, size, and professionalism. Management was therefore strengthened and the entrepreneurs of Plantenkwekerij Van der Lugt/WPK work together as one on the basis of a balanced gross margin calculation model. This allows you to optimally combine business operations, focus on international operations and still maintain your own real estate, finances and balance sheet. The product range now includes propagation materials for greenhouse and open-soil horticulture. Potted plants under the label House & Garden, snack vegetable range Snacker Funfoods and the extended cultivation of ornamental plants and flowers complete the annual schedule. The development of the entirely new Plantfactory has been very interesting. It focuses on an entirely new area for Plantenkwekerij Van der Lugt/WPK: helping foreign propagation companies to improve the quality of their propagation materials through knowledge transfer and sharing technological expertise. This is already happening in New Zealand, India and Canada, creating a completely new network and, in time, possibly a new business unit. This combination is achieving great results here.

Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 25

74 (82) Groenland Category trade Total turnover €76,100,000 Employees 35 www.groenland-bv.nl

‘The courage to grow green,’ is Groenland’s mission. Last year the company entered our list under the name Celieplant, but that name only covers part of the company. CEO John Celie et al. set up the holding company Groenland on 1 January 2016. ‘Groenland Brands’ Bouquetnet, Celieplant, GreenChain and Green2B are built on this. In June of this year, the company Bloominess from Kudelstaart was added to this quartet. Groenland emphatically does not see its role as a dominant party that sends edicts to various subsidiaries. On the contrary. Groenland sees itself as a breeding ground in which its subsidiaries can thrive and grow. Groenland’s ambition is the real deal. The goal is to quickly move up to the 100 million in sales category.

Greenland believes that this growth can mainly be achieved through a focus on the supermarket and retail channels. Consumers are increasingly becoming one-stop shoppers, a trend that will be at the expense of the florist’s position. It is therefore unsurprising that Bouquetnet and Celieplant are focusing on the retail sector in particular. GreenChain is a digital marketplace, a rapid link between growers and end customers. Of the original foursome, Green2B is the specialist in online marketing. Now that Bloominess has come aboard, it is time for the next leap forward. This is a player to keep an eye on.

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Viscon Group

Category supplies Total turnover €25,400,000 Employees total 198 Employees NL 195 International branches 2 www.viscongroup.eu

The Viscon Group also sees that the world is changing rapidly. Technology allows for more and more, but the bandwidth of what some customers in different parts of the world are demanding is also increasing. Viscon Group is therefore busily changing gear in order to keep up with those movements. The mere provision of machinery is no longer enough, it is all about integrated system solutions. Today, what is needed are the right combinations with other players in your network and the exploitation of innovations from the startup world. The complete product range for horticulture is divided between the following companies: Visser Horti Systems, Viscon Fresh Produce, Viscon Hydroponics, ViVi and Visser Supplies, each of which is working intensively on improvement and innovation. For example, all machinery that Visser Horti Systems supplies has been radically renewed, while Viscon Hydroponics is focusing on the promising market for ‘deep water culture’. ViVi is specialised in multilayer cultivation under LED lighting, which, incidentally, is also the origin of the clever innovation ViVi Verte. The latter involves lettuce grown in a bag that is also the end packaging. Visser Supplies is also making significant steps into the retail world with new brands WaterWick Inside and PlantButler.

The sum of these changes is a Viscon Group that is confronting these new times full of verve.

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Gipmans Planten

Category youngplants Total turnover €39,300,000 Employees 112 www.gipmans.nl

While Gipmans Planten was extensively profiled in an interview last year, this year we had to make do with a single sheet of A4 paper. This is remarkable, because surely a large and trendsetting company with so much going on would want to let the world know about it? So this year we will have to settle for a short e-mail, a YouTube video in which the new building on the Weselseweg can be seen, and a download of the ‘Zelfverklaring’ (Self-Declaration) ISO26000. The organisation was examined and described from a CSR perspective using various beautiful infographics. Particularly noteworthy is the infographic showing the growth of the production area, from 1971 to 2016. This curve strongly resembles that of exponential growth: it suddenly shoots upwards. Naturally, goals have been set in terms of sustainability until the year 2020. Examples include a strong reduction in the use of pesticides, 100% recirculation of water and fertilizers, the introduction of The New Cultivation and achievement of the GSPP certification in 2020 as the apotheosis. Anyway, we do not actually know how things went in 2015. In our humble opinion that lack of transparency is a missed opportunity and a reason for a drop on our list.

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Royal Van Zanten

Category youngplants Total turnover €66,000,000 Employees total 1,441 Employees NL 241 International branches 8 www.royalvanzanten.com

Royal Van Zanten is like a marathon runner who first runs many, many kilometres before grabbing the win. In the world of cultivation, the trick is to exclusively focus for many years on where you want to go. This is precisely what Royal Van Zanten does, step by step. After all, as the company itself writes: ‘Our consistent focus on cultivating propagation materials for floriculture is paying off.’ There is growth in all areas. To begin with, we see it in the chrysanthemums market, particularly in a country that is of great importance to this product: Colombia. From this now peaceful and stable country, the massive US market is served via Miami. Additionally, having its own processing location in Medellín has proven to be a good move. Royal Van Zanten is also on the rise in Colombia with alstroemeria.

Good business is being done here with exclusive cultivation/market combinations. The good old cut chrysanthemum is also doing very well in the Netherlands. And the small niche product bouvardia is also showing good growth. This is partly due to a successful innovation in collaboration with Kwekerij Chrywijk. The new ‘central branch’ cultivation has grown from 1 to 5 hectares in one year. Lily bulbs also noted a nice plus. It is no wonder that Royal Van Zanten remains such an attractive employer for young talent. A good product, an international market, growth and stability, what more could you want? Perhaps a few positions higher? Unfortunately, these spots on the list are very crowded this year.

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Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 27

70 (60) Delphy Category services Total turnover €26,700,000 Employees total 221 Employees NL 160 International branches 13 www.delphy.nl

What a clever idea: transforming the old name DLV (De-eL-Ve) to the internationally much better sounding Delphy. It is also a nice reference to the classic oracle, predictor of things to come. The name shows the company’s international ambitions, articulated in ‘Worldwide Expertise for Food & Flowers’. Delphy operates on the basis of the strategic plan that has been given the name Focus2020. This plan is based less on consulting activities in the Netherlands and more on R&D activities commissioned by private clients. The industry is changing and Delphy must follow. Delphy has been transformed into a network organisation that draws and creates multiple connections in many places. Employees are judged on sales, personal development and contribution to the continuity of the company.

This is sorely needed, because even though it proudly reported that it has 8,000 Dutch customers, we all know that the number of entrepreneurs in Food & Flowers in our country is rapidly decreasing. This requires a change of course. Remarkable, and a model of being able to think disruptively, is a project that comes from participating in the Lean Startup innovation process. This project aims to make consultants, which are exactly what made Delphy big, superfluous through the use of, among other things, sensor technologies and smart AI (Artificial Intelligence) computers.

With these developments in sight, it is questionable whether the current organisation is providing the best answers to them. We are also receiving signals of higher personnel turnover in the organisation. In short, Delphy is booking less progress than in previous years, and in a highly competitive environment, this means it has taken a few steps back.

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Olympic Food Group

Category trade Total turnover €158,500,000 Employees 224 www.olympicfoodgroup.com

The Olympic Food Group’s new website looks like the herald of a new start. And that is essentially what it is. Thijs van den Heuvel has passed the baton to the new CEO Albert Knol. The founder will (thankfully) stay on board and will focus on sourcing. The goal is to bring sourcing to the next level with its own nurseries in South Africa, Ethiopia and the Balkans.

Precisely this sourcing has always been the strength of the Olympic Food Group, a company that made it big with Greek grapes. In order to tightly control the organisation, it now distinguishes between sourcing and trading. As the new general manager, Albert Knol is in full control of the trade branch. To complete the picture, distant markets are served with FreshPride. The initial strategy of becoming a total fresh supplier for the retail sector has been abandoned. The group is returning to its core: a specialist in grapes, citrus, kiwi fruit and stone fruit, but then with year round excellence and products from growers who supply according to the season. In this case, you need to source globally in all climate and time zones, which requires scale and continuous supply. Unburdening your customer if a product is widely available is something anyone can do, but if there is scarcity during the season, you can make the difference.

This company is first making a clean sweep in order to realise this strategy, hopefully followed by full steam ahead.

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De Jong Verpakking

Category supplies Total turnover €119,600,000 Employees 158 www.dejongverpakking.com

De Jong Verpakking has been on our radar for a number of years. After all, wherever you are in the fruit and vegetable world, you will likely encounter packaging by De Jong Verpakking. It is by far the largest independent producer of corrugated cardboard in the Netherlands, with a production of about 300 million packages per year, which are put together by some 250 employees. The company also optionally provides the required assembly machines. The UK is its next conquest, as an entry point has been found there. This is the result of a successful promotion at the London Produce Show. Albion fell for both the products of De Jong Verpakking as for the presentation featuring ‘pretty girls and fast cars’, as commercial director Arie Barendregt describes it. Noteworthy is the fact that De Jong Verpakking is not ostentatious about all this success. It prefers to operate in silence, but a company of this size ultimately cannot avoid the spotlight and necessary attention. The new listing in the Hillenraad100 may well lead to even more new markets, as the English version is ordered and read in many countries.

67 (71) Adomex Category trade Total turnover €101,000,000 Employees total 110 Employees NL 105 International branches 1 www.adomex.nl

Adomex effortlessly maintains a nice place on our list. Not through ostentatious behaviour, but by solidly building itself an ever stronger market position. The company is thus synonymous with its product: not immediately noticeable, but you would miss it if it was gone. The figures for 2015 look convincing and a growth in market share has been achieved. In all respects, the company has a professional solution to the development of its distinctive position in decorative greenery. For that purpose, employees are extensively trained in marketing and innovation, and are a source of inspiration for customers. Adomex thereby makes intensive use of insight into the overall customer journey, which it then responds to through e-commerce. A modern enterprise really can no longer do without. Based on the insights gained, the necessary changes in packaging or presentation, for example, are being made. In this way, private labels have clearly conquered their own place in the market, and Adomex is strong at brand packaging for customers. In order to stay on top of the ball, the cycle of performance evaluation will run continuously. The motto ‘The Power of Green’ fits perfectly with this strong niche player, an indispensable source of decoration for many customers.

Making the impossible possible.

For more than 35 years we have provided our customers with organic solutions for rooting and growing. In all our activities we have always been motivated by our constant search for new solutions, in short: innovation.

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Royal Brinkman | ’s-Gravenzande | The Netherlands

Top 100 |

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 29

Artemis Nurseries

Category youngplants Total turnover €65,400,000 Employees total 136 Employees NL 64 International branches 6 www.artemisnurseries.com

Staay Food Group

Category trade Total turnover €432,128,000 Employees 343 Employees BTL 9 International branches 9 www.staayfoodgroup.com

Four independent subsidiaries are active under the banner of Artemis Nurseries: Van den Bos Holding, Southern Bulbs SA Chile, Leliekwekerij De Plas and Artemis Lilies. The focus is on ‘creating the best lily bulbs and lily flower company in the world’, while strong positions in freesias, tulips and zantedeschia are also being realised. This first requires some serious cultivation, particularly at Van den Bos. That proved to be necessary in order to be able to move along smoothly in an ever volatile market.

The new network structure has led to a much higher volume at much lower staffing. The net result improved structurally, with good prospects for the near future. On the marketing side, the company is scouring the globe, which has in the past year resulted in the signing of 10 big new customers in 5 new countries. In terms of production and processing, significant investments have been made in state-of-the-art technology in both Chile and the Netherlands. Through this array of activities, Artemis Nurseries is slowly but surely growing into a global player. This is also reflected in the turnaround in sales and profits, which are currently developing in the right direction. Grounds for another step up on the list.

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Rockwool GRODAN

Category supplies Total turnover €374,300,000 Turnover H100-Q €100,000,000* Employees total 98 Employees NL 49 International branches 5 www.grodan.com

Grodan has a clear vision of its purpose: to contribute to providing healthy food for the growing world population and to respond to the growing global shortage of water and raw materials. The clearly formulated ‘Why’ has led to the Precision Growing Principle: doing more with less, and doing it better. Based on that ‘Why’, it is of course not surprising that Grodan is in dialogue with stakeholders such as the World Wildlife Fund. Growth is fine, but it must be sustainable growth. Grodan is also one of the few players permitted to use the EU Ecolabel. Grodan is definitely sustainable in an economic sense, because sales and results here have gone up year after year. We estimate the market share to be significantly above 50%. If we have been well informed, this superpower has been a leader in mineral wool substrate for 48 years already. But this is no reason to rest on its laurels.

Employees are continuously evaluated and kept sharp, partly through the Grodan University. Constant work is being done on product innovations, like the NG2.0 Technology and GroSens Multi Sensor. Growers can use the latter to collect and adjust big data. In many areas, Grodan is reaching an ‘all-time high’, but that does not apply to products for the cultivation of legalised medical cannabis in the US. In the cultivation of medical cannabis the ‘high’ content of the product is kept deliberately low. This is a good example of the unique market position Grodan holds.

The results and activities of the Staay Food Group look just as good as its new website. It shows quite well what a global club this is, with operations reaching as far as New Zealand. Being highly aware of what is going on in the world allows you to see in advance that something is going wrong somewhere, enabling you to change course. The rigorous loss of trade with Russia has therefore been responded to relatively smoothly. The Staay Food Group always sees new opportunities and possibilities. Proof of this is the construction of Fresh Care Convenience in Dronten, an ultra-modern company for cutting vegetables and preparing salads. With clients such as Aldi, you have to think big and act big. Following on from this is its pilot with multilayer cultivation of lettuce. Along with CAH Vilentum University of Applied Sciences and other knowledge institutions, a modern multilayered LED unit is being built that will deliver lettuce directly to Fresh Care.

This appears to be a good strategic move. Meanwhile, more work has been done with regard to sourcing at the group’s private farms and with regard to sales at regional sales offices. For example, in June of this year, the cooperation with Beej Benders was confirmed. This is a new fresh produce market in Venlo, which will open its doors in late 2016. The ambition to be among the winners is firmly entrenched here and if the results get back to their desired levels again, there will be room to climb on the list.

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Van der Knaap Group

Category supplies Total turnover €42,800,000 Employees total 464 Employees NL 89 International branches 7 www.vanderknaap.eu

The number of innovations that the Van der Knaap Group has recently put on the market adds up to quite a list. They include the likes of the Fibre-Neth Twin 3.0 for the cultivation of Phalaenopsis, the Obturo plug, KOS 073 (a new orchid substrate), the new line of soil products under the name Growing Soilutions, and Coco Discs (discs of coconut fibre compost).

With all these innovations (and incidentally, there are more than we have included here) we should certainly mention the nitrate nitrogen reactor for organic crops. This makes it possible to grow organically independent of the soil, without causing a shortage of nitrate nitrogen. The patent has been requested and it is time to scale up cultivation trials. All this may well lead to significant breakthroughs. It goes to show that the four business units are encouraged wherever possible to produce innovations and process improvements, and this is clearly bearing fruit. The group is internationally widespread, with seven foreign offices at present. Ties are particularly strong with India and Sri Lanka. The Van der Knaap Group is aware that the conditions in those countries are different than here and is also committed to improving the quality of life there. Together with the Dutch development bank FMO, the branches there have been heavily scrutinised. This has led to an improvement of the (waste) water management system. This giant in growth and rooting materials also clearly cares about Mother Earth.

Top 100 |

30 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

62 (–) Aartsenfruit Category trade Total turnover €151,000,000 Employees total 119 Employees NL 101 International branches 2 www.aartsenfruit.com

The highest new entry in our list has arguably the best tagline: ‘When it comes to fresh, Aartsenfruit is freshest of all/goes further than anyone’.

And apparently not only in quality but also with regard to markets. Europe and Asia are served by this wonderful Breda-based company, with offices in Venlo, Belgium and China. The company already celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007, and could easily bear the title ‘Royal.’ So why are we only seeing Aartsenfruit appearing in the Hillenraad100 now? There are two reasons. On the one hand, we are ourselves looking at more than just greenhouse products now; on the other hand, fruit is currently very ‘hot’.

Just look at this year’s number 2, which made a similar giant leap, seemingly out of nowhere. Aartsenfruit’s performance in Asia is very impressive.

It recorded a strong sales increase there. So strong in fact that it completely made up for the disappointment of its Russian –- something that Aartsenfruit itself has no influence on. And all of this while the Hong Kong sales office has only been running for four years. Aartsenfruit looks modern and contemporary in every way, up to and including its beautiful magazine Refresh. Almost old-fashioned, however, is its hesitance to experiment.

What works, works. In this way, customers have been pampered for decades and Aartsenfruit would like to keep it that way. Everything and everyone is highly focused. Aartsenfruit does indeed want to go furthest in terms of service, quality and customer satisfaction. It took a while, but here is an absolute asset to this list.

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Hessing Supervers

Category processing Total turnover €211,700,000 Employees 767 www.hessingsupervers.nl

Hessing Supervers entered our list for the first time last year at number 76, after the family re-acquired a majority stake. This position means the company has essentially left approximately 9,924 companies in the Dutch horticultural industry behind it, which is a great achievement.

Nevertheless, vegetable processor Hessing Supervers was disappointed with its ranking. As ‘punishment’, we are no longer being provided with information, which is unfortunate. So we have had to rely on external sources, which show us that the 2014 results are indeed very solid, but unfortunately, we do not have full insight into the progress and results of 2015. The Committee of Experts has however managed to convince us that the company is on the rise. What we particularly like is the fact that an intensive programme has been set up to scale up the supplying growers to higher health standards. The decision to measure those standards by the standards of the ‘Milieukeur’ (an eco-label), the hallmark of the eponymous foundation, is admirable. Hessing Supervers wants to produce in a manner that is healthy for both people and the environment. The company has therefore done all it could to get the growers in Spain on board with this as well. The position this year is mainly attributable to an excessively cautious ranking in the previous edition. Next year, we hope to give a full report again.

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Dool Industries

Category supplies Total turnover €65,000,000 Turnover H100-Q €50,700,000 Employees total 151 Employees NL 132 International branches 1 www.doolindustries.com

Technological developments in the horticultural industry in the field of controlled growing systems are moving fast, very fast. So, how do you respond to that as a (new) horticultural entrepreneur? Well, you aim for security in the form of a partner that knows about cutting-edge technology, has decades of experience in lighting, and that has a local presence. That is the power of Dool Industries and it explains why this technical supplier is growing. The news that stood out was the strategic acquisitions of Raymax, Lights Interaction Agro, and B&W Installaties, which made Hortilux Schréder a comprehensive supplier of assimilation lighting systems in one fell swoop, fully realising the roll it was aiming for. The company sees assimilation lighting as a comprehensive system concerning the right balance between light intensity, crop growth and energy consumption. And it has a clear strategy here, namely to design, supply, install, manage and maintain these solutions. Even in Russia, where darkness abounds, they have noticed this fact. So, a Moscow branch was opened, which is a great addition to the already strong position on the North American market, PL Light Systems’ home base. All those clients are looking for sustainable and cost-efficient solutions, which Dool Industries is offering in the form of LED lighting.

Also, if the customer wants a high-pressure sodium fixture, the company will supply that as well (for the time being). Yes, we are pleased with this change of course

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Metazet FormFlex

Category supplies Total turnover €42,400,000 Turnover H100-Q €38,160,000 Employees total 148 Employees NL 70 International branches 12 www.metazet.com

Metazet Formflex is not the most prominent company on the list, but one that is calmly taking steps forward. Its mission is described as ‘improving growing conditions worldwide’. To this end, Metazet Formflex also opts for the smart strategy of adaptation: adapt your product to the needs of different regions around the world. One customer requires a high-tech solution, while the other is still at the stage of simple mechanical systems.

Market demands are the determining factor and they inspired Metazet Formflex to innovations like an automatic vibration system and a flexible raspberry system. Given the local approach, it is logical that Metazet Formflex is focusing strongly on sales offices in emerging markets. China is seen as one of the vanguard countries in this. Metazet Formflex works with strategic partners like Viscon and Micothon in various countries and regions to arrive at local solutions. Noteworthy: the R&D budget is shared wherever necessary and possible with these strategic partners as well. You can move faster together and speed to market is after all one of the essential requirements in this rapidly changing world. Such close cooperation with colleagues from the sector led to the creation of the award-winning FutaGrow system, among other things. All that dynamism and innovation requires a continuous supply of new technical talent. To this end, Metazet Formflex has close ties with MBO (Intermediate Vocational Education) and HBO (Higher Vocational Education) institutions and has something truly beautiful to offer this talent: a(n) (international) career with a leading company.

Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 31

58 (55) Horticoop Category supplies Total turnover €171,900,000 Employees 403 www.horticoop.nl

Horticoop is proud to announce that it is the only cooperative supplier with a complete package of horticultural supplies. That can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, the cooperative idea is and remains a powerful tool. We even see it come up in other sectors, e.g. the ‘bread funds’ maintained by freelancers. But, on the other hand, can a Dutch cooperative make the difference in a rapidly globalising horticultural sector, while simultaneously, its growers and members in the Netherlands are declining rapidly? Horticoop sees itself as a ‘beacon of certainty, knowledge and reliability’. With a strongly declining number of members, sales remain stable, however, which shows exactly where horticulture and Horticoop stand today. Small growers are falling by the wayside, while the big players remain. They are demanding and require in-depth expertise, advice and service. You need more people for that. This forces Horticoop to be highly focused to continue to make healthy returns for the company and its members. Horticoop is proving itself to be perfectly capable of consolidating its place in the horticulture sector. But how will things look when only a few hundred members remain?

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HillFresh Holding

Category trade Total turnover €185,600,000 Employees total 140 Employees NL 129 International branches 7 www.hillfresh.eu

In 2015, HillFresh discovered that growing up is a matter of trial and error.

Sometimes, projects do not go as well as you had expected. In those cases, you just have to lick your wounds, accept your losses and move on. There are also setbacks over which you have no control, such as the Russian boycott. Export plans with Fresh Direct Spain were adjusted out of necessity as a result, because this facility was designed to deal directly with Russia from Spain. HillFresh Italy is –for a different reason, incidentally – closed and HillFresh France also failed to fully get off the ground in 2015. The group did however show a growth in turnover, with a single disappointing EBITDA for 2015. What caused this sales growth?

Simple: regular trade. It is doing good business under the label ‘Always Tasty’. We are hearing more hopeful news from the field of the trade in persimmons, the intended successor to the (hyped) kiwi, berries and avocados series. The persimmon’s potential is so great that HillFresh even invests in its own production. Much of the trade to Canada, Brazil, the Middle East and the Far East now runs through HillFresh Spain, which was transformed for this exact purpose. This transformation required significant investments, but sometimes you just have to suffer the pain. This will undoubtedly yield a nice increase next year.

56 (56) Category trade Total turnover €55,400,000 Employees 112 www.vangeldernederland.nl

Van Gelder groente & fruit

This rising star at the forefront of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables is returning to where it all began in the 1950s. A plot of 3.7 hectares has been purchased in Nieuw Reijerwaard, on which a new building, needed to keep

up with the rapid growth of the company, will rise. This growth is due to the tireless marketing of Van Gelder groente & fruit and makes clear how much fresh, fresh, and nothing but fresh fits the lifestyle of modern consumers.

We are seeing initiatives such as ‘Variatie in de Keuken’ (Variation in the Kitchen; a collaboration with the university Wageningen UR). We are seeing snack products for canteens and catering such as ‘Kleintje Vers’ (snack packs of fresh fruit and vegetables) and ‘BijtRijp’ (ready to eat fruit). Another clever innovation is the concept Veggie Time, which shows children the importance of fresh produce as early as in nursery school. ‘Our products reach thousands of professional kitchens. We have therefore indirectly affected the lifestyle of hundreds of thousands of consumers,’ the company writes. This leads to growth in sales and volume, and makes us hungry for more. The wealth of ideas of the more than 300 employees is used to inject even more innovation into the market. The company’s philosophy is that more vegetables and less meat is good for both individual consumers and Mother Earth. The range is widening and now also focused on organic cultivation. There is substantial growth, but we wonder whether the organisation can keep up with itself; it certainly would not be for lack of trying on Gerrit van Gelder’s part.

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Jiffy Group

Category supplies Total turnover €73,000,000 Employees total 208 Employees NL 130 International branches 10 www.jiffygroup.com

After a strategic reorientation and adjustment of the mission statement, Jiffy is now more than ever focused on marketing and sales. Jiffy wants to be a stable partner in the development and marketing of retail concepts.

To do so more than ever requires solid communication with customers and consumers to hear what is going on. Co-creation with the customer led to the creation of the successful easyGrow concept, whose growing success has made it hungry for more. In the US, the FlowerPillow, introduced to the market by Proven Winners, has proven to be a ‘winner’. The appointment of a retail concept development manager indicates that Jiffy is serious about this direction. Sometimes, other reasons lead to product development, such as increasing scarcity of German peat. This has led to the new product FORMiT. The guiding principle here is striving for a circular economy, renewable raw materials that give real substance to the terms cradle-tocradle and local-for-local. Investment and modernisation in Estonia, Canada, the US and the Netherlands should lead to sustainable growth, ambitiously described by the Norwegian management in the ‘1 billion plan’. A turnover of 1 billion Norwegian kroner by the end of 2018 is expected, but let us first see whether 2016 will provide better turnover and sales results than 2015.

54 (33) Afriflora Category trade Total turnover €43,000,000 Employees 40 www.afriflora.nl

We wrote last year that the openness of Afriflora in 2013 would probably be short-lived. And indeed, we received no information this year.

The Committee of Experts believes that this does not suit a company of this size; a respectable company, it believes, has a certain accountability to society. Even if only to stay ahead of the rumour mill, which ‘scores news’ in these times of social media and is highly excitable, thereby sometimes losing track of reality. The latter happened quite thoroughly to Afriflora, which a broadcast of Zembla portrayed as a company that does not take sustainability and social awareness/responsibility very seriously in Africa.

Zembla claimed that the production of Sher Ethiopia resulted in the draining of a river, creation of waste water allegedly containing harmful substances,

www.jiffygroup.com

• Loose fill Substrates • Stabilises in Tray

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Top 100 | and that staff pay was too low. Afriflora hit back in May of this year by posting an extensive rebuttal on its website. However, it is not Zembla’s opinion that has led to the significant drop in the list. We believe the company plays plenty of attention to its employees and that Afriflora has adequate awareness of organic pesticides, with a solid partner like Koppert Biological on its side. The main reason for the drop is that its publicly available financial statements show a sharp decline in results. Since we are not able to clarify the decline, we have to drop Afriflora in our list.

53 (58) Certhon Category supplies Total turnover €51,200,000 Employees total 100 Employees NL 97 International branches 2 www.certhon.com

This technical supplier is undergoing an impressive development.

Key words here are creativity and innovation, and heavy demands are being placed on the entrepreneurial skills of the employees. Certhon does not want to follow trends as much as it would like to start trends itself.

This Poeldijk company is at the forefront when it comes to the development of the PlantyFood growth cell, which makes it possible to grow and cultivate without daylight. The plants gave their first cucumber harvest in April. This innovation is not seen as a destination – do consumers want a product that has not been grown under purely natural conditions? – but as a prelude to breakthrough innovations in climate and lighting. The fact that that the cucumber was first, indicates that Certhon has moved beyond lettuce and herbs. We are also seeing new technologies for the production of and research into sugar beets and freesia. The combination of ‘point technology’ and ‘agronomic support’ leads to new revenue models and marketing opportunities based on the ROI-key formula: guaranteed returns for clients. This is hugely appealing to (new) foreign clients. Certhon has also become active in, among other places, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania and Georgia. Meanwhile, in Russia, the Minister of Agriculture opened a Certhon greenhouse that in that country ‘has no equal in terms of technology’.This progress puts high demands on employees; can everyone continue to keep up the pace and level? Will we see next year a similar climb?

52 (52) Floricultura Category youngplants Total turnover €63,000,000 Employees 600 www.floricultura.nl

Floricultura is primarily a closed book for us, but on Facebook things are a different story. Thanks to the most likes within the framework of the Stigas ‘Gezond & Vitaal Werken Prijs’ (Stigas Health & Vitality Award) Floricultura won the public award. Apparently, this company pays a considerable amount of attention to a healthy working environment. We also know that the annual seminar ‘A world to win’ was a success, but nothing else has been shared with us. This is unmistakably a top company, a top 3 player in their corner of the sector. In our investigation, important issues remained unaddressed, and the company would normally have dropped on the list as a result, but the Committee of Experts was convinced that this company is better than the conclusion of the investigation suggests. The result: it remains unchanged at position 52. Maybe invite us round for coffee next year?

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 33

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Dalsem Group

Category supplies Total turnover €60,900,000 Employees 93 www.dalsem.com

‘Feed and flower the world’ is the message Dalsem Complete Greenhouse Projects is broadcasting in its latest corporate video on YouTube. The film rightly begins where it really all begins: the shop floor. The video marks the end of the years of silence in which Dalsem worked. Its road leads mainly to Russia and the former CIS regions, where many large projects are being realised. Dalsem is therefore, like its professional colleagues, going through a process of internationalisation. The Dutch market has long been out of the picture for this company, which quite possibly makes the Dalsem Group the most international horticultural project provider on our list. Dalsem has become a household name in every corner of the globe. The Committee of Experts particularly liked the fact that while the company may not be the most innovative player, it does achieve the best results. ‘Not everyone needs to have the very latest thing. The Dalsem Group cleverly targets the markets with the greatest potential,’ noted one committee member. One absolute USP is the fact that everything is conceived and manufactured in-house, which is precisely what the (foreign) market wants: lean and mean. The company assesses each location to determine the smartest way to carry out a project, with maximum use of local input. The sales apparatus of Dalsem is unsurpassed. The company is steeped in entrepreneurial thinking; business and technology are well matched to each other and brand awareness is strong globally. Where will it end?

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Syngenta Seeds

Category youngplants Total turnover €289,366,000 Employees 856 www.syngenta.com

The company information we received from Syngenta did not receive as much attention as it may have as a result of world politics. In April, it was announced that a consortium of banks, which included the Rabobank, had granted a loan of 20 billion dollars to the Chinese company ChemChina.

This Chinese chemical company needs the money for the largest Chinese acquisition in history: that of the US company Syngenta. ChemChina has its eye on this company, as China is facing the need to feed 1.4 billion Chinese.

This is a strategic and politically sensitive move. China thus appears to be eyeing a spot among the top 10 growers in the food horticulture sector.

The potential buyers emphasise that the company will not be ‘Chinafied’, but that proved to be a false promise in the past. The acquisition price of 43 billion dollars will certainly have to be recovered and the fact that a Chinese public-sector company is the buyer, is perhaps an indication of what is to come. Previously, Monsanto had already made a failed bid.

Syngenta is in the line of fire because it is profitable, but its results are under pressure due to fluctuating exchange rates. Turmoil and uncertainty about the future exchange rate has cost the company points in our assessment. Whatever ends up happening, 28,000 people are facing certain change, but not much appears to be changing in the short term for its Dutch employees. Enkhuizen is and will for the time being remain one of the major R&D centres within Syngenta for the processing of vegetables and flowers. Hotels in and around Enkhuizen will, however, receive more Chinese guests.

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The start of a new era for international horticulture Priva Kompano has been developed in a sustainable partnership between various market parties: Prigrow Tomation Foundation, Berg Hortimotive, Job Kneppers Ontwerp & Realisatie, VDL ETG Projects, Studio Blonk Visual Design, various financial contributors and of course our ‘green thumb team’: you were priceless.

Cooperation, patience, perseverance and a lot of courage were indispensable in this unique project. Priva Kompano Deleaf-Line is the start of a new era for international horticulture!

www.priva-international.com/robotics

Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 35

49 (48) Noviflora Category trade Total turnover €83,000,000 Employees total 118 Employees NL 112 International branches 2 www.noviflora.com

Noviflora opened the information it submitted with a quote from Churchill: ‘It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see.’ Looking to the future, Noviflora sees the need to focus even more on the strategy of customer intimacy. The most important markets remain Scandinavia and Switzerland. ‘Providing every customer with the right plant or flower at the right time for the right purpose,’ is the driving force behind Noviflora. To that end, category management will be employed where the customer has real time, visualised insight into shelf returns.

While other companies are currently developing their webshop and app, Noviflora is already swapping theirs for an integrated e-business platform.

The switch made in the way decentralised procurement is currently directly linked to sales is interesting. This way, you can integrate knowledge of the local culture in your range. Noviflora’s focus on retail is reflected in the acquisition of category specialist Roselife and the accession of Bert Roetert to the supervisory board, resulting in a huge influx of experience in retail and food to the company. The introduction of the The Kitchen Garden label, for certified edible plants, fits into that focus. As always, Noviflora aims for concepts where the price is not the first topic of conversation; it must be unique and distinctive. With this as its set course, Noviflora is defending its position on this list.

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W. Heemskerk

Category processing Total turnover €109,200,000 Employees 341 www.wheemskerk.nl

The Committee of Experts has much appreciation for W. Heemskerk’s powerful entrepreneurship. With the typical character of a family business, considerable tinkering is being done to the range under the powerful leadership of commercial director Jantine Star-Heemskerk. She has thus been through the mill on many levels. Jantine has actively contributed to the transition from the traditional cutting plant operations to the manufacture of complete convenience products and fresh meal salads, which are sold at retail locations and by fast food companies. These are dynamic times for a company like W. Heemskerk: consumers are in constant motion. It is very challenging to continue to responding to new demands: fresh cut fruit, wok-ready meals, and sports salads for different types of athletes. Consumers want ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook and readyto-heat, and they would rather eat seven small but healthy and nutritional meals a day than one big plate of stew. W. Heemskerk is smoothly moving with the market. Convenient combined with – healthy – this leads to good growth figures year after year. Fragile and perishable products require major investments, such as those for extra ‘high care’ areas where work can be carried out in maximum hygiene. In order to keep track of it all, an HPO programme is being worked on, while long-term agreements are nurtured with customers. A fantastic company, which has penetrated the top half of our list.

47 (59) 4Evergreen Category production Total turnover €35,500,000 Employees 48 www.4evergreen.nl

‘The pepper cultivation sector is ripe for innovation,’ says the family Grootscholte of 4Evergreen. This family business is also continuing unabated on the path of organic cultivation, a battle that must sometimes be fought against the higher powers of European politics. Fortunately, that fight is not required in the US, which makes it a wonderful market. This is a profitable path, as the production facilities continue to grow. This year, an expansion took place in Zeelandic Flanders, bringing the total acreage in the Netherlands to 60 hectares. The newest location, as we wrote about earlier, uses waste heat from a nearby fertilizer plant. That not only saves money, it also helps in the pursuit of sustainability. In 2015, we saw the twocolour pepper Enjoya entering the market, a mutant which was discovered simultaneously with fellow grower Wilfred van den Berg. It proved good for a third place at the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award. The Enjoya is marketed via a one-off collaboration between Nature’s Alliance and Harvest House. The first market signals are encouraging and it could become a global blockbuster. We can expect even more innovations from the nursery of 4Evergreen in the coming years. Sitting still is not an option; the new generation is already 100% focused. Things are going fast at 4Evergreen.

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Van VLIET Flower Group

Category trade Total turnover €134,000,000 Turnover H100-Q €93,500,000 Employees total 570 Employees NL 240 International branches 22 www.jvanvliet.com

The Van Vliet Flower Group has a clear and sharply delineated focus: to keep the connection between grower and florist as short as possible. Hence, in addition to purchasing in the Netherlands, it also has purchased offices in South America and is making direct imports from Asia, Southern Europe and Israel. On the marketing side, there is a firm belief in local hubs, located as close to the customer as possible. In the UK, its 16th Cash & Carry was recently opened, bringing the total number to 22. But the Van Vliet Flower Group also sees plenty of opportunities in the online marketing of products. This is a development the group does not want to miss out on, so it is investing heavily in and working on its webshop and app. WhatsApp and Facebook are also being utilised. The Van Vliet Flower Group wants at all costs to link up with the online developments. The advantages are obvious: online activities result in a virtual inventory with fewer (product) risks. They make the group more flexible in the interplay between supply and demand. This way of working is the future, because if you can supply a larger range, you have shorter distribution lines and can offer at even more competitive prices. The group is thereby working towards a position as a one-stop-shop provider that offers supply chain management, but it still has a little catching up to do.

For food. For flowers. For sure.

www.certhon.com

We keep on moving; the future starts today!

For you, Water Plant Nursery R. Moerings B.V. Â keeps on going forward into the future! You are very welcome to visit us at our improved nursery! More than just water plants!

Waterplantenkwekerij R. Moerings B.V. | Hellemonsdreef 1 | 4706 RD Roosendaal - NL | T +31(0)165 55 60 94 | info@moerings.nl | www.moerings.nl

Top 100 |

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 37

BVB Substrates

Category supplies Total turnover €100,600,000 Turnover H100-Q €67,400,000 Employees total 206 Employees NL 185 International branches 5 www.bvb-substrates.nl

BVB Substrates owes its steady growth to a buy & build strategy rolled out in recent years, step by step. In the various editions of the Hillenraad100, we reported on several occasions that activities had been added. The latest acquisitions were those of Florasan and Veenbaas, with which BVB Substrates finally conquered the consumer market. BVB Substrates did not announce all this news exuberantly; this company continues down its path in silence. In 2015, a new laboratory was opened in Grubbenvorst and the current laboratory in De Lier will be replaced in 2016 by a new R&D centre.

BVB Substrates is working consciously with its own laboratories that focus on research and innovation for the different product-market combinations.

The continuous investments here lead to new applications such as the hip roof garden substrate ‘Urban Scape’. These and other products from BVB Substrates are given an environmental cost indicator (MKI) to provide maximum service to customers. That is important for those affiliates who want to operate more sustainably and want to communicate this to their stakeholders. Also, the BVB College has been employed to strengthen mutual knowledge accumulation and information transfer. All in all, a stable company, with a good place on our list.

44 (39) Sion Category youngplants Total turnover €32,000,000* Employees 61 www.sion.eu

Sion spent 2015 busily planning for the future, making the organisation even more future-proof. International growth is expected, so you have to be ready for it. The integration of new talent takes some effort and energy.

However, both are needed to participate effectively in a rapidly changing world. For example, some customers wanted to switch from the traditional nursery tray to a plug tray, which Sion managed to do in only one year.

Another change is the fact that the establishment of own varieties from its own growing activities has started to become an ever-growing part of the range. However, this clashed a little too intensely with the wishes of Bremkens. Cooperation was therefore ceased with Bremkens, which negatively affected market share and revenue. There is more than just cuts to be seen at Sion; there is also planned growth, especially abroad: Brazil, the US, Turkey, and Mexico, to name but a few countries. Sion also has its eyes on the new growth market of Iran. Even with all this, Eric Moor surprisingly still finds time and energy to focus on the horticultural sector in the Netherlands. The high profile Flower Dinner put ‘the industry’ in direct contact with ‘the consumer.’ Sion brings consumers, growers, merchants, florists, garden centres and supermarkets together and thus gives real meaning to our theme this year. This building of a strong network will undoubtedly yield good results

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Porta Nova

Category production Total turnover €24,000,000* Employees 38 www.portanova.nl

Porta Nova is far ahead of its peers and wants to not only maintain this lead but also increase it further. This will certainly produce attractive results, but this year, we can only speculate about it. Because we have no insight into the market position, results and innovations of Porta Nova, this company has lost important points in our ranking. When other companies with a similar ranking do provide this, it is easy to slide down the list and that is what happened here. However, let us be clear, it remains a wonderful company with a strong focus on three very beautiful rose varieties of the highest quality. And while we already thought that quality was unsurpassed, Porta Nova itself still sees room for improvement.

Quality could be a bit more stable, as could production. Everything just has to be right, day in, day out. This applies all the way to the florist, who must be able to count 100% on receiving gorgeous roses with a very long vase life. In order to optimally ‘service’ that end of the chain (or is it really the beginning?), the sales team was expanded. This was done to ensure all the preparation isn’t cancelled out on the shop floor. In order to maintain maximum focus, the manufacturing site in Monster was closed down.

The focus is then not on cost or revenue, but on the decisive goals in cultivation, labour, organisation, and quality. Those objectives are clear and attainable at every level in the organisation. There are plans for expansion in Waddinxveen/Moerkapelle. Furthermore, there are plenty of things bubbling under the surface at Porta Nova, but the company is keeping very quiet. We hope to be pleasantly surprised next year.

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Floral Trade Group

Category trade Total turnover €170,300,000 Employees total 637 Employees NL 600 International branches 10 www.wvdplas.nl

Just before our final editing deadline, the Van der Plas Group issued two news items: as of 1 January 2017, Breedijk Blumen will join the group and as a result, the group will continue under the banner of Floral Trade Group from mid-September onwards. This is a sign that the integration and growth initiated in 2015 has been strongly followed up on. Following the merger in 2014, a great deal of effort was put into making everything fit and operational again. This went very well, partly because a new building was taken into use last year. This was like the end of a chapter, allowing the group as a whole to make a fresh start; now with a new name and with a new player on the team. 2015 was used to further examine the strategy in detail and to decide which direction to take in the coming years. The Floral Trade Group is proud of its ‘heritage’ as a traditional line rider with close personal contact with customers, but this group of course also sees that the times require more than just that. We therefore see a sophisticated webshop here as well, which is intended to become a true spearhead. Through this online approach, the company wants to keep in very personal and personalised touch with customers. This has partly led to this group having a large number of customers who make only relatively small purchases. That makes for a good distribution, but it also means you have to be sharp in every detail in the order picking and logistics processes, which is something this typical Rijnsburg company can be trusted with: hard work and beautiful results.

Top 100 |

38 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

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Royal Pride Group

Category production Total turnover €34,300,000 Employees total 132 Employees NL 62 International branches 3 www.royalpride.nl

Category sales cooperative Total turnover €681,000,000 Turnover H100-Q €361,546,000 Employees 124 www.harvesthouse.nl

If there is one company with a suitable name, it is this one. Its ambitions are royal and visionary. Led by Frank van Kleef, this company is building on and attracting more cooperation, in order to turn many yet untapped opportunities into success. It is Royal Pride Group’s goal to join the group of large-scale production companies on different continents within 10 years.

As a cultivation company, Royal Pride Group moves with its customers, who are also fanning out across the globe. This movement has already begun, with the establishment of partnerships with production sites in China and the US Royal Pride Group sees, as it writes itself, a ‘MEGA-opportunity’ to roll out Dutch horticulture around the world in cooperation with investors, governments and growers elsewhere. The Dutch contribution will consist of expertise in cultivation, climate, operations and exploitation; all in exchange for a share in the company. This will ensure mutual progress: blooming horticulture in carefully selected countries and Royal Pride Group will have access to a new market. In our own country, socially conscious entrepreneurship is receiving significant attention. Here, the local-for-local philosophy goes further than the physical product. The initiative ‘Boeregoed’ (which already has seven Farmshops) and the Horticultural Business School give local talent a chance on every level. This scores points as well and is responsible for a nice climb on our list.

40 (54) Category supplies Total turnover €69,100,000 Employees 92 International branches 3 www.kubo.nl

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KUBO Greenhouse Projects

The Big Three of the greenhouses are positioned close together on our list: Kubo Greenhouse Projects, Dalsem Group and Certhon. All three made a huge leap upwards on this list. After careful consideration, the Committee of Experts decided that Kubo Greenhouse Projects won the photo finish this year. This company focuses on product leadership, with the Ultra-Clima greenhouse as its flagship. This is so advanced that it is not suitable for every grower or gardener. A search is therefore underway for ways to get the end user ‘fit for the product.’ Because a truly great product is of course a product that is used and sold, as well as one that earns money for the buyer. This allows you, as Kubo Greenhouse Projects wants, to make a real contribution to solving the global food problem. In order to achieve that, the ClimaConnect startup was set up at an earlier date. Through full service and big data analysis, clients can start work quicker and achieve better results.

Your customer base will grow quicker as a result and investors will also show interest. An innovation like night cooling is catching on quite well, and has reached as far as Japan and Korea. The construction of greenhouses in Oman, without cultivation but with solar panels, is fascinating. Are we seeing the emergence of a completely new business model here? Finally: Kubo Greenhouse Projects won the RusPrix Award in June. Now that Russia has turned its focus to self-sufficiency, businesses like Kubo Greenhouse Projects are doing good business there. On the upper part of the list for the very first time.

Harvest House International

Within a collective like this, we mainly look at the performance of the trading companies acting on their own account and at their own risk.

At Harvest House International this includes Global Green Team, Rainbow International and Terra Natura International. That ‘own expense and risk’ of course has its own dimension, because the profits made will eventually reach the members again. Market discipline, however, is the guiding principle and this is what we look at. With 270 hectares of illuminated cultivation in the Netherlands and cultivation in Portugal and Tunisia, the collective produces a year-round range. Mutual transparency is one of the core values. The associated growers are able to consult one another’s numbers and performance, which prevents distrust. The focus is also on the dashboards, where the trade and data marketers look for ways to further improve performance. The category management analyses also provide valuable information. They allow you to see what does and does not work, which allows you to help retailers to optimally organise their shelves.

The consumer website ‘Groentehelden’ (vegetable heroes) also helps with this. Ambition now extends beyond marketing in Europe, as Harvest House International is also active in China, the US and North Africa. The drop can be explained by the fact that we expected more innovation from a club of this size, while the collective was also in the red in 2015.

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Bunnik Plants

Category production Total turnover €58,400,000 Employees 143 www.bunnikplants.nl

Bunnik Plants made a nice climb on the list. Some time was needed to adjust the sails and turn the bow to a new direction, but we now see beautiful things being done here. The most notable change is the fundamental shift within the organisation. Bunnik Plants has the courage to work with self-managing teams. Anyone can submit new ideas: young, old, experienced, open-minded, just out of school, almost retired. As long as that ‘big’ idea comes in. The most successful ideas are rewarded with a profit distribution. In addition, with its ‘GROEI’ (growth) programme, Bunnik Plants is focusing heavily on training and talent development. 12 talented employees selected by colleagues are allowed to go through a development programme. For many other companies in the Hillenraad100, this will likely sound excessively liberal, but Bunnik Plants is not afraid to take the lead.

If you truly want to innovate, then you just have to try something different, is the idea. Another procedure is the separation between day trading and project trading. In the latter, the aim is to provide maximum service to the customer. The company even has a private night chauffeur; yet another sign of the advancing 24/7 economy. With this kind of innovation, Bunnik Plants wants to shift from traditional grower to partner. We are also seeing beautiful new developments in terms of sustainability. This, coupled with the wonderful results, is responsible for the significant climb on the list.

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 39

Hoogendoorn Group

Category supplies Total turnover €135,900,000 Employees total 132 Employees NL 118 International branches 2 www.hoogendoorn.nl

The growth of the Hoogendoorn Group and its ascent on our list once more shows just how much technology is going to dominate the horticultural industry. If you come up with a solution that pretty much the entire industry is waiting for, you can quickly scale up and start selling. Together with Svensson, the Hoogendoorn Group recently developed the Connected Screening module, whereby software and screens are combined. This gives next generation greenhouse cultivation a boost: optimisation of the growing climate, maximum control over energy consumption, moisture wicking and light transmission. The PlantScope is another clever idea, which allows the greenhouse climate to be tailored to the needs of the plant. This innovation was developed in co-creation with a reputable grower. Everything shows the will to become the most innovative horticultural automation company in the world(!). And all of this – completely in line with our theme this year – through numerous joint ventures. Entering the market, and the world, with the right partners and consortia. Through a dedicated online partner portal and with instruments such as webinars, the 40 partners are trained and supported. Soon, the website will also be available in Farsi, in order to operate in the new Iranian growth market. The old supply chain gives way to the service profit chain. This vision and decisiveness have led to revenue growth for the past five years. The next generation iSii is today’s blockbuster, but there is much more on the way, such as cultivation with more sustainable energy and seawater desalination in order to grow plants anywhere in the world. The future looks bright for this group.

36 (40) Greenco Category production Total turnover €40,500,000 Employees 103 www.greenco.nl

This should have been an exclusively positive profile, a glowing story about how Greenco is increasingly improving its marketing. But in late June, Greenco was severely affected by the storms that swept across Someren, and the greenhouses and the total cultivation of 14 hectares were decimated. The coming months will primarily be dedicated to recovery and damage control. In this list we mainly look at what happened earlier, in 2015. There we see the marketing machine running ever faster.

Snack vegetables have today reached train stations, petrol stations, meeting rooms and sports canteens. Greenco is focusing on the trend of ‘Asianisation’: the habit of eating smaller amounts more frequently per day.

In which case, it is pleasant (for Greenco, too) to always have a vegetable snack within reach. Greenco wants to take advantage of this trend to maximize the consumption of mini vegetables. Whereas Tommies used to be marketed to children with a clown, a much wider audience is reached today with the claim ‘happy vitamins for every day.’ Today there is also a yellow snack soup, which appears to be perfect for supermarket Jumbo.

Precisely in order to meet the continuously increasing demand for a year round supply and to meet year round demand for quality, production was expanded by 10 hectares in Wieringermeer. In order to keep surprising the market, a Business Intelligence employee was appointed. Of the companies included on the list, Greenco is perhaps the furthest when it comes to network thinking and co-creation. This company has fully mastered our theme this year. Together with its good relationships, Greenco will surely recover.

35 (41)

WBE Group

Category trade Total turnover €219,200,000 Employees 298 www.wbe.nl

The WBE Group is a bastion of peace; an example of steady business.

The WBE Group stands firm on its three pillars of WBE (green), Javado (plants) and Van Duyvenvoorde (flowers and plants). The in total six individual businesses serve three markets and this company is sturdily built as regards both the sourcing side of things, as well as sales. It has worked intensely with many suppliers for dozens of years. The WBE Group is a club that was never an enthusiastic communicator, but as a shirt sponsor for the football team Rijnsburgse Boys, it received a great deal of exposure this year. The business is also taking its first steps in the area of social media in order to find young talent. And, to attract that talent, WBE is collaborating with two HBO (Higher Vocational Education) programmes.

The only real bit of big news is that WBE Group received the Fair Flowers Fair Plants hallmark in the spring of 2015. Currently, this ‘licence to produce’ is practically a vital necessity for businesses like WBE. This is another good example of how far one can get by doing business sensibly. The growth in sales and results speak for themselves.

34 (22)

SO natural

Category production Total turnover €49,600,000 Employees 60 www.sonatural.nl

The English language has a beautiful proverb: ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’ This certainly applies to SO natural. Any company on this list can have the occasional bad year; for SO natural, that year was 2015. Adversity is inherent to cutting edge entrepreneurship. The Dutch national football team is a good example of this: one minute you are playing a World Cup final, and the next you are not even a participant in the European Championships. The differences are simply quite small at the top.

SO natural had to pause its ambitions in 2015 for reasons of its own, but it has gradually picked up these activities again this year with even more momentum and energy. SO natural sees that the current chain is outdated and is thinking about how to become ‘the industry’s Uber’. To do so, it will have to focus entirely on customer experience and become an expert in consumer knowledge. It helps to be very open towards your business associates and have 30,000 enthusiastic followers and fans on Facebook.

Despite the disappointing year, we still have a predominantly good feeling about SO natural. After years in which the sky was the limit, sometimes you have to ground yourself before moving on.

33 (29) Category youngplants Total turnover €52,800,000 Employees 108 www.plkwvreugdenhil.nl www.klugt-delier.nl

Vreugdenhil Klugt Combination

In addition to the B2B market, the Vreugdenhil and Klugt Combination (Vreugdenhil Klugt Combination) also focuses on the consumer market, including the famous Pick-&-Joy concept. One good example is its new product BloomBites, a new and trendy food concept with tasty and decorative flowers. It contains commercial flower power. The Vreugdenhil Klugt Combination is in the fortunate position of having its fingers in several pies. On the one hand, this is a plant grower for both the vegetables

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and the floriculture industry; on the other hand, the combination is active at both at the beginning and end of the chain. The success factor of the Vreugdenhil Klugt Combination is the ability to provide year-round quality.

The demand for large batches in the B2B market increases with one single delivery. This is the polar opposite of what consumer projects are experiencing, i.e. a trend toward smaller-more varied-faster. Continuous expansion is necessary in order to ensure delivery, quality and the entire process, so an additional 2.5 hectares are being built in De Lier. It is also making moves in the field of automation and renewable energy. In order to stay one step ahead of the market, there are currently two Lean startup projects running at the Vreugdenhil Klugt Combination for vegetables and ornamentals. There is therefore a lot brewing at this enterprise, but we sadly can’t give a sample of it yet. You had better believe there is a lot of ambition here, though. We look forward to the new scions.

32 (27) Eosta Category trade Total turnover €88,400,000 Employees 81 www.eosta.com

‘Where ecology meets economy’ is the guiding motto at Eosta, the undisputed leader in organic and fair trade fruit and vegetables in Europe.

It is, for example, the first European company to receive IPCC certified climate rights on circular agriculture. In addition to its daily business, Eosta works tirelessly to bring its message into the limelight: ‘Organic food is not too expensive, conventional food is too cheap!’ Even the company’s definition of profit includes its sustainability principles. Eosta calls it ‘true cost accounting.’ The True Cost of Food campaign takes into account all costs, including costs that are not directly economic. On its website, Eosta explains things very clearly to consumers, but it is perhaps a little more difficult to explain to the tax authorities. This ultra short chain between manufacturers and retailers fits with the pursuit of minimal ecological footprint. The retail world is time and again delighted with successful concepts like Snack Wonders and the Taste Wonder Bar. The latter is doing wunderbar in Germany. Consumers are closely involved in the development of these concepts. All of this led to Eosta’s nomination for the ‘Koning Willem I Plaquette’ (King William I Plaque) for Sustainable Entrepreneurship.

While this award went to Koppert Cress in the end, Eosta is thrilled with this beautiful token of appreciation. It remains a great business, but there were no big surprises this year.

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Best Fresh Group

Category trade Total turnover €271,300,000 Employees total 286 Employees NL 280 International branches 3 www.bestfreshgroup.com

In the words of Best Fresh Group itself: ‘2015 was a great year for us.’

We fully agree. After years of stagnation and some reorientation, the Best Fresh Group has made a nice leap up the list this year. The fact sheet included with the submitted documentation quite clearly shows the strength of the group. To be exact, 143,695,094 kilos of fresh produce moved through the shop on 272,464 pallets. With an average consumption of 200 grams of fresh produce daily, the Best Fresh Group feeds 1,796,189 mouths annually. Such facts and figures make working here meaningful for employees. That is modern management. The 14 companies in the group each operate a number of distinct segments with products and brands. This makes it possible to, for example, control niches (such as products for chefs) and jointly achieve economies of scale in the field of ICT, logistics and purchasing. These specialised companies are the eyes and ears that scan their share of the market. They signal that consumers

and thus the playing field are changing: trade is shifting from the shop floor to online sales. Furthermore, the trade is gaining more of a regional character as a result of the growing consumer preference for local and organic products. Within this dynamic, this group is increasingly seeking out a connection with the retail world, with a particular focus on the client’s client. The introduction of the Tomberry on the shelves at supermarket Albert Heijn was a great breakthrough. That and the robust growth in sales and profits justify the substantial climb on our list.

30 (37) Vezet Category processing Total turnover €252,200,000 Employees 689 www.vezet.nl

Vezet is not only a great company with impressive results, it is also a closed bastion. Unlike food blogger Francesca van Berk, we were not given any information or a look in the kitchen. This may be because this monogamous partner of supermarket Albert Heijn desires no flirtations or external contacts. The close relationship with the grocer did however cause the Committee of Experts to remark that this ground-breaking enterprise remains somewhat opaque. Said committee has a slight preference for companies that continuously compete for existing and new customers.

Anyway, all roads lead to Rome and the path chosen by Vezet probably has fewer bumps and will lead to a smooth ride. A very smooth ride, in fact, because the results are simply outstanding. We know this from public sources and it explains the big jump up the list. Public sources also taught us that in May of this year, the company’s activities were expanded to Sweden, in cooperation with Total Produce Nordic. This expansion will incidentally not have any impact on production in the Netherlands, Vezet reports. With the new joint venture, Vezet aims to fully exploit the opportunities in Scandinavia, an endeavour in which the company is showing strong entrepreneurship. We will certainly follow this with interest.

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Hordijk Group

Category supplies Total turnover €83,700,000 Turnover H100-Q €43,600,000 Employees total 263 Employees NL 257 International branches 1 www.hordijk.nl

Solid, stable and not particularly notable is how we would describe the Hordijk Group. It is up to headman Eric Liebers to keep those values alive.

It will take the outside world some time to get used to the fact that there are no longer any ‘real’ Hordijk family members in charge. Internally, this will be quite a bit easier, as Liebers and ‘his’ company have an excellent 2015 behind them. There has been strong revenue growth and – more importantly to our model – an impressive increase in EBITDA. It remains fascinating how far you can get by selling 98% air (because that is essentially what EPS is), among other things. In these EPS activities, we are seeing a beautiful innovation in the form of a floating EPS tray for the cultivation of fresh herbs in water. This is a clear signal that horticulture is increasingly becoming a process industry. The introduction of packaging with a bacteriostatic surface is another example of a beautiful innovation of which Hordijk is both the creator and manufacturer. With its PET packaging, the cradle-to-cradle philosophy is applied to perfection; a strong response to the ongoing debate about the ecological footprint of packaging.

In horticulture in particular, this is always a topical issue. Looking at the Alcomij activities, we see more and more Russian customers reaching out. The Hordijk Group is involved with horticulture from greenhouse to refrigerator, and in a very lucrative way.

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 43

Royal Hilverda Group

Category youngplants Total turnover €31,000,000 Employees 150 www.royalhilverdagroup.com

Royal Hilverda Group published a beautiful book on its 100-year anniversary. For us, however, the company remains a closed book, one from which we receive little direct information. People here are not particularly forthcoming with news anyway; Googling Royal Hilverda only turns up a few items on that anniversary from a few years ago. There is also mention of the retirement of Jan Eveleens – executive director of Florist Holland, one of the four companies in the group – in May 2015. From public sources we also know that the company had excellent results in 2014, which possibly continued into 2015. This has brought its results back to former levels; the breeding and propagation activities are clearly more successful than the previous combination with Hilverda de Boer’s export activities. As we wrote last year, we will not look at those activities, after the unbundling. Given that we can only assess the group based on already considerably outdated figures and information, it has moved down on our list. As networking and transparency are increasingly important to be able to quickly switch between companies today – see our theme this year – you may presume that prominent companies will score high in that area. And we see too little of that in this royal company.

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Koppert Cress

Category production Total turnover €24,800,000 Employees 185 International branches 1 www.koppertcress.com

In May of this year, Koppert Cress was given the appreciation this visionary company fully deserves. Queen Máxima presented Rob Baan with the ‘Koning Willem I Plaquette’ (King William I Plaque) for Sustainable Entrepreneurship 2016. It is a reward for the passion, fire and the faith of Koppert Cress in what the (food) horticultural industry can do for people.

Koppert Cress believes this industry is about so much more than just filling mouths. It is about enjoyment, happiness and health. Rob Baan wants to get these higher values through to the minds of the industry and consumers. Now that Koppert Cress has existed for 5,000 days, a plan has been hatched to transform the Netherlands into ‘the healthiest delta of the world’ within 5,000 days, starting from April 2016. Indeed, Koppert Cress does not shy away from superlatives. This is underscored by the company’s social commitment, drive, flow of new ideas and initiatives, and the way in which new networks(!) are forged. For example, work is being carried out on an innovation hub for young professionals from very different ‘worlds’: technology, medicine, culinary, and horticulture. Koppert Cress also wants to put its ‘new style’ canteen on the map. Because isn’t it strange that companies are heavily involved in personal safety, e.g. goggles and footwear, and much less with personal health in the form of healthy eating? Are toes more important than a clogged heart? Koppert Cress asks rhetorically. ‘Go where there is no path and leave a trail,’ is an often cited quote by trend-watcher Adjiedj Bakas. We continue to follow these developments with fascination.

26 (24)

Van den Berg RoseS

Category production Total turnover €45,300,000 Employees total 1,649 Employees NL 28 International branches 2 www.bergroses.nl

The position that Van den Berg RoseS has won for itself is one that few growers can equal: three production locations on three continents and its own, distinctive market position on two continents (Europe and Asia/ China). Its African products primarily go to the European retail sector; in China, the sale of its products via Cash & Carries has been given priority.

If we zoom in on Europe, we see strategic alliances with breeders and retailers. Moreover, the growth we are seeing in the number of virtual market place links, whereby supply and stocks are directly linked in the webshop, is striking. With this, the proportion of direct sales is currently nearing 50%. This closer connection with customers is exactly what Van den Berg RoseS is working to achieve on our continent. Who would have thought that this production company would someday have its own sales team in action? In Europe, Van den Berg RoseS acknowledges that one needs the teamwork of professionals in order to produce and market more than 50 million stems per year. In China, this business discovered that those professionals are harder to find than they are here. There, the wholesale sector is still far from fully developed and not (yet) able to keep up with the growth of Van den Berg RoseS. The solution: integrate the wholesale function into the business. That is pure entrepreneurship.

25 (17)

Looye Kwekers

Category production Total turnover €42,100,000 Employees total 113 Employees NL 25 International branches 1 www.looye.com

The fact that Looye Kwekers (formerly Looije Tomaten) is experiencing something of a dip is not due to the company itself. As we have written in multiple profiles before: many companies move so fast that they are gone before you even knew that they were there. It will take some time for us to get used to the new corporate identity. However, given Jos Looije’s fondness of Asian philosophy, it makes total sense. This gentle approach is effectively translated into a businesslike approach and commercial success.

The vision and the hands-on mentality of Jos Looije and Arja Hilberdink come together nicely in this. It remains impressive how Looye Kwekers has managed to link premium products to a fixed price. Confident operations based on your own strength, coupled with a solid marketing philosophy.

One result of this is that Looye Kwekers has plenty of room at supermarket Albert Heijn to uniquely position the Sublime brand. That family of premium products has been expanded again, this time with the JOYN vine tomato.

In order to meet the demand for all varieties, part of the Portuguese production facility of Atlantic Growers has been recruited and an intelligent collaboration with Rimato is in place. Peace has returned after the turmoil seen at organisational level in 2015. Losses have been absorbed and innovations such as a Piccolo-based ketchup are in the works. Will the latter be the next niche success?

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Poortcamp 10, 2678 PT De Lier T +31 174 531000 F +31 174 531010 E info@redstar.nl I www.redstar.nl

As a specialist in the production of tomatoes, RedStar has a clear focus: taste. Using only the very best varieties, we are continually striving to produce only the finest of tomatoes. At each growing location we use the most innovative methods to create the optimum conditions for our fruit to flourish, meaning we are able to grow tomatoes for 12 months of the year. And thanks to our automatic tracking system, we are able to trace every tomato from harvest to customer, allowing us to stay at the forefront of food safety, sustainability and efficiency.

Meanwhile, RedStar continues to explore new uses for our tasty tomatoes, whilst keeping abreast of changes in customer perceptions and tastes. So you’ll be hearing a lot more from us!

Celebrate the taste. With RedStar.

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 45

24 (30) Opti-flor Category production Total turnover €31,300,000 Employees 119 www.optiflor.nl

Opti-flor ran into a luxury problem in the autumn of 2015: high demand resulted in insufficient production capacity. Luckily, the neighbours had some land available, which, in the winter of 2016, resulted in the construction of a new 6,000 m2 greenhouse. It is clear that Opti-flor has an almost unstoppable dynamism. Its employees are encouraged to come up with ideas, which come in droves. Its R&D machine is also running at full speed: more than 1,300 new varieties were tested in 2015. Of all the news that reaches the market, own concepts seem to make the biggest contribution to the results. This is yet another example that it pays to truly conquer your own place in the market. With, among other things, the MyMonro Collection and a unique watering system for a mini Phalaenopsis, consumers have new options and convenience. In order to stay ahead of the competition, the Opti-flor Future Proof project was set up. Everything is geared toward being and staying on top. Opti-flor is heading into the future with a distinctive product, the shortest possible chain and an increasingly shorter time-to-market. And the future looks extremely bright due to the strong focus on HRM in this case. A strong climber.

23 (27)

Harting Zijtwende Group

Category trade Total turnover €167,000,000 Employees 23 International branches 1 www.hartingholland.nl

Do not expect any thick reports with grand visions from the Harting Zijtwende Group. Its close-knit team ‘simply’ works hard 24/7 in order to optimally serve customers. The group is based on three strong pillars: Harting Holland, Zijtwende International and FruitConneqt, who all make their own powerful contributions to overall growth. A solid export turnover is even being realised with the still fledgling FruitConneqt. A lot of progress has also been made on an entirely different level. The bol.com world has accustomed us to everything being delivered in no time. Harting Holland is also witnessing the time between order and delivery getting shorter, while customers are becoming more demanding. Furthermore, all products must be packaged according to customer requirements and punctually reach the agreed location. To this end, Harting Holland has teamed up with renowned flexible parties who are able to meet customer requirements. Zijtwende International’s beautiful product range has been complemented with interesting imports to give customers more choice. That fits well with the Harting Zijtwende Group of today: the entire organisation is fully focused on the wishes of the customer, from cultivation to sales. It may perhaps not look all that sexy, but we are very impressed.

22 (26) Emsflower Category production Total turnover €44,000,000 Employees total 362 Employees NL 242 International branches 3 www.emsflower.nl

2015 was not a year of exuberant growth for Emsflower, but mainly a year of preparation for growth-in-the-future. Significant investments have been made in systems and processes to meet the needs of increasingly demanding customers. This has, for example, led to the development

of the Emsflower Universal Production Line, which makes it possible to quickly switch between different types of products. This automation is also motivated by the introduction of the minimum wage in Germany, where a large part of Emsflower’s production takes place. It therefore cuts both ways: a reduction in costs makes the organisation more lean and agile. Moreover, monotonous physical work, like the process of planting cuttings, is taken out of the hands of employees, who can then take on more challenging work. An important pillar of the company is the XXL garden centre. After an initial startup period, it is slowly achieving positive results. While it is still far from being a cash cow, it is a valuable source of information about buying habits and trends. On the whole, Emsflower is ready for – as it itself describes – the Industry 4.0 revolution within the company.

21 (20)

Van der Windt Group

Category supplies Total turnover €135,300,000 Turnover H100-Q €67,650,000 Employees total 186 Employees NL 152 International branches 3 www.vanderwindt.com

The times when entrepreneurs considered a pretty wrapper or box to be an ‘innovative concept’ are pretty much over. The Van der Windt Group, part of the Pacombi Group, has never bought into that type of window dressing and instead always looked at genuine improvements. For example, we recently saw the introduction of the Fast Respiration Meter, which extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in bulk and reduces distribution costs.

This is something that truly helps customers. Another good development is the new Biodore brand, which does an excellent job at meeting the demand for responsible packaging from retailers and consumers. Packaging plays a crucial role in the transport and marketing of products that are the result of modern horticulture. This includes environmental aspects, ease of transport and sustainability. The Van der Windt Group works with an error-prone product, coupled with endless product variations, which requires excellence on a daily basis. All the more reason to safeguard the processes through ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 26000. The opportunity to benefit from the purchasing power of the Pacombi Group in China also makes Van der Windt stronger. Considerable physical and virtual expansion is taking place in order to keep up with steady growth: a new building is being erected on the Harnaschpolder in Delft, while the e-commerce activities are also being expanded. A company that is fully moving with the times.

20 (23)

Red Star Group

Category production Total turnover €92,000,000 Employees total 110 Employees NL 100 International branches 4 www.redstar.nl

‘Will Red Star Group be on the rise itself next year?’ We finished a rather critical profile description with that sentence last year. The group dropped from the 11th to the 23rd place. But now look: a great move upwards.

‘2015 was to be the year of organisational and financial recovery,’ Red Star Group itself wrote in the supplied documentation. And this top 10 player in the global tomato cultivation succeeded in doing so. We are seeing good, positive figures again and the magic limit of 100 million euros turnover is in sight for 2016. Red Star Group is and remains one of the pillars of Dutch greenhouse horticulture. If this sector was a national football team, Red Star Group would always be in the base eleven. Exactly 20 years ago, Red Star Group decided to trade in the auction system for its own commercial method. This meant consciously opting for the dynamics of the market, for

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| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 47

trial and error. Gears are therefore constantly being changed, in all fields.

Literally and figuratively. A shareholding in Spain was sold, a prospective buyer has been found for a Voorne-Putten branch and an expansion is taking place in Dinteloord. A cut in the workforce has been made and expenses have been trimmed. Now that the home base is in better order again, international opportunities will be fully examined. This will be done with a number of partners in Morocco and even China, Korea and Japan are in the picture. The brand new Supervisory Board member Harry Kloppenburg can certainly be of service with that.

19 (15) Category youngplants Total turnover €706,900,000 Turnover H100-Q €333,300,000 Employees total 1,403 Employees NL 617 International branches 18 www.monsanto.com

Monsanto Vegetable Seeds

Just before our final editing deadline, we received the big news that Monsanto had accepted Bayer’s takeover bid. As such, this could be the last year that this name is found in our ranking. However, the European and American competition authorities still have to examine the deal, so for now, we will focus on the past and present. Monsanto Vegetable Seeds is the only company in this list with a special ‘Reputation Team.’ It was decided to approach the stories circulating in the world in a more proactive manner.

Much time and energy is invested in highlighting positive product attributes such as freshness, colour and flavour. This is evident from the See The Taste brand. Such a clear brand image leads to the much desired consumer preference. Indicators such as the Freshness indicators index (how fresh does the product say?) and the Net Promoter Score (to what extent do consumers value the products?) are therefore very important management tools for Monsanto in the growing activities of De Ruiters Seeds. Also part of a pursuit of a larger ‘cuddliness factor,’ we should include Herman den Blijker’s tomato dinner; Monsanto wants to be increasingly associated with culinary enjoyment. This aim to be closer to consumers may clash with the scale and history of Monsanto, something that has always been an issue for this company. Being big has advantages in terms of synergy in research and market penetration, but it does make it less flexible and agile. Hence the progress being made in the field of data analysis and subsequent optimisation of the chain approach. At the end of the day, Monsanto Vegetable Seeds wants to respond even better at both the product level, and in terms of reputation and image to what society demands of a food producer.

It may be the case that in future, this will all proceed under the Bayer name.

We will follow the developments closely.

18 (21)

Priva

Category supplies Total turnover €67,200,000 Turnover H100-Q €34,300,000 Employees total 393 Employees NL 301 International branches 13 www.privagroup.com

After years of stagnation, positive results can again be reported from De Lier. The series of large clients is impressive, with close ties to top players in high tech/large-scale production. Horticultural companies are not the only ones knocking on the door, investors, food producers and developers have also found their way to Priva. They are attracted by the role of Priva as a provider of ‘business solutions’ for customers. This involves combinations of climate, water, energy, labour and management information. Looking at product groups in the horticultural sector, we see that the knowledge and

skills of Priva are being applied to more and more areas: soft fruit, urban farming, vertical farming and plant factories. We are also seeing many great new products rolling off the conveyor belt. See, inter alia, the first prototypes for new disinfection systems, a new technology for air treatment and a leaf crushing robot, developed in collaboration with tomato growers. The latter innovation was good for a GreenTech Innovation Award. If we subsequently zoom out to the bigger picture, we see that Priva has serious ambition: to be part of the foundation of sustainable urban deltas. This brings everything together: smart buildings, local food production, energy supply. This is worldencompassing and the roadmap with which Priva is heading into the future.

Impressive and a reason for progress on our list.

17 (14)

INCOTEC Group

Category supplies Total turnover €71,200,000 Turnover H100-Q €42,720,000 Employees total 516 Employees NL 262 International branches 14 www.incotec.com

Growing pains. This is one way of describing the struggles the Incotec Group is experiencing. Incotec Group has in a very short time grown from a small local company into an international company with more than 500 employees. Such almost unlimited growth is inherent to technology companies like Incotec Group; you come up with a solution that the entire world was apparently waiting for and then things go through the roof. Incotec Group itself regards these growing pains as a blessing in disguise, the ideal time to change tactics. Leadership development, clear customer segmentation and more differentiated services are now the benchmarks. All this is done under the management of the new owners Croda International Plc. The entire share package changed ownership for 155 million euros. It is significant that the new owner does not have a horticultural background, but instead comes from the world of cosmetics.

Croda manufactures and sells speciality chemicals and sees the acquisition of Incotec Group as the ideal complement to its own Crop Care activities.

At Incotec Group, we are increasingly seeing links to other life science sectors, so many shifts are taking place. The dynamic Incotec Group will continue to operate independently after the acquisition, with new CEO Erik Jan Bartels at the helm. With his people, he will further expand the customer portfolio and strategic alliances with Rijk Zwaan, Syngenta and Limagrain. Also on the agenda is the further hashing out of the brand new licensing model and the expansion of the international network. An even higher ranking next year?

16 (19) CombiVliet Category production Total turnover €62,600,000 Employees 77 www.combivliet.nl

IIn the world of whiskeys, we have known the phenomenon of blending for years. Different single malts are blended into a unique combination of taste, aroma and colour. That phenomenon has now also penetrated the world of tomatoes. In the spring of 2016, CombiVliet, along with five other shareholders, introduced the new Greenblend initiative. At Harvest House, tomato-blend products are developed into salsas, soups, sauces and more. It shows that you can still manage to come up with new marketing opportunities with the good old tomato and give ‘excess’ products new value. This value, in particular, is what drives CombiVliet. Because while a gut feeling is nice, it all comes down to the numbers. These numbers tell CombiVliet how the business processes can be arranged perfectly. You have to do even better than other companies, because they are doing their very best as well. Continuous control, feedback and evaluation – this is the only

Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 49

way you will succeed in taking a good step forward among the strong front runners of the Hillenraad100. Its success is underpinned by new ways of working such as the introduction of intermediate plants for year-round consistent production and Lean tactics. With the ambition to grow into a High Performance Organization, HBO has by now become the norm for management staff. The next generation is already warming up to further propel this family business in the march of civilization.

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Royal Lemkes Group

Category trade Total turnover €222,000,000 Employees total 160 Employees NL 158 www.royallemkes.nl

Royal Lemkes claims to be having a good 2016. If that is true – and we have, moreover, no reason to doubt it – the turbulence of 2015 has nevertheless been valuable, and it is now reaping the first benefits. The most recent period was mainly marked by personnel changes at the top. A new commercial director took office. A new Operations Manager and a new Purchasing Operations Manager also joined the team, as well as a new Acquisition and Marketing Manager. To top it all off, there was the news that CEO and owner Cees van der Meij passed the torch to Michiel de Haan.

Cees van der Meij will still remain involved as DGA and adviser, but he is no longer in the driver’s seat. Previously, Michiel de Haan was CEO of Dirk van den Broek and Praxis, so he brings the appropriate and necessary retail experience with him. An entirely new Royal Lemkes has therefore almost silently come into begin and it has been able to welcome two beautiful new clients this year. The company has a very strong position in the retail world and there are plenty of opportunities to resume its upward trend.

The traditional strength of Royal Lemkes – a perfectly organised supply chain – is undiminished and firm.

14 (18) Ridder-HortiMaX Category supplies Total turnover €49,000,000 Turnover H100-Q €33,320,000 Employees total 245 Employees NL 222 International branches 6 www.ridder.com www.hortimax.com

‘The only certainty is continuous change,’ as the Ridder HortiMaX Group well knows. This attitude has helped this trio of companies to climb even more on our list and its sights are set ever higher. The philosophy of ‘best fit growing technology’ works: provide customised technology solutions for different markets. That approach has led to a revenue growth of 17% in the past year. Customers can turn to it for both ‘high-end glass houses’ as well as basic technology for plastic tunnels. New products such as the Ridder PolyDrive, the HortiMaX-Go! and the FertiMaX-Go! meet totally different needs. These latter two products were nominated for GreenTech’s Innovation Award. These are products that come from what started out in 1952 as a hobby project by the founder, Frans Nugteren; the trench cutter.

The company has developed into an internationally operating group built on the pillars of drive systems, display systems, and cultivation and climate control. The Ridder HortiMaX Group sees how automation and technology will exponentially change the horticulture industry and is leading the way.

Even the Dutchroyal couple couldn’t help but notice this on their visit to Gotham Greens in the US.

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Royal Brinkman

Category supplies Total turnover €147,700,000 Employees total 311 Employees NL 232 International branches 12 www.brinkman.nl

Royal Brinkman knows better than anyone that the modern age has no mercy for established names. In its submitted documentation, it lists the demise of chains like V&D, Perry Sport, Dixons and Manfield. ‘That won’t happen to us,’ is the motto. This 130(!) year-old company has managed to reinvent itself once again. The new logo and new corporate identity are more than a cosmetic makeover. Royal Brinkman has made huge progress in the field of online marketing & sales. One after the other webshop is being opened up abroad. These webshops are gradually becoming more of a platform on which clients can piggyback with their own ranges.

This satisfies two of the priority areas: commitment to e-commerce, and accelerated growth abroad. Growth realised in this way makes Brinkman a genuinely exponential organisation. Its strength lies in the combination of digital and human language, because each transaction is linked to a contact person made of flesh and blood. That combination of online and offline is exactly what the modern consumer wants: knowledge of products and their use, and easy and worry-free ordering, all at a competitive price. The Lean Innovation method once again proves itself to be an engine for innovation and improvement.

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Ter Laak Orchids

Category production Total turnover €29,900,000 Employees total 155 Employees NL 52 International branches 1 www.orchidee.nl

Ter Laak Orchids is climbing up the list, but there is no jealousy.

All companies in the premier league of the industry are changing and have become stronger in their segment over the last year. So one essentially has to do even better, which is exactly what Ter Laak Orchids succeeded in doing. This did not go unnoticed by Decorum, as it chose Ter Laak Orchids as its best grower of 2015. There has also been significant investment in R&D and new technologies. This led to, among other things, the (already mentioned in previous years) ‘DaglichtKas’ (Daylight Greenhouse), which allows Ter Laak Orchids – as shown by the latest results – to harvest both heat and Phalaenopsis. And however well things might be going, a longterm improvement plan was put into action in late 2015. Everything is being scrutinized. From now on R&D and marketing are priorities. The new Home of Orchids webshop plays an important role in said marketing, even if just for the wealth of consumer information it generates. To better anchor itself in the market, it has also looked into optimum distribution across countries. This is going well and according to plan in Europe. Yet, given that our continent is seen as a fiercely competitive market, as we wrote before, a branch was set up in Guatemala as a stepping stone to the New World.

Last year, this South American adventure was still only a plan. It has now become a reality. Is the top 10 beckoning?

Unlimited in varieties

Offering unlimited possibilities www.anthura.com

This is not just a bumblebee This is NatupolŠ

Curious about our latest innovation?

We’ll tell you soon!

Tel. +31 (0)10 514 04 44 info@koppert.com

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Top 100 |

11 (11) Waterdrinker Category trade Total turnover €191,700,000 Employees 247 www.waterdrinker.nl

Waterdrinker is a stable company that is gradually expanding its position.

And it is a strong position, underscored by the fact that the limit of 200 million euros in turnover is drawing near. In the turbulent waters in which Waterdrinker navigates, this is a very impressive achievement.

Waterdrinker is positioning itself as a chain platform and expertise centre that offers specialist retailers in Europe distinctive products and services, such as, for example, Waterdrinker To Go, which helps smaller wholesalers retain their market position. In a previous issue, we also mentioned the E-Trade concept for more efficient inventory management. What’s more, Waterdrinker monitors all changes in the market with Business Intelligence.

This enables one to respond to changes such as the increase in lifestyle webshops, a trend Waterdrinker is actively committed to and cleverly offers its products and services to these ‘non-green’ resellers. Regarding these and other business customers: Waterdrinker sees that they are buying increasingly smaller quantities. Smarter logistics are needed to reduce the higher costs of these orders. With the new Green Trade Center, the successor to Cultra, Waterdrinker aims to confront all those physical and digital challenges. Construction of said Green Trade Center will begin this year. Everything is based on the ultimate motivation that people are happier with flowers and plants around them.

10 (12) FleuraMetz Category trade Total turnover €303,600,000 Employees total 1,142 Employees NL 420 International branches 18 www.fleurametz.com

Last year, we were perhaps too hard on FleuraMetz, which dropped no less than six places. And when you operate in the highest regions, that hurts.

FleuraMetz was surprised by our comment that cutting in unprofitable concepts had cost it points. It is a topic that the Committee of Experts also discusses: when should this be viewed as the start of growth and when is it a sign of a true downward trend? FleuraMetz itself provided a powerful answer and is back in the top 10. This business is growing at the front and trimming at the tail, producing growth, profitability and a better client base.

We see that the magical limit of 300 million euros has been broken and that a course has been set to profitable sales growth. And FleuraMetz is constantly building further on a finely-meshed network of (at the end of 2015) some 57 sales locations in 22 countries. The state-of-the-art online FleuraMetz platform is increasingly becoming an integral link between growers, florists and consumers. This is a textbook example of combining ‘heavy logistic flows’ from the source linked to micro-level distribution according to individual customer needs. FleuraMetz will develop this further until it is likely that the company itself will have fully transformed into an online business. At the same time, FleuraMetz is working together with its offshoot Greenbaze to develop innovative market concepts such as the FlowerTales inspiration shop and Box.florist. FleuraMetz has made a significant comeback.

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 51

9 (9) Florensis Category youngplants Total turnover €89,000,000 Employees total 1,391 Employees NL 247 International branches 10 www.florensis.com

A sense of family is highly valued at Florensis. We reported it before: this business prefers to find growth and flexibility in a network of like-minded partners instead of in the deep pockets of a sugar daddy. It is not about buy & build but rather creating a flexible yet close network together with Ball, Graines Voltz, P. van der Haak, other entrepreneurs and retailers to work on new genetics, a balanced supply chain and retail concepts. This maximises elbow room and demands fewer finances. This network structure will not do this winner of the International Grower of the Year Awards 2016 (‘Gold’ in the ‘Young Plants’ category) any harm. Orders, sales, results: all are growing faster than the market. Its delivery reliability rating of 97.9% per 650 million units delivered is also something to be proud of. The company has the focus that came about after the production organisation and supply chain management were separated to thank for this. The advancements seen in the area of automating the process of planting cuttings, as well as the Florensis Online Order Tool, which is now also available to customers, are great, too. The increased participating interest of Herman Hamer assures a steady course; trust in the future is at a high. There is a lot to be celebrated in the year that Florensis turned 75 and the many social projects that received generous gifts for the occasion are wholeheartedly joining in the festivities.

8 (7) Anthura Category youngplants Total turnover €87,300,000 Employees total 752 Employees NL 152 International branches 4 www.anthura.nl

As Anthura’s orchids and anthuriums can be found in more than 70 countries, we have a global player on our hands here. In order to retain – and preferably further expand – that position, Anthura is working towards thought leadership: distinctive expertise in breeding, techniques, production and sales. Clients are not just cherished and pampered with a continuous stream of new products, they also receive extensive support in their marketing efforts. See, for instance, this company’s ‘mood films’ on its YouTube channel and its active contributions to social media.

Anthura is pulling out all the stops to tap into the right product-market combinations and to bring professional clients in position to reap maximised results. Thanks to the 24/7 virtual reality tour through the demonstration greenhouse, professional clients do not even have to physically travel to Bleiswijk to stay informed of the latest developments. In addition, Anthura is increasingly utilising Business Intelligence in order to optimally align demand, production and stocks. New products are conceived and created in Anthura’s own laboratories and production facilities in Bleiswijk, Macedonia, Germany and – and this is where we see Anthura’s increasingly international character again – China. To increase its innovative capabilities, Anthura is also using the Lean Startup method. Furthermore, Anthura is getting involved with the right networks, in which, together with others, it is on the lookout for new opportunities and options precompetitively. Even though the world is moving quickly, Anthura wants to go even faster.

PRIDE

IS IN OUR NATURE Enjoy the flavours of our products

Want to know more about us & our exotic fruits and vegetables? Visit

WWW.NATURESPRIDE.EU

Nature’s Pride - Maasdijk, Holland T: 0031 174 525 900 - E: info@naturespride.nl

Top 100 |

7 (5)

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 53

Dümmen Orange

Category youngplants Total turnover €181,800,000 Employees total 5,326 Employees NL 260 International branches 17 www.dummenorange.com

Category youngplants Total turnover €399,300,000 Turnover H100-Q €191,500,000 Employees total 2,122 Employees NL 601 International branches 46 www.nunhems.com

Agro Care

Category production Total turnover €62,500,000 Employees total 232 Employees NL 57 International branches 1 www.agrocare.nl

The biggest news at Dümmen Orange in 2015 was not about flowers and varieties, but euros and majority interests. In October 2015, BC Partners acquired a majority of the shares from H2 Equity Partners, the Dümmen family and a group of managers. Those managers will however remain in charge of operations. The deal is good for H2, because the price was considerably lower with the acquisition of Kirin in 2010. Dümmen Orange has developed well in recent years. The acquisition by BC Partners is expected to bring even more momentum to the company and give the M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) policy even more clout. This was made clear with the recent acquisition of Florexpo Europe and Wander Tuinier. Incidentally, not everyone in the traditional horticultural world of close family businesses is eager to be taken over by ‘the boys from the fast-paced business world’. Emotion and reason collide here. The horticultural industry is all about products with emotional value; growers put their hearts and souls into their products, and this makes consumers happy. But big players like Dümmen Orange need to think and act much broader. In the international horticultural world, scale is important to cover the rapidly rising costs of R&D. That is only possible with a large global customer base, which requires a global marketing and sales strategy. After a series of acquisitions, Dümmen Orange has to divide its attention over the integration of the acquired companies, sound business operations, supply reliability and of course the cultivation of strong varieties and the development of new cultivation technologies. Dümmen Orange has to juggle quite a few balls at the same time, which is a complex task and something from which one cannot always immediately reap the benefits.

6 (8)

5 (6)

Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds

Just before our final editing deadline, the decision was finally taken and Monsanto accepted Bayer’s takeover bid. To the tune of 59 billion euros, we may see the Monsanto name eventually disappear into history. Perhaps. Both the American and the European competition authorities must give the deal their blessing, and that could take until sometime in 2017. However, all that high-level political red tape cannot dampen the celebrations in Nunhem, Limburg, where this year, the 100th anniversary of what once began as the Nunhems seed business, (now Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds), is being celebrated. Today, 78 million euros is invested here in R&D annually. Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds is working hard to actively scout and interpret trends in nutrition, health, convenience, taste and sustainability. This gives rise to new products and concepts, which in turn leads to the identification of new, relevant partners. This has resulted in, for example, the introduction of snack carrots in response to the demand for healthy snacks. In Europe and America, we see ‘personal size seedless’ watermelon varieties entering the market and there is currently a search for new lettuce varieties and varieties suitable for new cultivation technologies, such as vertical farming. Thanks to a significant ambition, breeding facilities will also be expanded in the Netherlands, Spain, Chile, Brazil and India. As a modern seed business should be, Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds is also active in projects in the third world. A worthy top 10 player in our list that may end up in the 500+ category next year.

The editorial office was almost closed when the breaking news came in about the merger of Agro Care and Kesgro. This move will create a tomato giant with a whopping 153 hectares. Sales by the two companies accounted for 100 million in 2015. These neighbours from Wieringermeer will continue under one name: Agro Care. The new company thus not only has a strong presence in the Netherlands, but also in Morocco (Kesgro) and Tunisia (Agro Care). And it won’t stop there, because the ‘newlyweds’ immediately announced a family expansion: much more acreage will be added. Agro Care had already climbed higher on our list, independently of this news. The company is well aware of how important it is to deliver the right quantities, to the exact specifications and at an acceptable price.

Despite a continuous battle for costs and pricing, Agro Care is financially very solid. What is striking is the apparent shift from the search for a market connection with consumers to a focus on (inter)national growth. Now that even more power has been acquired with Kesgro, that ambition may possibly be realised even faster. There is currently not very much news to report when it comes to consumer brands. While the group continues to look within itself for opportunities to use brand concepts to achieve more attractive pricing, product availability is currently its priority. When looking for innovative ideas based on customer requirements, we believe that there is currently slightly more reliance on Harvest House. There is nothing wrong with that choice, because Agro Care recognises that you cannot do everything on your own.

Intelligent cooperation is something that suits Agro Care. Also: smart merge.

4 (4)

Beekenkamp Group

Category youngplants Total turnover €129,100,000 Employees total 2,599 Employees NL 399 International branches 5 www.beekenkamp.nl

The Beekenkamp Group is solid as a rock and is seemingly effortlessly consolidating its 4th place in the Hillenraad100. Seemingly, as the company is obviously hard at work to achieve this position. The family of companies is not resting on its laurels and continues to grow and expand. For example, Flora Co. was founded in Deliflor (Beijing) in 2015. This year we are looking forward to a new partnership emerging in the US with Danziger, new production facilities in Guatemala, expansion in Lutjebroek and another 6 hectares of state-of-the-art new construction in ‘s-Gravenzande.

We are also seeing wonderful developments in the field of online sales.

Hip startups like Flower Factor and Bloomy Floral Creations are being participated with and ‘applification’ has made an appearance here as well: a new app enables growers to monitor test containers on their smartphone or tablet. IT also plays a big role in terms of operational activities; the Beekenkamp Group has five full-time developers on staff who fine tune the systems. This separate department makes it possible to respond quickly to changes, and is unique in the industry. We are therefore seeing growth on many fronts: in the vegetable plants, the chrysanthemum cuttings and the ornamentals. Special products such as mini-tubers and TomTato are also continuing their development, as well as new packaging for soft fruit.

Despite the enormity of this family business (81 hectares of greenhouses and each year nearly 2 billion young plants) the family feeling is retained: sober, personal approach with short lines.

the power of

a family business

What makes family businesses so distinctive?

“Family businesses focus on the long term, they’re innovative, with a high awareness of costs,” says Jaap Mazereeuw, Enza Zaden’s Managing Director and the third generation in command.

“Moreover, they are the engine of the economy and an important player in the field of employment.” Typical for the international agriculture with its many successful family businesses. And thus also for a family business like Enza Zaden.

“As a family business we tend to think in generations rather than in quarterly figures. You see this reflected in our corporate vision. We continuously invest large sums of money in innovation, in the cooperation with our partners and in the development of our employees, worldwide.

The result? Long-term relations, committed and passionate employees, products attuned to the markets and years of healthy growth.”

the power of a familly business the power of Enza Zaden

Top 100 |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 55

Koppert Biological Systems

Nature’s Pride

Enza Zaden

Category supplies Total turnover €161,300,000 Turnover H100-Q €137,105,000 Employees total 1,159 Employees NL 352 International branches 38 www.koppert.com

Category trade Total turnover €303,300,000 Employees 330 www.naturespride.eu

Category youngplants Total turnover €239,400,000 Employees total 1,678 Employees NL 595 International branches 38 www.enzazaden.nl

The Committee of Experts is particularly fond of what Koppert Biological Systems itself describes nicely as ‘fundamentally pioneering’. This is a company that has realised many innovations that others initially jokingly dismissed. Bumblebees as an alternative to the manual pollination of tomato plants? Also, why use creatures when you can just use synthetic sprays? The very idea! Koppert Biological Systems likes to go against the grain and that has brought it to the victory platform of the Hillenraad100. Constantly searching for a way to do things differently. Why only look at the plant when you can also look at what is going on with the roots in the soil? The reasoning: always look further and think deeper. Koppert Biological Systems is doing pioneering research into micro-organisms and plant extracts in its search for optimum plant resistance. The researchers realise that we really only know a fraction of how nature actually works and that it is advisable to keep your eyes open. Koppert Biological Systems combines curiosity with a good commercial sense, as revenues and profits are on the rise. This drew the company into the spotlight of the jury of ‘De Nieuwe Kampioenen’ (The New Champions) of the Dutch financial newspaper Financieele Dagblad.

They unanimously declared Koppert Biological Systems the winner. A ‘magnificent company’ and ‘truly disruptive’, was the verdict. This is a gamechanger that has rightfully taken its place on the podium of the Hillenraad100. Some members of the expert committee would even have liked to have given Koppert Biological Systems more accolades.

The top of the Hillenraad100 is often accused of being too static, but this leader has significantly shaken the list. If you take a look at a Hillenraad100 from 2012, you’ll see that Nature’s Pride was not even included back then. It is a confirmation of the growth that you can make on the list if you tap into a latent need in the market. And it is significant that this was done by a relative outsider as well. Shawn Harris saw what the established order had overlooked all that time. She saw an opportunity for her ‘ready to eat’ concept and grabbed it. There was initially some sneering: was anyone in Europe actually waiting for innovation in mangoes and avocados?

As it turns out, millions of consumers were.

Nature’s Pride is not only doing surprisingly well commercially, the fact that the human aspect is not being overlooked is perhaps even more beautiful to see. Nature’s Pride gives all partners in the chain their fair share. The three Ps, which stand for Pioneer, Passion and Perfection, are its guide for all comings and goings. Nature’s Pride knows how to connect people, markets and products in a very appealing and efficient manner. In this way, you can even achieve an impressive 99.5% delivery reliability rating and record 20% growth. Nature’s Pride has the ambition to become a European leader in the ‘ready to eat’ market, and wants to do so through 100% sustainable sourcing. Currently, 79% of its revenue is ‘Fair For Life’ socially certified.

Obviously, the key question in all of this growth is: where is the young talent who is able and willing to keep up with Nature’s Pride’s ambition?

Fred van Heyningen was recently hired to manage this process properly. Nature’s Pride is committed to further growth.

Enza Zaden has proudly and solidly held on to first place in the Hillenraad100. There was certainly some discussion within the Committee of Experts as to whether there were perhaps other candidates for the top spot on the podium.

But ultimately it was decided unanimously that this great family business excels on all fronts and on all continents. Enza Zaden has a network of 43 branches around the world and succeeds at locally serving the different markets.

Product development in-the-market for-the market is one of the major success factors.

In order to continue to supply these markets with the right products more quickly, Enza Zaden uses ‘data-driven solutions and inventions.’

An international investment programme of up to 100 million euros should lead to even better R&D stations and logistics worldwide.

The company also continually invests heavily in new products and people, which is one of the reasons Enza Zaden won the prestigious Family Business Award 2016. This award is an initiative by John Fentener van Vlissingen. It is intended as a tribute to the strength of family businesses and their contribution to growth, innovation and employment. The fact that this company is still a family business is unique and its continued operation as a family-run company is highly commendable. The joint effort leads to a continuous stream of new products and brands, including most recently the yellow tomato Safra.

This dynamic is essential, as competition in the home markets of Western Europe and North America is fierce. Cost what it may, Enza Zaden wants to be and remain market leader. So far no other companies in the top 100 have managed to match the extremely rapid coordination between R&D, marketing & sales and production. And that has made Enza Zaden the undisputed number 1 again this year.

Interview

56 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Delft Research Group

The development of, and the possibilities offered by, technology in the horticulture industry are proceeding so quickly that it is practically impossible to keep up. The Delft Research Group takes this as a challenge to proceed along two routes: that of the current business, and that of what has yet to come. After all, new technologies and analyses stand poised to conquer the horticulture industry, and the Delft Research Group definitely does not want to miss their exit.

The term ‘exponential acceleration’ has been used frequently in the Hillenraad100, but for many, it remains a vague concept. A visit to the Delft Research Group and a presentation from its director Bert van Tol of the newest equipment to trace pesticides in horticultural products, quickly cleared up any confusion. 10 years ago, a machine such as this could detect 60 different pesticides with a residue value of 0.1 mg/kg, but it took 10 days to produce its results. ‘Now, we can test for 650 pesticides with a fineness of 0.01 mg/kg in a day.’ 10 times more, 10 times better, 10 times faster. That is exponential progress. The next step will be taken in much less than 10 years and will again be subject to the laws of exponential growth. This is a peek at the world in which Bert van Tol and his relatively small team are working at a high level. Groen Agro Control, one of the three subsidiaries within the group, employs 70 people, six of whom have doctorates and are able to use their highly specialised knowledge to help guide the new developments. However, just as important are the people who know the sector such that they understand the needs of the client.

‘High-level research thrives around highlevel horticulture’ Existing technology, new area

The Delft Research Group was founded 22 years ago in an empty laboratory belonging to the Delft University of Technology. Bert van Tol: ‘I have a background in pharmacology and was working as a chemist at the Delft University of Technology.

About 20 years ago, the questions posed by nurserymen could be solved with knowledge from the chemical and biotechnology industries.

Or that was at least the approach we took to curing diseases such as those affecting roots.

What we were doing then was nothing more than translating our expertise to an industry that was new to us. For instance, we were asked to examine the causes of root thickening in the cultivation of vegetable plants. The smoking gun was thought to lie with the manufacturers of mineral wool, but we uncovered the true ‘culprit.’ All this resulted in what today is still the backbone of our business: thousands of routine tests and analyses. Now, 20% of the year’s

samples come from abroad, from countries where the horticulture industry is at a very different level than here. So we call it the big platoon, for which we are happy to work hard. In the Netherlands, you have the leaders and, because the sector is much more advanced, there are very different issues at large. At home, we can immediately couple the increasing understanding of process technology to years of experience in the horticulture industry. Here, our researchers and reality drive each other forward, as it were.

We are optimising the packaging for fresh produce and researching technology for growers’ associations in order to even further refine the quality of existing products. But we must not limit ourselves to what already exists. We have to look further than that.’

Plan B: sensors

In principle, the Delft Research Group could continue for some time down the road it is travelling, but Bert van Tol understands that it is necessary to stay as close as possible to a new development: sensors. To this end, the Sendot Research startup was established. ‘We are currently purposefully keeping our distance in order to retain our focus on the existing business and that of Sendot on sensors, but we do not want to miss the opportunities that they could offer. Sensors are becoming increasingly small and are being given more functionalities. They are also becoming very inexpensive, such that they are coming within reach of SMEs. With sensors, you will soon be able to get the flow of data between the greenhouse and the lab going.

You could say, the patient no longer has to bring their urine sample to the doctor, because the doctor is right there, present and alert, 24/7.

We will continue to be a lab, but we will also grow to become a data factory. In refining the sensors, we work with Applikon, another Delft high-tech business, and others. Applikon makes bioreactors and we understand how to perform the tests. With this new startup, we link chemical knowledge to technical expertise. At Sendot Research, we apply sensors to other industries: in a packaging line for a large, well-known manufacturer of vacuum coffee capsules, in highvoltage electrical cabinets where the temperature of the switches must be precisely measured, and in measurement equipment that tests the quality of drinking water. In fact, the Dutch army is using that last development right now in Mali.’

‘Speeding along the main route, warming up on the service road’ Doing one thing, not ignoring the other

The Delft Research Group continuously scans the market for developments and trends that look to have the potential to become really big.

Unfortunately, Bert van Tol knows that there is no algorithm available to predict a product’s chances of success. ‘We once thought that there would be a huge demand for analyses of health-promoting substances, but we were wrong. Now, we are hopping on the sensor bandwagon. We have to walk two paths: on one, we cherish the existing business; on the other, we keep our options open.

We can finance project-based innovation from the primary production, which we in turn need to keep our knowledge of the industry at the highest possible level. You can only move on to something new once you have fully understood the old and know where the opening is. This detour towards sensors may well become our main route. It could happen. If it does, then the infrastructure of the horticulture industry would have to follow; people would have to want, and be able, to work with them. Most countries are not that far yet.

Here in the Netherlands, we are surrounded by greenhouses, nurserymen, growers and other chain parties with whom we can communicate as equals. Their input is essential, but other countries have yet to reach this level. We know, however, that they can quickly catch up, so for now, we will continue to speed along the main route. In the meantime, we will also lay down a service road that runs alongside it, because before you know it, you could miss your exit.’

Interview

Bert van Tol, Delft Research Group

‘We can finance project-based innovation with the existing business.

You need both pillars, existing next to each other.’

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 57

| Hillenraad500+

58 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Zooming in on the extraordinary Hillenraad500+ category

Scaling-up and internationalisation in the horticulture industry are fast-paced, which is why in 2013, we began collecting large-scale, international companies in a separate list: the Hillenraad500+. These businesses are no longer part of the ‘classic’ Dutch Hillenraad top 100. The 500+ category features a selection of companies that can hold their own on the global playing field of major international horticulture businesses. These companies are active in vegetables, fruit or ornamental plants/flowers.

An extraordinary category

The 500+ category not only does the largest leading businesses justice, it does the same for the businesses in the top 100. After all, every company wants a level playing field. In this category, we focus on businesses whose Dutch entity/entities report turnover in excess of 500 million euros. Research has shown that this limit is a good measure for differentiating between the type, structure and management of companies.

Companies of this size are organised, structured and financed entirely differently and have a broad international market approach. As such, they deserve their own category.

Turnover or employees

Research into management and organisation has shown that, in addition to turnover, the labour force is also a distinguishing factor. Effectory, the market leader in employee research, sets the limit at 1000 employees. We are happy to adopt their thinking. Last year, we added a new criteria to the 500+ and promoted to the list businesses with more than 1000 employees on the payroll in the Netherlands. We are specifically looking at the number of employees on the payroll in the Netherlands, because this is a defining characteristic of the size of an organisation.

Broader view – the international horticulture cluster counts

Our emphasis is on businesses in the knowledge and capital-intensive greenhouse industry with a strong international perspective. In this edition of the 500+ list, we intentionally look beyond just (greenhouse) horticulture products and examine companies that are active in the global horticulture cluster, including breeding companies, propagation firms, global producers of fresh vegetables, fruit and ornamentals, and companies trading in or handling these products. This list concerns fresh greenhouse products carefully cultivated for the consumer and with a high product value so that they are traded per item, kilo or package.

Assessment

The businesses in the 500+ category are evaluated using the same criteria as those in the top 100. We employ a multi-disciplinary business model based on a wide-ranging assessment of 19 quantitative and qualitative factors.

The evaluation mainly focuses on performance trends for the key figures over time. For a number of figures, a progressive average is applied.

The qualitative assessment is primarily based on the principles of High Performance Organizations (Michael Beer, Harvard Business School).

Committee of Experts

This same careful procedure is used to draw up the 500+ category. The point of departure for the assessment is the research by the editorial team of Hillenraad100 and the consultants of Hillenraad Partners. The results are then combined with an analysis from the Committee of Experts. It is an intensive process of balancing the scales. The final listing is the combined result of facts, noteworthy information and the experts’ opinions. This makes the list vital and distinctive. In composing the list, we limited ourselves to the five leading businesses in this category.

World League

There is only a small gap between the Dutch 500+ list and international players of comparable size. In order to draw this comparison we have included an additional list of international 500+ companies that we have simply classified in terms of sales turnover. This provides an indication of the global players which the Dutch companies measure up against in this international playing field. The criteria of 500 million euros or 1,000 employees may seem to be distant points on the horizon for many Dutch businesses. Nevertheless, within 10 years, several Dutch players will enter this World League or be taken over by global players. ‘Eat or be eaten.’ We are very curious about which national entities will grow into global players. The Dutch horticulture industry up against the World League: it promises to be exciting.

Top 500+ legend

For the past four years, the Hillenraad500+ has given an idea of the five most prominent (inter) national businesses active on a large scale in the Netherlands. Companies in the 500+ category meet one of our two criteria: more than 500 million euros in sales, or more than 1,000 employees. Just one of these criteria is enough. The company profiles have been carefully compiled by our editorial team using a variety of sources. A short description of the company is accompanied by various figures on its size. In formulating its evaluations, the editorial team used information provided by the companies and gained from public sources, and took developments into account up to midAugust 2016.

Category Category within the horticulture cluster Total turnover Total group turnover Turnover H100-Q Turnover relevant to the Hillenraad100 assessments Employees Total number of employees on the payroll in the Netherlands and no employees elsewhere Employees TOT Total number of employees worldwide Employees NL Employees on the payroll in the Netherlands International branches Number of branches outside the Netherlands Figures marked with * Estimates by Hillenraad100 due to lack of public sources

Hillenraad500+ |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 59

1

Dutch Flower Group

2

Rijk Zwaan

3

Total Produce

Category trade Total turnover € 1,379,000,000 Employees total 2,472 Employees NL 1,415 International branches BTL 17 www.dfg.nl

Category youngplants Total turnover €340,000,000 Omzet H100-Q €340,000,000 Employees total 2,418 Employees NL 1,046 International branches BTL 29 www.rijkzwaan.nl

Category trade Total turnover €3,454,000,000 Omzet H100-Q €822,000,000 Employees total 4,800 Employees NL 508 International branches BTL 31 www.totalproduce.com

The Dutch Flower Group is a steady powerhouse which has no equal in the Netherlands’ horticultural industry, or the world, for that matter. This colourful ‘family of companies’ is now so large that it can compare itself to multinationals such as Heineken and Akzo Nobel. In fact, these superpowers ended below the Dutch Flower Group in the competition for the UK Trade & Investment Award. More international fame: on behalf of the Netherlands, CEO Marco van Zijverden was able to participate in the ‘World Cup’ for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 in Monaco. The Dutch Flower Group essentially combines everything we see at individual companies in the rest of the Hillenraad100. We see market share growth, revenue growth, innovation, the search for new forms of logistics, an increasingly close relationship with the ‘customer’s customer’, contacts with educational institutions to bring in young talent and a clear picture of where the sector as a whole must go. Let us focus on that last bit: the Dutch Flower Group is not happy with the first outlines of ‘Tomorrow’s Auction’, as sketched by Royal FloraHolland. These two powers do not always agree, but it serves to keep them both sharp. Moreover, the strength and power of the Dutch Flower Group continues to grow, as evidenced by the addition of Magical Greens to the family. The correct composition of the company is constantly being consciously tweaked, as evidenced by the sale of the majority stake in Airflo to Panalpina. The group recognises that air transport is not a core business, but important enough to be directly involved with it. A major logistics innovation has been made with the use of sea containers to transport cut flowers. It puts international logistics flows and international competitiveness in a whole new light. Even when it comes to customer approach, the necessary progress has been made. The Dutch Flower Group has an ever better picture of the attraction flowers have on consumers and this has been translated into increasingly professional ‘category management’. This shows the strength of the family of ‘individual’ companies: each one of them can adapt very quickly. That agility and vision will be increasingly important in the future, something the Dutch Flower Group knows more than anyone. The ageing population in Europe and the Brexit are challenges that are already being anticipated, because entrepreneurship is about looking ahead.

Speed, innovation, growth. Rijk Zwaan has it all, which is partly why the company is among the world leaders in seeds.

Its speed is partly due to the freedom given to employees. Rijk Zwaan relies on their expertise and entrepreneurship.

This makes it possible for market opportunities to be picked up very quickly. The various crop core teams act almost as ‘rapid response teams’ that signal (regional) trends and needs for each crop. This speed is also reflected in the way Rijk Zwaan develops new services. This occurs increasingly with the Lean Startup methodology: rapidly come up with a minimal viable product, get market feedback and further develop the product. Since research and new products are the lifeblood of this company, Rijk Zwaan invests up to 30% of its turnover in R&D annually, which is something only true top companies are capable of doing. This drive for innovation led to an interesting partnership in June of this year: Rijk Zwaan signed a three year contract with the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. The partners will jointly pursue new biological material based on biodiversity expertise. In order to enable customers to keep up with all this dynamism and knowledge, the Growing Partner app was developed. There appears to be a great demand for this, particularly in emerging markets. It is also impressive how, through virtual reality, farmers anywhere in the world can see and experience how cultivation takes place in the Netherlands. It goes to show that the world of the birds and the bees has turned into a world of technology, where terms like ‘next-generation sequencing’ and ‘data-driven breeding’ are used.

Its RZ Academy gives new talent access to that world. Quite extraordinary: Rijk Zwaan pays for the training and does not ask for payment upon completion. This is an employer that is highly convinced of the attractiveness of its field and career opportunities. Rijk Zwaan quite simply enjoys sharing and has also begun to pass on its leadership style in the form of courses – in China, for the first time. This is the sign of a company that looks beyond money, sales and production. Hence the award of an ‘extracurricular activity’, such as the position of ambassador of the museum Museon in The Hague. Rijk Zwaan is a jewel in the 500+ category.

The term ‘powerhouse’ has been repeatedly used by the Committee of Experts and it was certainly used when assessing Total Produce, because this giant in the global fruit and vegetable industry is showing truly great results. Its annual report for 2015 is more than impressive. In the so-called euro zone sales rose by more than 4%, an increase of nearly 6% was recorded in other European countries, and in North America and India an increase of more than 65% was recorded.

That growth will continue to develop through the acquisition of Progressive Produce from California, US, earlier this year. In any case, Total Produce has a strong hand when it comes to acquisitions, as the majority interest in the North American Oppenheimer has proved a master-stroke. An acquisition is not always needed, as you can also work together strategically to achieve growth, such as was observed in the form of the new strategic alliance with Agrofruta in Brazil, for example. The motto of Total Produce is ‘Local at heart, global by nature.’ So despite all its economies of scale, there is also a distinct focus on the specific strength of a local subsidiary. At Frankort & Koning, this is the ideal location in Fresh Park Venlo, where a state of the art DC was set up to optimally serve Central Europe. In the port of Rotterdam, that other gate to Europe, Total Produce participates in Cool Port, also a logistics centre. Furthermore, investments have been made in ripening cells in the Westland. All that physical growth is needed, because Total Produce is gaining an ever stronger foothold in the market with new concepts and products. For example, the seedless watermelon has been a relief for consumers. This innovation by Total Produce in Rotterdam is now ready to conquer the European market.

Special this year was the joint venture with Vezet, to collectively expand in Scandinavia. The global strength of Total Produce is significant and is – in line with its motto – preferably filled with local talent that has been intensively scouted and nurtured. Altogether, Total Produce is the rightful bronze-medal winner this year in the 500+ category.

We share Roy’s ambition to achieve success through collaboration

Roy Steegh is a tomato grower based in Wellerlooi with a keen eye for detail, and thanks to artificial lighting and an energy-efficient production system he has maximum control over every aspect. Despite being a modern and ambitious entrepreneur, Roy is not afraid to share his knowledge. On the contrary!

He regards it as a sector-wide responsibility to produce high-quality products using as little energy as possible. That calls for honesty and openness, not only about the opportunities but also about the challenges. He forms part of a successful chain along with Rijk Zwaan, fellow growers and his customers.

They work together to ensure the year-round supply of a uniform product in a way that is profitable for each link in the chain.

It is Roy’s ambition to achieve success by collaborating with others. Rijk Zwaan – a global specialist in vegetable breeding – shares that ambition. We are working together towards a healthy future.

Learn more at rijkzwaan.com.

Hillenraad500+ |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 61

4

Greenyard Foods

5

The Greenery

Category trade Total turnover €3,967,000,000 Omzet H100-Q € 720,000,000* Employees total 8,200 Employees NL 714 International branches BTL 35 www.greenyardfoods.com

Category sales cooperative Total turnover €1,107,000,000 Omzet H100-Q €1,107,000,000 Employees 1,384 Employees NL 1,020 International branches BTL 12 www.floraholland.com

5

The merger of several companies under the banner of Greenyard has made the path visible and the ambition clear: to become the world’s largest fruit & vegetables company. The group is a marriage of Pinguin (a major player in the deepfreeze industry), Noliko (specialist in canned fruits and vegetables), Peltracom (European top 3 player in substrates) and the famous Univeg, a name that has been a fixture on the Hillenraad100 for years and with whom All of Greenyards’ fresh activities have been housed. When you think of Greenyard, you obviously cannot help but think of Hein Deprez.

Together with his employees and teams, he is fully engaged in realising his strategic vision for the European food sector.

With Greenyard, this passionate entrepreneur wants to satisfy the entire consumer demand for fruit and vegetables.

With the acquisition of Lutèce and – very recently – Bardsley Farms, this goal is coming ever closer. For the category of 500+ in the Hillenraad100, we mainly look at fresh-produce related activities, which provides us with appealing Dutch names like Univeg Benelux and Bakker Barendrecht (Albert Heijn’s primary supplier). We assume, therefore, that the merger between our national grocer (Albert Heijn) and the Belgian Delhaize has been exhaustively discussed in the boardroom. Univeg knows like no other that the world of retail is always in motion. This ‘fresh division’ lost a major customer in Germany, but nevertheless still managed to book a steady turnover of 3.2 billion euros. This means it is quite robust. The exact proportion of Dutch turnover in the fresh component of this listed company is difficult to assess.

With a few calculations, we can say with significant certainty that this must be more than 800 million euros.

After a brief absence from the list, it has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. This image comes to mind immediately when writing the story of The Greenery. After all, the embattled combination of cooperative Coforta and trading company The Greenery is in the final phase of the Phoenix restructuring process, to be completed in 2018.

Reorganisations are always accompanied by heated tempers, slammed doors and new opportunities, and it was no different here. The fact that the volume of trade declined and producer groups left the organisation, did not improve the atmosphere in the boardroom. Earlier this year, a number of supervisory directors resigned and CEO Ton Wortel also had to step down, in part due to the breach of trust in the Supervisory Board. But behold, Steven Martina came forward from the company’s own ranks. The current CEO really knows all facets of the business; as a teenager, he was already hard at work in the soft fruit business of Van Garderen. This lawyer and businessman knows the ropes: as Director of Retail and Trade, he was in charge of the commercial and marketing activities in recent years. And after many years with somewhat gloomy headlines, we finally got to read the following: ‘The Greenery booked a net profit of 4.2 million euros in 2015.’ Turnover increased, the bank loan was repaid and the construction of new DCs is planned. It seems that the strength and attitude of The Greenery’s new CEO has provided a new impetus. The Director of Retail vacancy was also filled from The Greenery’s own ranks and the equally young Pascal Piepers can already boast a solid track record. Good news is also the fact that the door has been opened to large growers who want to diversify risk and who see a great partner in The Greenery. Steven Martina sees that the dynamics of change and the collective search by the entire industry for reliable partners provides ample opportunities for the ‘new’ organisation. In short, smiling faces have returned at The Greenery.

Royal FloraHolland Royal FloraHolland has achieved fantastic rankings in the top 100 of the Hillenraad100 and in recent years, it has even been included in the ‘new’ 500+ category.

All those years, the Committee of Experts wrestled with whether it was appropriate to include this cooperative, as officially, it does not own any goods. Most voted in favour of inclusion – after all, this cooperative plays a leading role in the floriculture industry. But should a cooperative be competing in this list with its members or its customers? After thorough consultation, we

have decided to remove Royal FloraHolland from the ranking. The criteria of own turnover has been made more important, which is also why a number of growers’ associations have disappeared from the list. We wish Royal FloraHolland a steady course and a prosperous voyage, and are proud to be able to report that it has become one of the co-hosts of the Hortigala. This will help to maintain the connection, which in and of itself is fully in line with the shape of the changes occurring in the sector.

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Hillenraad500+ |

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 63

Top500+ companies – the World League in vegetables, fruit and ornamental plant and flower products For the fourth year in a row, we have compiled a list of international businesses operating in the international horticulture and fresh produce sector.

The companies in this ‘World League’ have a turnover of over 500 million euros. The list is based on this single criterion – no consideration was given, and therefore no value is attached to, the companies’ overall performance. The one with the highest sales figures is at the top of the list. We have set a strict limit of 500 million euros. The number of employees was also not taken into account.

The list includes companies that improve, cultivate, process or market fresh horticulture products.

The distinction between horticulture and agriculture is based on whether the products are carefully cultivated for the consumer and with a high product value to be traded per item, kilo or package.

Companies that produce or trade agricultural bulk products are not included.

This World League is an indication of the playing field in which the Dutch 500+ businesses can prove their worth. The concentration of horticulture-related companies in Europe is striking, which may result in a somewhat distorted view. It is simply easier to determine a company’s size in the English-speaking part of the world than in more closed economies.

Furthermore, the list is incomplete on the basis that we do not have reliable turnover figures for several companies. The list is also subject to global product prices and monetary exchange rates, which may result in a 500+ company not being included in the list due to currency fluctuations.

company name

country

product

turnover

1

FloraHolland

Netherlands

floriculture

€ 4,602,000,000

2

Dole

USA

produce

€ 4,055,044,069

3

Univeg / Greenyard Foods Group Belgium

produce

€ 3,967,000,000

4

Freshpoint- Sysco

USA

Produce,foodservice

€ 3,511,000,000 *

5

Total Produce

Ireland

produce

€ 3,454,000,000

6

Fresh Del Monte

USA

produce

€ 3,231,000,000

7

TaylorFarms

USA

produce,freshcut

€ 2,500,000,000 *

8

Chiquita / Sucocitrico Cutrale

Brazil

produce

€ 2,331,608,000

9

Landgard

Germany

vegetables & flowers

€ 1,806,000,000

10

Driscoll's

USA

berries

€ 1,802,000,000 * € 1,379,000,000

11

Dutch Flower Group

Netherlands

floriculture

12

Syngenta Seeds

Switzerland

vegetables & lawn

€ 1,264,000,000

13

ITOCHU International Food

Japan

fresh food

€ 1,258,000,000 *

14

Zespri

New Zealand

fruits

€

1,197,984,722

15

The Greenery

Netherlands

produce

€

1,107,000,000

16

Bayer Cropscience - Seeds

Germany

seeds

€ 1,089,000,000

17

Fyffes

Ireland

fruit

€

985,292,000

18

Agrial -Floréal

France

vegetables

€

882,000,000

19

GF Group

Italy

produce

€

879,609,000

20

Pomona TerreAzur

France

produce

€

834,000,000

21

APO Coperno

Italy

produce

€

811,929,000

22

AMC Group / Antonio Munoz

Spain

vegetables & flowers

€

800,000,000

23

OGL Food Trade

Germany

produce

€

763,113,000

24

Vilmorin

France

vegetables & garden

€

743,400,000

25

Chiquita Europe

Netherlands

fruits

€

739,654,000

26

Monsanto Vegetable Seeds

USA

breeding/vegetables

€

706,900,000

27

Groupe Compagnie Fruitière

France

produce

€

700,000,000

28

Golden Wing Mau Group

China

produce

€

700,000,000 *

29

Harvest House

Netherlands

vegetables

€

681,000,000

30

AZ Kempen

Germany

produce

€

622,337,000

31

Capespan

South Africa

produce

€

607,000,000

32

Ready Pac Foods

USA

freshcut

€

585,728,588

33

Anecoop

Spain

produce

€

546,600,000

34

Earthbound farms

USA

organic vegetables

€

510,000,000

35

Tanimura & Antle

USA

vegetables

€

507,000,000

36

D'Arrigo Bros

USA

vegetables

>€

500,000,000

37

Mastronardi Produce

Canada

vegetables

>€

500,000,000

38

Good Farmer

China

produce

>€

500,000,000

39

Gemüsering Stuttgart

Germany

vegetables

>€

500,000,000

40

Costa

Australia

horticulture

€

500,000,000 *

Interview

64 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds ‘As soon as you think you know something, new knowledge pops up.’ This is the conclusion reached by John Willems of Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds. In order to keep up with the world, it is best to let the world in as much as possible: new technology, new expertise and new insights. In all links of the chain, the radar should be running continuously.

‘Chills down the spine.’ ‘Farmers and citizens fear a monstrous alliance.’ ‘Trepidation.’ There was no shortage of superlatives after the announcement of the acquisition of the year: Bayer is set to take over Monsanto, after the latter succumbed to an offer of 59 billion euros. However, this acquisition was not the reason to sit down with John Ward, Global Head of Marketing & Sales at Bayer CropScience.

The meeting had already been arranged and the angle already decided: what can we expect in the coming years from an increasing cross-fertilization of expertise in breeding and biotechnology? How do you keep up with contemporary consumer trends when cultivation traditionally takes years? We have another question as well: how do words like Bayer, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and crop protection relate to the emotions that people attach to their daily food? John Willems understand how this imaging works, but enjoys adding the necessary nuances. ‘The business known as Nunhems Seeds until 2014 was from then on named Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds. Since its foundation 100 years ago, Nunhems has focused on its own selections and varieties. Knowledge and experience in breeding is in the DNA of this company, which is housed in a former monastery in Nunhem. We have been part of the Bayer Group since 2002 and have to this day had some form of special status within it. The group’s leadership made the strategic decision to let us continue to run our own business as experts in Vegetable Seeds. This will remain the case for the time being, as our division is growing faster than the market. However, we do keep our ear to the ground for the needs of

our end users, as we have done for a century.

Our crop experts are in constant communication with people not only on the ground, but in the soil.

This path is our focus: from plant to customer.’

On to 10 billion

We will be adding quite a few more of those customers, as the world’s population is expected to grow to 10 billion in 2050. ‘We will have to move towards integrated solutions if we want to keep up with that. You cannot do it with resistance or chemistry alone. We have to integrate it. We need a third pillar: digital farming.

It lets you take much better cultivation decisions, intervene more precisely in, for example, crop protection. We will see an increased use of drones, sensors and satellites. Greenhouses will increasingly be equipped with digitisation and robotics. In this way, we will manage to soon produce more plant-based foods in a relatively smaller area, with minimum application of pesticides. This will require us to look at our business differently. After all, we are increasingly being confronted with expertise that we do not ourselves possess, but which we should be familiar with. You cannot possess all the latest technologies yourself, which explains why more and more, we have to turn to a different type of researcher. We look for people who can look outward as well: what has already been thought of and how can we use it? Which is why we are frequently turning to collaboration. Here in the Netherlands, we are located close to Eindhoven where, reportedly, the ‘smartest square kilometre in the world’ is located. We have close ties to research centres in California. This is important, because as soon as you think you know something, new knowledge pops up.’

A search for guidance

‘Our crop experts are in constant communication with people not only on the ground, but in the soil. This path is our focus: from plant to customer’

The search for what the world of tomorrow needs begins with conversations with end users, the ever-capricious consumers. Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds therefore has all its antennas tuned to receive the right signals. John Willems: ‘If you ask people ‘what do you need?’, you won’t get anywhere. There can be a big difference between what is asked for and what is actually needed. We do however have some guidance.

In all links of the chain, our radar is running continuously, and is focused on growers, the trade, Internet businesses, shops and canteens.

We are observing significant global trends, such as convenience, fun and snacking. More and more people want to spend less time on food preparation and eat several times a day. We can respond accordingly, and sometimes we stumble upon a latent need. Consider, for instance, our Multi Leaf lettuce, which is a great alternative to

‘Increasingly, we are hiring outward-looking people’ traditional lettuce. The personal sized seedless watermelon was also bred based on a clear need: a smaller fruit that is easier to eat. We were also part of the development of the longer-life Galia melon, which could from that moment be transported by sea container. By following the biggest trends, you try to create as many opportunities as possible.’

Patents

In this search for new variants, sooner or later a discussion about patents comes up. To obtain more clarity and arbitration, and partly on the initiative of Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds, the International Licensing Platform (ILP) was set up. ‘We are looking for a method that benefits everyone and is workable,’ says John Willems.

‘On one hand, you do not want to completely block access to new technology, as this does not ultimately benefit anyone. On the other hand, it is also not the intent to have your thoughts and actions open for everyone to see. There has to be an advantage or profit to be had, otherwise nobody will invest in long-term projects any longer. A well-functioning platform contributes to growth and progress, and if there’s one thing we will certainly need in the coming years, it is better communication with consumers. In our sector, we have never been very good at explaining what we do and why. This is increasingly important because I foresee that in the - perhaps near - future, consumers will be the ones with the power. The power is already no longer in the hands of producers and probably no longer in those of the retail sector. It certainly does not help that the (European) public strongly perceives our business as being ‘industrial production.’ We will therefore have to seek new partners there, too.’

Interview

John Willems, Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds ‘We are increasingly making use of expertise we can never possess ourselves.’

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 65

66 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Horticulture in North America and Mexico

Each year, we identify the 10 top players of a particular continent here. Last year, we took a close look at Europe, while in previous years we have examined Africa, and South and Central America. Now it is North America (USA and Canada) and Mexico’s turn. This, the NAFTA trade area, has about 400 million inhabitants. As regards the horticulture industry, there is a strong interdependence between these three economies, both in terms of markets, product availability and labour. The complementary seasons are the ultimate driving force behind this strong North-South relationship.

The continent excels at vegetables, both fresh and processed. The latter is not surprising, as convenience is almost synonymous with the American consumer. In the American retail sector, ‘value-added salads’ based on leafy vegetables are equal in value to the total combined sales of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. This is a completely different situation than in the EU, where tomatoes are still a leading product.

Another significant difference from the European continent is the fact that a large number of fruits in the US are inexpensive outdoor products (field crops). However, greenhouse cultivation is rapidly becoming more popular, especially in Mexico, where NAFTA led to booming business after 1994, with - unique even for Mexico heated greenhouses. The products are for the high-end market which is supplied year round by strong brands. These brands include highly market-oriented Canadian growers. Due to the year-round high-end product flows, a handful of American players in the greenhouse tomato sector are even larger than the production value of the Benelux. Manufacturers and producers of fresh brands in the US have many more opportunities than in the EU, where private

labels dominate the retail sector. Through a supplier brand like Earthbound, organic products became rapidly popular in the US. High prices for organic products do not constitute an obstacle to wealthier consumers and the best farms are used for cultivation. The success of the greenhouses can also be explained by the fact that the constant threat of drought in California can destroy harvests. In Mexico, there is yet another reason: there is increasingly less enthusiasm for the roaming existence of independent labourers.

The future therefore lies in modern greenhouse complexes in good locations with high water efficiency and year-round cultivation. As such, southern greenhouse locations are also becoming more interesting for top players to establish themselves in; the Canadian company Houweling has already established itself in California with (ultra) modern greenhouses.

managed to significantly expand its position as flower supplier to the North American market.

In America, there are quite a few major leading manufacturers of potted and bedding plants.

The very well-developed online flower market, with 1-800-Flowers.com as its flagship, is big business in the US.

A modest role for floriculture

Floriculture production has always played a minor role in North America and Mexico because import barriers to cut flowers have always been lower than those of vegetables. Also, partly because of low cost air transport, Colombia has

The North-American market of floral products

US vegetable trade with Mexico and Canada

(source: Rabobank/Royal FloraHolland)

(source: citizen.org)

Horticulture in North America and Mexico

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 67

Top 10 players in North America and Mexico Who are North America and Mexico’s outstanding players? Here is a shortlist and description of 10 large players on the North American market. The ranking is based on turnover and impact in North America and Mexico. It is a mix of floriculture and fruit and vegetable businesses.

1

USA

This family business has a turnover of more than 2 billion dollars in value-added salads. Partly because of its dominant position in the food service, it stands far above other companies. It was founded in 1995 by Bruce Taylor after his departure from Fresh Express, the no. 2 on this list. Over 100 farmers across the US and Mexico are part of the group, where big names like Walmart and McDonald’s do their shopping. Recently, the growth in revenue has come from more expensive salad kits, which, when cheese or meat are added, qualify as full meals. Now, turnover is quickly approaching 3 billion dollars.

Fresh Express

Chiquita Brands International bought Fresh Express over a decade ago, at the time the largest vegetable processor in the world.

In 2014, turnover totalled 943 million dollars, but there has hardly been any turnover growth in recent years. The segment in which the company operates is officially called Salads and Healthy Snacks. The latter includes, for example, fresh apple slices.

The range includes over 200 items. Only approximately 20% of sales concern food service.

Taylor Farms

2

USA

3

Mastronardi Produce Ltd. Canada

4

Earthbound Farm USA

5

Sunset is the main brand of the Canadian company Mastronardi Produce, based in the province of Ontario. The company was founded 60 years ago and was initially a pioneer of greenhouse cultivation in North America. The third generation is currently in charge and the company is now headed by Paul Mastronardi. He has approached the company’s marketing in a very professional manner. Many growers in the US and Mexico joined him and the group currently consists of a wide range of fruits and vegetables with a market value of more than 0.5 billion dollars.

This company is the market leader in organic fruit and vegetables, with a 2015 turnover of 566 million dollars and a profit of 25 million dollars (which is a 4.4% ratio). This young company was founded in 1984 and was acquired in 2013 for 600 million dollars

by White Wave Foods, a listed company with nearly 4 billion dollars in sales in the ‘healthier’ food sector. A well-known name in the group is Alpro, the soy milk brand. Organic vegetables are grown on 20,000 hectares, of which roughly one half is grown in-house.

USA

Before the sale of the Asia Fresh Produce businesses and the canning division to Itochu, Dole had revenues of 7 billion dollars.

After being taken off the stock exchange by the 90-year-old David Murdock, little is currently being published. About a quarter of its approximately 4 billion dollar revenue comes from vegetables and soft fruit. Cultivation is often carried out on contract basis, but the harvest is usually done in-house. Its value-added private label salads accounted for more than half a billion dollars.

Monrovia Nurseries

Monrovia Nurseries is based in Azusa, California. The company is spread across multiple US locations, allowing a wide variety of products to be produced in different climate zones. Monrovia Nurseries supplies products to 5,000 garden centres throughout the country. Customers are extensively pampered with a huge range of products and an extensive search function to find the exact bouquet they are looking for, with full attention being paid to ‘design inspiration.’ The customer-friendly ‘how to’ videos make things complete. The annual turnover of number 6 on this list amounts to 487 million dollars.

Dole

6

USA

7

NatureSweet USA

8

Costa Farms USA

9

Color Spot Nurseries USA

10

Village Farms Canada

With Texas as its home base and over 500 hectares of covered tomato cultivation, particularly in Mexico, NatureSweet is a leader in the sale of greenhouse tomatoes. Founded in 1990, it was originally known as Desert Glory, but later on, its name was changed to NatureSweet. In Arizona in 2013, NatureSweet acquired the well-known company EuroFresh Farms from bankruptcy. Its focus lies on greenhouse tomatoes, and sales to the retail sector and food service companies.

This is one of the leading companies in the US It was founded in 1961 and now has over 300 hectares of covered crops at locations in Miami, South Carolina, the Dominican Republic, and an office in Guangdong, China. Its turnover exceeds 300 million dollars. With a team of 4,000 employees, the company grows tropical plants, ferns, palms, orchids, perennials and green foliage.

Customers include leading retailers such as Lowe’s, Walmart, Home Depot and IKEA. The third generation has put this true family business firmly back on track.

Color Spot Nurseries supplies 2,000 retail and professional customers, and is regarded as one of the top three players in the US. The company currently has 16 production sites and supplies products in 26 states. Its customer base includes names such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Kmart, Rite Aid, Kroger and Orchard Supply. They can choose from more than 2,500 species of plants, shrubs, ground cover, ornamentals and so-called ‘Water Wise’ plants. The latter need little water; a clever marketing story.

This company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. It was founded by Albert Vanzeyst and Michael DeGiglio, and the latter still leads the company. Vanzeyst’s shares were purchased in 2016 by Mastronardi. In British Columbia and Texas, Village Farms cultivates nearly 100 hectares of tomatoes and cucumbers. There are also some big partners in Mexico and 60 hectares on the east coast. The company is particularly strong in the cultivation of exclusive tasty tomatoes. Turnover amounts to approximately 150 million dollars.

68 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Wim van der Plas, Floral Trade Group

‘A webshop is just the beginning. You must stay in personal contact with your customers.’

Interview

Interview

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 69

‘We will make a difference by unburdening customers as much as we can’ Changing the name from Van der Plas Group into Floral Trade Group entailed more than just putting up a new sign on the building. The change emphasises that the group will purposefully continue down the route it took earlier, which is to deliver products quicker, with more density and more comprehensively in order to keep the customer in business. ‘Because that is the only way we ourselves will stay in business as well,’ says Wim van der Plas.

Sometimes, Wim van der Plas’ heart fills with nostalgia when he thinks back to when he as an 18 year old still drove a lorry packed with flowers from Rijnsburg to France, getting by on only a very basic knowledge of French. He still benefits from what he learned as a line rider in those, often tough, days. You looked the customer in the eye and knew instantly whether he was satisfied or not. It is that personal approach that he, together with the other members of the board and the several hundred employees, wants to preserve, even today, when everything is all about quick, quicker, quickest, even though his group is growing and developing. ‘Recently, we acquired Breedijk Bloemen and we changed the name of our group. Breedijk’s method of working exactly fits the strategy that we have designed for the different divisions of the group. We are convinced that the match we are playing is going to be won in the logistics domain. That requires the right partners. Just as several other of the group’s divisions, Breedijk comes from the world of classic

‘We want to enable all our customers to get used to the new way of working in their own time’ line riders and switched to online sales at the right time. What it boils down to now is hauling broad streams of goods to logistical hubs such as indoor parking spaces, and then transporting them to where local partners will perform the finely-meshed distribution using mostly their own staff. We are taking ever smaller orders nowadays that can be delivered by our own group in ever greater variation. If you order flowers, plants, deco and other materials before 11:00 am, you will receive them before 11:00 am the next morning. We deliver more, with more density and quicker. We are putting all our money on dynamic hubs. That is where we are going to make the difference.’

Fighting for the customer

Wim van der Plas is well aware that the success of the Floral Trade Group is determined to a large extent by the success of its customers. ‘A large portion of our customers consists of florists that often just run their own business. In order to save time, the florist sources its products online.

Therefore, only one mouse click separates us from our competitors. That is why it is so important for us to be a comprehensive and distinguishing supplier: one trolley should contain everything the florist needs, from flowers to plants, from deco to sachets of Chrysal. In order to be able to fulfil that demand, we need a broad network and with thousands of customers ordering online, the role of our people abroad is crucial.

They are our ambassadors. They immediately sense if something extra is required of whether a customer might be leaving. As a comprehensive supplier, we combine online sales with a personal approach. That is where we make the difference.

Although the Floral Trade Group focuses heavily on online orders, we are not saying goodbye to good old line riding or free sales within our Cash & Carries by any means as yet. And that is not for reasons of nostalgia but because we want to enable all our customers to get used to the new way of working in their own time. The load of our lorries is clearly shifting from free trade to Internet orders. We could of course have made a clean break and said: ‘Right, no more line riding, from now on everyone orders via the Internet.’

However, we opted for a gradual approach.

Florists take a peek in one of our lorries and see all those varied Internet orders that simply ooze ease of sourcing, and think: ‘I want that too!’ You have to give people time to adapt. At our Cash & Carries, we see a different development in that online sales are now stabilising where at first they increased by the week. Certain members of our clientele are adamant that they first want to feel and smell flowers before they purchase them.

So, in this area, we will follow the development of online sales on a weekly basis and we will adjust our policy if required. Customer demand is what matters. An ever increasing share of the group’s turnover comes from the emerging Internet market for our retail customers. We go so far as to prepare the orders down to customer level.

Since we are active on various playing fields it is very interesting to follow these developments as well.’

‘We will make a difference by unburdening customers as much as we can’ Synergy

‘The Floral Trade Group wants to optimally benefit from the synergies that are so clearly available within the group,’ Wim van der Plas continues to explain the policy. ‘The proverbial spider in the web in that respect is the centrally controlled IT department that supports all activities. The deco department with its 25,000 m2 of stock has been given a central role too. All customers from all of the group’s divisions are supplied from Amstelveen that way, while the divisions can also make use of their own import departments, which offer an ever increasing assortment under the Greenflor brand name. We deliberately chose to put the ownership of the group’s divisions right at the top of the organisational pyramid, eliminating any breeding ground for self-interest. We all wear the same hat and serve the same organisation.

We have explicitly chosen this organisational form because several divisions of the Group purchase from each other and sometimes certain activities have to be shifted in order to make optimal use of our premises. This makes it is easier to take decisions and determine policies.’

Auction clock or direct sales?

It also looks like the Floral Trade Group is no longer going to be part of the romance of the auction clock either, at least partly. ‘Every day, we carefully balance whether to source through the clock or directly from the grower. Fighting to extract the last cent from the clock has not been a priority for some time now. More and more, it is about logistics. If a grower can deliver to our premises at 5:00 am, we benefit in several ways. As such, it is no longer just the price that counts. However, I realise full well that we could not do without the clock, nor would we want to.’

70 | Hillenraad100 | 2016 |

Horticulture in perspective

TOP 10

countries w (x 1 million €)

The Dutch horticulture industry is globally leading in its assortment, productivity, quality and food safety. However, we are a relatively small industry when compared to the top 10 horticultural countries worldwide. Despite our small scale, we can be justifiably proud of the crème de la crème of the Dutch horticulture industry. In this aerial view of the horticulture industry, we have provided an overview of the relative global position of the Dutch horticulture industry, together with the composition and characteristics of our ‘Premier League’: the Hillenraad100 - edition 2016, between brackets edition 2015 figures.

TOP 10 COMPANIES BY TURNOVER

COMPOSITION TOP 100 BY CATEGORY

from the top 100 (x1 million €) Staay Food Group

2

Harvest House International

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3

432 (431)

1

362 (300) Monsanto Vegetable Seeds 333 (340) ZON fruit & vegetables 330 (342) FleuraMetz 304 (294) Nature's Pride 303 (250) Syngenta Seeds 289 (292) Best Fresh Group 271 (224) Vezet 252 (226) Enza Zaden 239 (213)

•Production •Supplies 20 •Trade •Youngplants •Services •Processing •Sales organisation

5

(3)

(5)

3

(2)

26

100

Syngenta Seeds

24

(20)

(24)

Source: Hillenraad100 research

2

Hessing Supervers

3

Vezet

4

Monsanto Vegetable Seeds

5

Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds

6

Floricultura

7

Floral Trade Group

8

Enza Zaden

9

FleuraMetz

10

Horticoop

856 767 689 617 601 600 600 595 420 403

(846)

TOP 10 COMPANIES

by number of employees worldwide from the Top100

(713) (503)

(402)

8

14/14 Aalsmeer region

8/10

West-Friesland

8/8

4 8

(379)

1

45 14 6

2

3

South-west Netherlands

5/5

5

4

Venlo region

5/4

5 5

5

Brazil

2,512

1,770

Tomato

695 (644)

Source: divers, edite

TOP 10

with branc

(427)

4/5

Oostland

Japan

18/18

(598)

Rijnland

45/44

4

4,310

17/17

(600)

6/6

Westland

The Nether

14/15 16/12

(673)

Barendrecht region

by region

3

4,434

(777)

Source: Hillenraad100 research

COMPOSITION TOP 100

U.S.A.

1

Source: Hillenraad100 research

1

2

5,070

TOP 10

* refers to turnover in horticulture qualifying for Hillenraad100 rating

in The Netherlands on the payroll in The Netherlands from the Top100

China

(26)

(19)

19

TOP 10 COMPANIES BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

1

Rest of Netherlands

5/4

Source: Hillenraad100 research

5

5,326 (4,468)

Dümmen Orange

6

2,599 (2,410)

7

2,122 (1,939)

8

Beekenkamp Group

Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds

1,441

(1,271) Royal Van Zanten

1,403

Biological S

Vegetable S

1,391 (1.192 )

Source: Hillenraad1

Florensis

9

1,159 (955)

1,649 (1,712)

10

(1,159) FleuraMetz

Van den Berg RoseS

1/Bayer Cr

(3,100 ) Monsanto Vegetable Seeds

1,678 (1,604)

Enza Zaden

1

Koppert Biological Systems

1,142

Source: Hillenraad100 research

9/INCOTEC

TOP 10 (in hectare)

163

7 Agro Care

Source: Hillenraad1

Horticulture in perspective

| Hillenraad100 | 2016 | 71

TOP 10 HORTICULTURAL

TOP 10 HORTICULTURAL COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE IN SALAD VEGETABLES (x 1 billion €)

countries worldwide in floriculture (x 1 million €)

on

1

China

6 Italy

2

U.S.A.

7 Germany

3

The Netherlands

8 Colombia

4

Japan

9 France

6)

5

5,070 (5,095)

1,224 (1,330)

4,434 (4,434)

1,143 (1,319)

4,310 (4,130)

1,043 (1,012)

2,512 (2,512) Brazil

1,770 (1,747)

992 (954)

10 Canada

869 (814)

Source: AIPH statistical yearbook 2015

a

China

U.S.A.

(13.8)

(4.7*)

15.2 7.1

Spain

Japan

(2.5)

(2.4)

2.6

2.4

Mexico

2.1 (1.8)

Turkey

Netherlands

(2.5)

(1.3)

1.6

1.4

India

Brazil

Italy

(1.1)

(1.2)

(1.0)

1.4 1.3 1.0 Source: divers, edited by Hillenraad

TOP 10 HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE NETHERLANDS (x 1 million €) 1

earch

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Tomato

Phalaenopis

Capsicum

Chrysanthemum Tulip

Rose

Cucumber

Lilium

Gerbera

Strawberry

(644)

(499)

(332)

(368)

(330)

(199)

(152)

(140)

(117)

695

498

415

300

284

295 (266)

245

159

138

120

Source: divers, edited by Hillenraad

TOP 10 COMPANIES FROM THE TOP 100 with branches outside The Netherlands

14/15 16/12

13/13 13/10

46/43

(in hectares)

Source: CBS

17/17 18/18

n

TOP 10 HORTICULTURAL COUNCILS IN THE NETHERLANDS

38/38 18/21 22/22

Westland 2,399 (2,379) Lansingerland 751 (783) Pijnacker- Nootdorp 307 (357) Horst aan de Maas 265 (262) Zuidplas 229 (214) Peel en Maas 222 (291) Zaltbommel 220 (241) Midden-Delfland 195 (185) Hollands Kroon 181 (158) Noordoostpolder 171 (127)

COMPOSITION TOP 100

BY OWNERSHIP Family business 81(78)

38/38

Stock listed company 8 (6) Management 4 (6) Cooperative 3 (5)

1/Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds 2/Enza Zaden 3/Koppert Biological Systems 4/Van VLIET Flower Group 5/Monsanto

) able

Investors 3 (4)

Vegetable Seeds 6/FleuraMetz 7/Dümmen Orange 8/Biobest

Foundation 1 (1)

9/INCOTEC Group 10/Delphy 10/Priva Source: Hillenraad100 research

Source: Hillenraad100 research

)

al

earch

TOP 10 GREENHOUSE SURFACE IN THE NETHERLANDS OF THE TOP 100 COMPANIES (in hectare)

65

163 80 73

Agro Care

80 CombiVliet

Source: Hillenraad100 research

58 58

4Evergreen

53 58

RedStar Group

50 53

Royal Pride Holland

46 50

Gipmans Planten

40 39 44

40

Vreugdenhil Beekenkamp Klugt Combinatie Group

38 43

Wayland Group

28 Greenco

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