22 FOCUS
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26 2018 THEWEEKLYTIMES.COM.AU
Tomatoes in a cold climate Eight energy managers monitor Prominent’s 52 greenhouse sites, writes SARAH HUDSON
WHEN Jacco Besuijen gives a PowerPoint presentation, you’d be hard-pressed to know he’s a manager at one of the Netherlands’ largest tomato growers. Instead he could be mistaken for an energy provider. “Our greenhouses have three key needs: heat, electricity and CO2, in addition to water,” he explained to The Weekly Times on an exclusive tour last month. “To power this we need half a megawatt of installed power per hectare, across our 418ha of greenhouses, which is overseen by eight energy managers in one location who monitor all 52 greenhouse sites around the Netherlands. “In the early days we used oil boilers, then gas, followed by cogeneration but now because the Netherlands imports a lot of gas from Russia and because of the need to stop using fossil fuels we are looking to use geothermal heat. “Over the past two years, three of our growers have invested €25 million to go to a depth of 2200m to a temperature of 82C in order to tap into geothermal heat.”
Yes, this is tomato farming but on a scale most Australian farmers wouldn’t recognise. Jacco is a manager at Groeneweg II, the flagship company of the Prominent cooperative group of 32 tomato growers, based across 52 locations in the Netherlands. Prominent growers farm a total of 418ha in a long list of truss varieties, yielding 20kg per square metre at the lower end for such varieties as kiss, and up to 100kg/sqm for their most popular variety, the selfnamed Prominent large tomato. Prominent harvests 40 weeks of the year, planting seedlings about half a metre in height in the darkest months of November — sourced from their nursery and pollinated by bumble bees (although planting in greenhouses with artificial light starts any time of the year). Tomatoes are then grown vertically up ropes and, because of rapid growth, are looped horizontally to allow for further growth. “Then when it’s too long from the root to the head of the plant we pull it out and replant,
which means we’re only about eight weeks out of production,” Jacco said.
EUROPEAN FLAVOUR
TOMATOES are then transported around western Europe — up to 60 per cent to Germany, about 25 per cent to the UK and 5 per cent to Holland. The Weekly Times visited Jacco at the Groeneweg II greenhouse research facility, which also has commercial production at Westland on the west coast of the Netherlands, considered the world’s horticultural cluster with 670 greenhouse companies. Members of Prominent (founded in 1994) have invested in three nurseries, two packaging and two distribution centres, managed by Groeneweg II. “Traditionally farmers began farming grapes more than a century ago in Westland because it was close to the sea — the sandy soil was good for grapes and the climate was mild,” Jacco said. “Also it was between The Hague and Rotterdam and these days close to the port, rail and airfreight.” Jacco said truss tomato growing had advanced considerably since farmers first began using rock wool substrate in hydroponic glass greenhouse production about three decades ago.
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Seeing red: Jacco Besuijen, the manager at Groeneweg II’s massive greenhouse complex in the Netherlands.
“Advances were quick. Tables moved above ground to make labour more efficient and greenhouses became higher to lower humidity and allow better temperature control, which helped air flow and therefore disease prevention.” Jacco added that up until two years ago their greenhouses had largely been pest-and
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disease-free, but for reasons as yet unknown they have had an influx of tuta absoluta moth, in addition to white fly and a tomato mite, which they are battling with biological controls. “Only when we don’t have control through beneficial insects do we use chemicals, which we are reluctant to do
because in doing that you disturb the total biological balance. As much as possible, we try the biological way.”
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THEWEEKLYTIMES.COM.AU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26 2018
means a delicate power play JACCO BESUIJEN WESTLAND, THE NETHERLANDS
MANAGER of Groeneweg II — the flagship company of the Prominent co-operative of 32 tomato growers HAS 418ha of greenhouses spread across 52 sites HARVESTS 40 weeks a year BIGGEST market in Germany followed by the UK
Healthy output: Prominent produces up to 100kg of tomatoes per square metre in its 418ha of greenhouses. Below: Jacco Besuijen in the “field�. Pictures: SARAH HUDSON
WATER WISE
JACCO said advances in water efficiency meant they used 4-10 litres per square metre via drip irrigation, largely captured from rainfall on the roof and re-used through a combined computerised fertigation system that constantly measured nutrient requirements. “When captured water runs low we are able to top up by pumping groundwater, filtered through reverse osmosis to desalinate it. We never use consumer water.� But undoubtedly the greatest advances in Prominent’s truss tomato greenhouses has been in electricity production. In contrast to Australia, which has abundant light, dark winters in the Netherlands means light and CO2 for photosynthesis are critical. “These are our two limits in winter. Outside CO2 levels are 300-400 parts per million, but inside a greenhouse we reach up to 1000 parts per million of CO2,� Jacco said, pointing to
“Only when we don’t have control through beneficial insects do we use chemicals, which we are reluctant to do because in doing that you disturb the total biological balance� transparent plastic tubes that run under elevated tomatoes like long sausages to provide CO2 to plants. “In winter increasingly we use artificial light in addition to natural light using sodium high pressure gas-filled lamps, which produces the whole spectrum of light,� says Jacco. Tomato greenhouses also require humidity, cooling, and heating, with a daytime temperature between 20-25C and night time of 18C. Alongside CO2 plastic tubes under the elevated hydroponic tables, there is a metal grill system to provide heating to plants. For these reasons power production is critical.
“There’s a big discussion in the Netherlands at the moment about energy sourcing so we’re currently looking at other ways to power the greenhouses than gas.�
POWER POINT
JACCO said geothermal was not a solution for every company, because it required “layers of sand and clay so you can pump up the hot water and then inject water back at 40C into the same layer to keep the temperatures and pressures right�. “For this reason the Netherlands is also starting to work on a master plan for a heat grid using residual heat from indus-
trial processes in Rotterdam, from such sources as hydrogen, which is wasted by industry but interesting for us,� he said. Jacco’s is one of 100 companies taking part in the Netherland’s new World Horti Centre project in Westland, opened in March as a worldfirst joint partnership between government, researchers, universities and private business, combining the Dutch greenhouse horticultural sector under a single roof. He said the World Horti Centre was an example of how greenhouse knowledge and technology was now globally available. “For us there are no secrets any more. The technology is now available to build world’s best greenhouses anywhere in the world, whether Australia or the Netherlands. “For us the secret to growing high yielding tomatoes is controlling and optimising the climate. That’s where the grower knowledge is.�
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26 FOCUS
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2018 THEWEEKLYTIMES.COM.AU
Rob’s on the cutting edge of Innovation is front and centre of Rob Baan’s philosophy for growing a healthy product, writes SARAH HUDSON CHAT to Netherlands’ farmers and Rob Baan is considered the Steve Jobs of horticulture, his innovation comparable to that of the Apple founder. And among the Dutch public, Rob’s face is well known, given his outspoken views on the need to eat more vegetables and the economic opportunities of turning health into an economy, to make the Netherlands a “green farmacy”. “We’ve forgotten the why of horticulture,” Rob told The Weekly Times during a recent visit to his Koppert Cress headquarters at Monster, on the horticultural hub of the west coast of Holland. “The ‘why’ is not to produce the biggest amount per square metre but to make people healthy. “We make enough profit with this company that I can afford to spend about 80 per cent of my time now getting this message out.” Rob studied agriculture and worked for global agribusiness firm Syngenta before taking over Koppert Cress in 2002,
ROB BAAN
MONSTER, THE NETHERLANDS RUNS the micro-green punnet business Koppert Cres LEADERS in innovation PRODUCTS are used in 70,000 restaurants a week, with most of their product marketed in a 50km radius through distributors NINETY per cent of product is sold in Europe. when the company was worth two million euros and had a range of four products. He has since transformed the micro-green punnet business, making 65 products and with a further 50 waiting for release from research and development. Koppert Cress is now worth 33 million euros (A$53.4 million) and is growing by 10 per cent every year. Seed is produced at sites around the world for Koppert Cress, from China to Peru and grown out in The Netherlands
Fresh is best: Rob Baan from the Netherlands says flavour is everything.
across four sites totalling 10 hectares, with 260 employees. There are a further six partner companies around the world growing out Koppert Cress products, including in New York, Colombia, Belarus, Turkey, Japan and the latest partner Flowerdale Farm, in
central Victoria. “We like to work with farms who produce weird products, like unusual micro-greens,” he said. “Unlike tomato growers we’re a lonely group, so it’s nice to have partners around the globe. “For the growers they get the benefit of our know-how,
mow, ted, rake SILVERCUT DISC MOWERS
Picture: BRIAN CASSEY
the seeds, the services, and the fun.”
TASTE TEST
THE 62-year-old father of four said the starting point for any one of his products was taste, and he travelled the world in search of new flavours.
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“Nature is so rich and our ancestors knew what to eat. There are 10,000 plants not eaten today that we once ate,” he said. Visit the Koppert Cress headquarters and it’s easy to see why comparisons are often drawn to Willy Wonker’s fan-
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THEWEEKLYTIMES.COM.AU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2018
growing better vegetables
tastical creation. A taste garden offers visitors an astonishing array of tongue teasers, from a yellow flower that is like licking a battery, a green leaf that somehow manages to be a pleasant combination of Vicks Vapor Rub and peppermint, and another that tastes of hazelnut. A cafe offers free meals to staff, all based on the concept of eating 250g of vegetables a day, or 80 per cent of a diet, with the company’s product the hero of many dishes. The headquarters also boasts a kitchen offering world’s-best “toys for chefs”, from 3D food printers to a Molteni oven and stove the size of a family car and barbecues no Australian backyard would recognise. “We don’t sell our products on their looks, we are selling flavour to a chef, so it has to be in the mouth for it to click in the mind of a chef,” Rob said. “I focus on the top gastronomy, Michelin-star chefs, and think like a chef. Food trends don’t start in the supermarket so we work with chefs who like funny, weird and surprising things.”
Rob’s son Stijn agreed, adding “if we sell cress over the phone it doesn’t work, so we want chefs to visit us, play here, get excited, take photos and get others interested, including in the food services industry”. “If you have a niche product selling wholesale no one is interested in five boxes of cress, but if you go to Michelin star chefs who then want Koppert Cress product it means we don’t call distributors, they call us,” Stijin said.
CHEF-LED DEMAND
THIS unique business model of chef-led demand means Koppert Cress products are used in 70,000 restaurants a week, with most of their product marketed in a 50km radius through distributors, subsequently 90 per cent is sold in Europe. “The area around Monster is a logistical hub for horticulture and I make optimal use of the transport in the region. I sell to distributors and I don’t care or mind who they sell to,” Rob said. Innovation extends to Koppert Cress’s greenhouse technology.
With production yearround, the fastest growing product is radish sprouts at five days, with the slowest salicornia or sea asparagus taking six weeks. Rob pioneered the use of cellulose as a substrate medium for punnets. “It’s from trees and is the same material used in nappies. I have four children so that’s where I got the idea from. “Because it’s a natural product if you eat it it’s safe and much better than rock-wool,
peat moss or coconut husk. It’s restaurant ready.” Rob said tap water was used in spray irrigation in all greenhouses as it was food safe and Holland had no water shortages. His greater concern was sustainable energy use and for that reason a tour of the Monster facility is like touring a
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power plant, with more investment below ground than above. In a mind-boggling engineering feat initiated two years ago, heat from greenhouses is captured in summer and stored underground at 170 me-
“We don’t sell our products on their looks, we are selling flavour to a chef, so it has to be in the mouth for it to click in the mind of a chef.”
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All cressed up: Rob Baan and son Stijn in the Koppert Cress facility at Monster in the Netherlands,
tres between a layer of clay and sand in an aquifer thermal energy storage system for use in winter. In addition, artesian water is brought to the surface in summer for use in cooling, all to ensure greenhouses are maintained at an 18-25C level through hot summers and snowy winters.
HEAT CAPTURE
KOPPERT Cress also uses green energy and has solar panels — not for electricity but for heat capture. Next year Rob hopes to tap into the Netherland’s growing demand for geothermal energy. Because winters are also dark, greenhouses have been made with hammered glass, which acts like diamonds or small pyramids to deflect as much light as possible to plants and avoid shadows. LED lights are also used on the blue/red spectrum, which Rob said added more flavour to plants. Greenhouses were initially built to stack five levels of production, but the Baan family found it was cheaper to build new greenhouses, “but if that changes we are stack ready for the future”. Once plants are ready for sale they are mechanically
taken from greenhouses and placed in cool storage at 4-7C to halt growth and then transported at the same temperature. Rob said every aspect of production maximised plant flavour and quality, which underscores his broader food philosophy. In the foyer of Koppert Cress headquarters there’s an unpaid Dutch Government fine that was issued to Rob after he publicly said broccoli was healthy. The highly regulated Dutch system makes it illegal to state claims that are not backed by science and as such Koppert Cress financially supports several academic studies on the nutritional benefits of vegetables. “My father was happy to go to jail and not pay the fine to make a very public statement about the need for a healthy society,” Stijn said.
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THEWEEKLYTIMES.COM.AU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 5 2018
Dutch horti the centre of attention An exciting, new institute in The Netherlands is a global leader in horticulture studies, writes SARAH HUDSON ONLY the Dutch could create such an ambitious project as the World Horti Centre. Opened in March this year, the world-first facility is located in Westland, on The Netherlands coast, which at 4500ha is the largest greenhouse production area in the world, with 670 horticultural companies The centre brings the whole greenhouse horticultural sector of The Netherlands under a single roof, through a joint partnership of education, research, business and government. In an exclusive tour given to The Weekly Times last month, the local government minister responsible for horticulture and economic affairs, Karin Zwinkels, said the multimillion Euro facility was critical to the future of horticulture. “The connection between all these sectors is urgent,” Karin said. “It’s urgent because jobs for the future are quickly changing and we want to be prepared, in terms of innovation, technology, sustainability and providing food security. “In December for instance we’re holding HortiHeroes, an incubator and talent program for young start-ups who can pitch their ideas.”
DOUBLE DUTCH
THE World Horti Centre encompasses three levels, where the work of researchers, about 100 industry companies, several Dutch universities including 1300 students and government all combine. The ground level of the centre features a 6500sq m research facility with a series of secure “docks” operated by companies, with project descriptions posted on doors. One door’s description reads “crop protection in open fields”, another “control of mildew on cucumbers and tomatoes”, while others examine impacts of white fly, effects of fertilisation and one focuses on
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WORLD HORTI CENTRE
WESTLAND, THE NETHERLANDS JOINT partnership of education, research, business and government BOASTS a 6500 sqm research facility HOSTS 1300 students studying a range of new TAFE and academic courses
a new variety, the tomberry (a berry-size tomato marketed as a snack food like chips). Each dock can simulate climate conditions in any country of the world, regulated from a central control room. In another section of the ground level, products featuring state of the art horticultural technology and innovation from about 100 companies are showcased. A company called QWestland has invented LED lights that also produce air. Priva features a tomatoharvesting robot. The VB Group specialises in geothermal energy, able to tap into the resource as deep as 4km underground. Kubo creates “ultra climate greenhouses” for use in extreme zones from tropical to very cold. The Qlipr company has “become filthy rich” creating a simple clip for truss tomatoes on a rope.
INNOVATION GENERATION
ON the second level, 1300 students take part in a range of new TAFE and academic courses, some even taking part in internships run by horticultural companies. One of the new subjects offered is “how space can learn from agriculture”, and another focuses on the future of personalised food, where participants have DNA tested and a prescribed diet assigned.
“We say this is the horticultural capital of the world. There’s no country without a Dutch greenhouse.” Pace setter: World Horti Centre spokeswoman Angelique de Wit says the centre has many sustainable features.
Centre spokeswoman Angelique de Wit said students researched in a genuine startup manner, with “hackathons” providing analysis and solutions for business cases for companies. Practical student study projects include the use of drones in greenhouses to improve cultivation turnover, increase the
quality of the harvest and reduce the quantity of pesticides used in the greenhouses. Angelique said a large commercial kitchen was not used to teach cooking, but instead encouraged students to investigate the health benefits of fruit and vegetables, already finding that “drinking the water from steamed broccoli is
healthier than eating the broccoli itself”. The second level also features a year-round trade fair, which Angelique said hosted large delegations of international visitors and open days. Angelique said it took seven years to bring the facility to fruition and there was no other building like it.
Picture: SARAH HUDSON
“We say this is the horticultural capital of the world. There’s no country without a Dutch greenhouse and this building sells the package of Dutch horticulture.” The building itself incorporates many sustainable features, including green walls, high-insulation roofing and solar-powered heat pumps.