New 8.5 million investment on top of 17.5 million greenhouse
Germany: EmsFlower combines flowers and veg in new greenhouse operation
The company’s greenhouses stood empty after the summer, when the bedding plants were gone. So Emsflower was looking for a new activity to fill up this void in propagation. Kuipers went out on a limb in 2010 and decided, against everybody’s advice, to start growing tomatoes. He had a 8.5-hectare greenhouse built with high technology, cultivating bedding plants in the spring and growing tomatoes in the remaining seven months.
The new building set him back €17 million, the bank fortunately agreeing to underwrite the venture. Kuipers stated: "This was just before the outbreak of the Ehec crisis, so the timing was lucky." Last year, the first tomatoes were picked. According to Kuipers the first harvest was successful. Consequently, he decided to erect a second combined nursery this year. Rabobank has approved the investment of a further € 8.5 million. Father and son Kuipers are adamant the financial risk is limited. Kuipers is even willing to tempt fate a little: "It can hardly go wrong,” he says. “The only risk we run is the emergence of disease in the crop."
The new greenhouse will be build by Gakon Horticultural Projects.
For more information: www.emsflower.de
