From village blacksmith in Monster to world player in greenhouses

It may not have been the festive anniversary year that was initially planned. But despite everything, our pride about KUBO's 75th anniversary is undiminished. Three quarters of a century later, the family firm that started business in Choorstraat in Monster is now one of the top international greenhouse builders. "But we are not going to sit on our laurels. The world is going to hear a lot more from KUBO," says Wouter Kuiper, the third generation at the helm.

And to mark the anniversary year, KUBO took the opportunity to launch a 'historic' website. The website is full of interesting tips: not everyone knows that the name KUBO contains the initials of the founders, Arie Kuiper and Rien Boers. The company started with the production of heating systems for greenhouses. Soon KUBO was building structures for greenhouses too. Wouter Kuiper: "We built a greenhouse for radish grower Piet de Jong and we've posted pictures of it on our website [link]. The De Jong family is still a loyal customer. In 2020, we built a greenhouse for both Piet's grandson Erik and for his son John."

Revolutionary Ultra-Clima greenhouse
In the 21st century, the Monster-based company had already outgrown the Westland. KUBO has now built greenhouses in over 50 countries. Global fame was achieved with the revolutionary Ultra-Clima greenhouse, a sustainable concept that makes it possible to grow vegetables also under extreme climate conditions. Last year, KUBO's continuous drive to innovate moved it to the top of the Hillenraad 100, the official 'horticulture hit list'.

"That was a huge honour," Wouter Kuiper looks back. "It certainly shows what KUBO's vision was. We are certainly not going to sit on our laurels. There are a lot of developments in horticulture. Take autonomous growing, for example. KUBO will definitely play an important role in that. The world is going to hear a lot more from us."

Not just a greenhouse builder
The company now has 145 employees. Building greenhouses is no longer the only activity, although it is the most important. With services like Full-Service Grow Concepts, KUBO also offers growers strategic knowledge. Smart Growing helps growers improve their results, for example with the PYLOT monitoring platform which collects data and presents it to growers. This year, the development activities were separated under the name KUBO Innovations. 2020 also saw the launch of The Blue Lab, in which KUBO performs practical tests in two Ultra-Clima greenhouses.

Thanks to employees
Wouter Kuiper: "It is obviously not just the Kuiper family that does everything. We work together with our employees. So we owe them our thanks. Not just our current employees, but also past employees. It is partly thanks to them that KUBO has become the company it is today. Which is why we organise a day for past employees every year. That's important to us."

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