For a moment, bell pepper grower John van der Voort was in doubt: How do you celebrate the 100th anniversary of the family business in these times? Eventually, he decided not to let the festive occasion pass by unnoticed on Tuesday. With a piece of cake and a gift from cooperative Oxin Growers, the moment was celebrated in a small way.
"With these energy prices and the crisis worldwide, I didn't want to go all out, but in the end, I'm glad to have made something of the special date," says John the day after when he has just harvested the first ripe red peppers. "I've had some nice responses."
What's special is that the nursery has been at the same location in Honselersdijk, in the Bospolder, for a hundred years. John's grandfather started growing there on 15 March 1922 - "I still have a copy of the deed at the notary's office" - after which his father and uncle took over the company.
In 1993, peppers were grown for the first time. John's brother Patrick, with whom he took over the business from his father and uncle, appeared to be allergic to the eggplants that were grown there.
New name
Over three years ago, the nursery changed its name: Fa AAM van der Voort en Zn became Voort Horticulture. "Some things changed and my brother took on a different challenge. Together with my daughters, we came up with this new name, which allows us to go in all directions, if necessary. We're not necessarily stuck with peppers this way."
For this season, John hopes that, despite everything, it will be "a season with a golden edge," as he previously indicated on social media. In any case, they have started with the harvest of the first red peppers. On to a new anniversary: 30 years of peppers in 2023. "In those 100 years, the company has endured everything from the Second World War to energy and stock market crises. Then we'll overcome this too, or so I think."
For more information:
Voort Horticulture
info@voortpaprika.nl