During the economic crisis in 2007, dealing with canceled orders, Hólmfríður Geirsdóttir decided to switch her Iceland facility to berry growing. Their business, Jarðarberjaland, expanded until they operated greenhouses. Now, the last of these facilities is up for sale or open for a young and enthusiastic grower. “The market is asking for more strawberries produced in a clean environment, using green energy. The business is profitable,” says Hólmfríður. “But my husband and I are at the age where it is time to slow down and think about retiring.”
Berry production
The greenhouse journey of Hólmfríður began 44 years ago. “We started from scratch to build up forest seedlings and a tree nursery,” she recalls. However, during the economic crisis in 2007, the government decided to cut just half of the plants that were in the contract they already had. Looking at the empty greenhouses, Hólmfríður decided to start berry cultivation. They were the first ones to produce raspberries and blackberries in greenhouses in Iceland, successfully. In 2013 they bought another facility and grew strawberries in there, completing their activities with the acquisition of another nursery in 2017.
Fate struck in 2022 when a storm destroyed this 2,000 square meters facility. For a brief moment, they thought of shutting up, but after a month, they were sure to rebuild and carry on. “When the greenhouse collapsed in the stormy weather, we decided to rebuild and have all the technology we can to increase the crop and do the work easier.”
Restart cultivation
The couple sold their two other facilities, and the team worked solidly to clear, dig, build, and restart the cultivation, focusing solely on the 3,600 square meters greenhouse, producing strawberries all year round, taking three crops per year using variety Sonata.
The plot, which is sheltered, is a 10,868 sq m. plot of land in the center of Reykholt, and the greenhouse is heated with hot water from the nearby Bláskógabyggð's springs.
Twelve units
The greenhouse is divided into twelve units where planting takes place weekly to ensure an even production all year round. The goal of the new facility was to increase year-round production – numbers that were easily made in the new facility. “We are already at a higher capacity than we were, and we are picking here full time every day.”
But what Hólmfríður is most proud of is that the team does not use any spraying on the production. “We control pests using biological control and UVC lights.” The crop is then collected three times a week by the Gardeners' Sales Association, who distribute the strawberries to stores.
Food industry
Now it’s time for a slowdown of activities. Two of their facilities have already been sold successfully, but for the third one, the couple is either looking for a buyer of the facility or a produce manager. Aside from the usual responsibilities and offerings, the beautiful scenery and tourism in the area are secondary employment values, as is the offering of an apartment or house for rent. Even more important is Hólmfríður's belief that horticulture in Iceland can do much more for the food industry. “I see the Icelandic greenhouse industry continuing to grow. We are using geothermal heat for heating and electricity from green sources, and the attention for sustainable production is growing.”
For more information:
Hólmfríður Geirsdóttir
Jarðarberjaland
[email protected]
