Moors Nursery is set to expand after the recent acquisition of the neighboring tomato greenhouse. The signatures were inked just a few days before Christmas, says the grower Rob Moors.
With this move, Moors Nursery gains an additional 17 hectares, but at the same time, it is also shedding 6 hectares from its Someren location. With this move, the pepper grower consolidates all its land in Asten-Heusden.
Currently, the company has 19 hectares after the 2019 expansion. A year later, in 2020, a biomass plant was also built, which can now be utilized more efficiently thanks to this expansion.
Conversion
Before the company can smash the champagne bottle, however, there are a few things that have to be addressed. First, the tomato greenhouse needs to be converted. "We started cleaning up today," Rob said. "We will definitely put in a second screen, the growth tube will be removed, and we will go from five rows per truss to six. We will also look at which new energy techniques we can apply. This is an existing greenhouse, but we approach it as an entirely new construction project."
Cleaning crew in action in the purchased greenhouse
Phased Growth
If the greenhouse in Someren gets converted, it will be up to the strawberry grower to take over. "We will still grow peppers there this year," Rob says. Moors Nursery will grow in phases after the conversion of the tomato greenhouse. First, with six hectares for the 2025 growing season. "Because we will rent out one greenhouse of the total seventeen hectares for the first few years."
Energy
Last fall, some events pushed the grower to act more quickly than anticipated. "The upcoming CO2 levy and the energy tax were an important trigger. With the biomass installation, we will soon, if the SDE remains favorable, be a bit cheaper with our energy mix, including CHPs, liquid CO2, and so on. We are, for example, working with e-boilers."
Labor
The pepper growers pack the peppers themselves. "We still have to do the math, but with the capacity we now have, we should be able to accommodate the growth in land area." Another point of attention, in addition to all the technology, will be labor. "The people who will work for us in the peppers in Someren this year will join us after this season. We will also strengthen our team with new people. We hope to be able to train these people with us this year."
The first peppers should be harvested in the converted tomato greenhouse by April 2025. Moors Nursery is affiliated with the GMO-recognized growers' cooperative Oxin Growers U.A. They ensure that our peppers are sold. Oxin Growers arranges the agreements between buyers and growers.
For more information:
Moors Nursery
www.kwekerijmoors.nl
[email protected]
