This year, young grower Mathias De Vestele, together with his partner Lore, started their hydroponic lettuce farm, Delova, in Pittem, Flanders, Belgium. Mathias and Lore took over the business from Dominiek De Craemer, who was looking for a successor for his company.
On an area of 2.3 hectares, they grow multicolor and head lettuce on water. This winter, the young growers will begin their first winter crop under artificial lighting. "We started using grow lights this morning to maintain high production and quality," Mathias shared in early September, alongside a photo on LinkedIn.
This spring, Mathias went into detail in Dutch trade magazine AGF Primeur about his transition to water-based lettuce cultivation, a new venture for him but not for the former owner, Dominiek, who continues to offer guidance.
The horticultural sector is said to no longer be attractive to young entrepreneurs. However, there are certainly still young, passionate growers and farmers. "There are more than enough challenges in horticulture that can make you feel discouraged, but I grew up in this sector and wouldn't want to do anything else," says Mathias. Until recently, Mathias ran the company Devo-Fleur in Jabbeke with his brother Cedric. They both grew up on their parents' farm and decided at 18 to join the family business. However, at the beginning of 2024, Mathias felt it was time for a new step.
"This has nothing to do with my brother, by the way. We still help each other whenever needed, but we both wanted to take our own paths, which is why we are now each managing different independent companies. He now has the space to grow in open-field vegetable farming, and I got the opportunity to take over the wonderful company of Dominiek De Craemer. He was looking for a successor for his business, and I was pretty much sold right away."
"Lore and I decided to take the plunge, and thus Delova was born," Mathias continues. "We still get a lot of help from Dominiek. We took over a beautiful company with 2.3 hectares of multicolor and head lettuce grown using hydroponics, but handling the entire business right away is a huge step. Dominiek offered to stay and support us for a while in running the company, providing guidance on cultivation, but also helping with things like preparing deliveries and communicating with customers. We want to continue on the path Dominiek started, so it's nice to have his helping hand during this transition and when communicating with existing relationships. In the coming weeks and months, we'll gradually phase this out until my girlfriend and I fully manage the company on our own. After that, Dominiek has promised I can always call if there's something," Mathias laughs. "I don't think we could have taken our first steps at a better company."
More rhythm in hydroponic lettuce
While Devo-Fleur mainly focused on open-field cultivation of leeks and head lettuce, Mathias will now fully dive into hydroponic cultivation of multicolor and head lettuce. "It's quite an adjustment. Of course, I'm familiar with lettuce farming, but hydroponics is completely different from open-field farming. However, I'm very excited about it because I've been interested in the hydroponic approach for a few years now. The big advantage is that you have consistent work. You're less affected by extreme weather conditions, so you can create a kind of stability. In the morning, we harvest the lettuce, and in the afternoon, we plant again, and that rhythm is really nice. This way, the company is in full production all year round," says Mathias, who markets his lettuce through the REO Auction. "Moreover, Cedric and I still help each other with certain things, like logistics. It's nice to have a good relationship with a nearby company."
However, there are still plenty of challenges in hydroponic lettuce farming. "Since constant deliveries are required, you have to ensure everything is perfectly organized to meet those demands. That requires very tight planning. Additionally, you're still dependent on the market. We may have consistency and stability in production, but right now, the lettuce market is just terrible. Since the farmers' protests in Belgium, the prices for head lettuce have been really bad. That makes it, of course, challenging to start. It's not just a brief dip either; it continues. At the moment, sometimes half the produce isn't sold at auction, and with prices at 15 euro cents, it's not sustainable. You can't cover your costs with that."
Uncertainty in livelihood
"We work with fixed prices, but I also have a small area that's not under contract. It's not fun to have to sell that at 15 cents on the market. It costs you more than it brings in. Moreover, if this continues, it could also lead to a drop in contract prices. We'll always do our utmost to ensure optimal quality, and I expect that things will eventually turn around. The question is, when? That's the uncertainty. Traditionally, the sunny weather in summer boosts lettuce sales, but no one has a crystal ball."
It makes planning for the future difficult, says Mathias. "In horticulture, you're expected to keep growing and investing constantly. But that's simply not doable when your profitability is always fluctuating. I've just started, and for the next few years, we'll mainly be gaining experience and making the business our own. However, you always keep the ambition to look further ahead, which is incredibly difficult in horticulture. With the shrinking number of growers, there are opportunities for young businesses like ours, but the costs keep rising. You can't build up a financial buffer, and if you then hit a long period of bad prices after an investment, many won't recover."
"In the end, we have high expectations for Delova, but you're always carrying a certain level of livelihood insecurity. Maybe it's something we have to learn to live with, but I think we as a sector also need to look at how we can help ambitious entrepreneurs with this. For now, we're taking it step by step toward the future. It's important not to rush but to build a sustainable business on a solid foundation. That's our focus for the coming years, and then we'll see what the future holds. I still have quite a few years left as a grower," Mathias concludes.
For more information:
Delova
Egemstraat 92 B
Pittem, Belgie
[email protected]