You don’t get much closer to the Oosterschelde than GrovisCo in Stavenisse (Zeeland, Netherlands), where fish are bred in a sustainable manner. The refreshment water is used to water the sea lavender and samphire beds.
Adrie Cornelisse (picture) started growing samphire as a hobby over a decade ago. “We’re close to the salt water we need for our breeding station,” he says. GrovisCo breeds about 100,000 fish each year, and has an installation to purify and reuse the water. Some of that water cannot be reused, so it’s used to water the sea vegetables. The refreshment water also contains fertilizers that stimulate the growth of these vegetables.
Simulated cultivation system
On an acreage of about 1 hectare, Adrie has laid out special beds on which cultivation of sea vegetables is simulated as naturally as possible. “It’s a simulated system, but in such a way that the soil is protected. The water doesn’t immediately drain by applying foil under the beds, otherwise a huge amount of water would be required. Salt water evaporates very quickly, especially in high temperatures. We have to water with fresh water then, to prevent the soil from becoming too salty, which would prevent oxygen from reaching the roots.”
Comparable with wild sea vegetables
The GrovisCo sea vegetables can be compared with the wild varieties from the salt marshes. Off-season, sea vegetables are imported from countries like Israel, Mexico and Portugal. Adrie says the flavour of the sea vegetables from these countries is very different from the Dutch produce, because of different circumstances. “Our product is cleaner than the wild sea vegetables,” he explains. “This is because our beds are never fully underwater, as happens outside the dykes.” Every morning, Adrie can be found at the beds to harvest the day’s orders. The company has as little as possible in stock, so that the sea vegetables can be delivered fresh. “For instance, sea lavender really should be harvested before 9 am. That’s when they are crunchiest.”
Italy has discovered sea vegetables
The sea lavender and samphire are mostly sold through wholesale, finding their way to hospitality and retail. GrovisCo also sells directly to restaurants, the local supermarket, greengrocers nearby, and from home. Adrie says the market for sea vegetables is best in the Netherlands and Belgium. “Here, the product is really seen as a specialty. This year, our sea vegetables are also going to Italy, for instance, but the price there is very different. They see the sea vegetables more as an ordinary vegetable there.” The GrovisCo sea lavender and samphire also go to Switzerland through wholesale. Following the increased interest in sea vegetables, the grower doesn’t rule out a future expansion of production. He’s also looking into options for other sea vegetables, such as sea kale, sea fennel and oyster leaf, for which he sees a demand as well.
More information:
Grovisco
Adrie Cornelisse
Keetenweg 4
4696 PD Stavenisse
+31 (0) 166 697 380