He grows daffodils in the UK, macadamias in South America, figs in Turkey, pineapples in South America and soon peppers in Friesland. How are Hein Deprez's cultivation companies and The Fruit Farm Group doing?
Charles-Henri Deprez, Marleen Vaesen and Hein Deprez of Greenyard.
Cultivation company
At the start of the 21st century Deprez also started taking over cultivation companies. This way he can close the chain a little more. "Growing in conjunction of the consumer," as he calls it. Throughout the years he has expanded to ten production facilities, spread out over South Africa and South and Central America. He also has a nursery in Europe. He grows daffodils in the United Kingdom. In total the area is 8000 hectares. Last Friday he added the first European horticultural food company to the assortment.
It's no secret in the sector that greenhouse vegetables were high on Hein Deprez's wish list. There was previous talk about a possible purchase in the province of Zeeland. "We are permanently looking for the customer. The customer wants sustainably grown produce. Greenhouse cultivation is the most sustainable form of producing food in the region of our customers. You work locally, can supply top quality on a small surface with minimum waste. You use CO2 and work efficiently. It's the sum of fairtrade," he said on Friday during the announcement of the AC Hartman takeover - 72 hectares of greenhouse cultivation, of which half organic.
The chain
With the takeover of Hartman he is closing the chain until Albert Heijn. Bakker Barendrecht is now a part of Greenyard. How does he view other parties in the chain, such as Vezet? Will he send them an offer? "We are suppliers of Vezet. The company itself adds value. By working in this manner we complement each other and can supply a uniform product to Albert Heijn. Albert Heijn coordinates and control the chain."
With the takeover of Hartman he is closing the chain until Albert Heijn. Bakker Barendrecht is now a part of Greenyard. How does he view other parties in the chain, such as Vezet? Will he send them an offer? "We are suppliers of Vezet. The company itself adds value. By working in this manner we complement each other and can supply a uniform product to Albert Heijn. Albert Heijn coordinates and control the chain."
When asked, Deprez indicates he doesn't have any other concrete takeovers planned. "Of course we're always looking at what's going on in the sector, but we have enough work for now and we're focusing on this." He does confess that he is interested in lettuce grown on water. "It's very interesting - certainly one of the things we see a future in."
Reject
History shows that trade companies who start to grow, tend to reject these activities again. Capespan, Del Monte, Chiquita - all got rid of their own cultivation due to the inefficiency. Deprez also decided to no longer include the cultivation activities in his listed Greenyard Group. In 2014 he moved the cultivation companies to a company in the hands of his family: The Fruit Farm. "You don't buy land for today or tomorrow, but for at least two generations. You have to have character to be able to think in the long term in a sector with small margins. It can only be done in a family."
Greenyard and The Fruit Farm describe their relationship online as 'strategic partners'. Is Deprez's goal to fully foresee the production of Greenyard? He's not there yet by far. "It is only a very limited amount of the total. The Fruit Farm has a turnover of 200 million Euro, Greenyard has 3.2 billion. The production of The Fruit Farm also doesn't all go to Greenyard," says Deprez. "We sell produce locally in South America, for instance. You need a wide spectrum of sales possibilities in fresh products. You look for complementary calibres in other markets."