“Seedlings are very festive”

Kiem-X is bustling with activity this close to the holidays. “Everything actually booms for us during this period. We supply mostly to department store chains, and those sell enormous amounts during the period before the new year. Most Belgians cook at home on Christmas Eve, and they therefore buy a lot of products in supermarkets,” says owner Wim Bouden from Kiem-X.

Bouden indicates that the production of seedlings has literally multiplied by four at the company. “We have nine types, two of those are left behind a bit, although those also double. The others are multiplied by four. It is actually unbelievable how fast they are going. In order to keep up, we also temporarily multiply our employees by three and sometimes even by four!” Seed vegetables have a number of trumps according to the owner. “Ready-to-eat and healthy food are two of those, but the culinary aspect is certainly a third. A plate can be festively decorated with beetroot sprouts, a meal can be made spicier with leek sprouts, radish sprouts with a cheese dish… the possibilities are countless. Seedlings are very festive.”