Strong focus on sustainability
More focus, more enjoyment. That is what Rick and Karolien Tesselaar wanted with their company Miss Alstroemeria. They therefore made a fairly radical change. Instead of growing on 10 hectares across three locations, they now grow their alstroemerias on a single 3-hectare site in Luttelgeest. It is easier to manage, costs are lower, and above all it is easier to continue on the chosen path toward more sustainable cultivation, Karolien explains.
The strong focus on sustainability, according to Rick, has everything to do with the belief that you must take good care of the natural products you work with. In practice, it starts with the soil. “Alstroemeria is a perennial plant that we grow in the ground. When we replace the plants, we plough the remnants back into the soil. We do that to improve the quality of the soil. We also supplement the soil with compost from strawberry plants from a nearby colleague.”
The water that Miss Alstroemeria uses for cultivation is fully recirculated. The sleeves in which the flowers are packaged are made of 100 percent recycled plastic. To reduce CO2 emissions, the combined heat and power plant runs on green gas, the pure CO2 they supply to the plants comes from a waste processing plant, and the greenhouse is fully equipped with LED lighting. Rick: “We have calculated it: our environmental footprint shows that it is efficient to grow in the Netherlands for the European market.”
Even in the control of pest insects, the necessary steps have been taken. Karolien: “There are two types we are particularly affected by: cicadas and leafrollers. As soon as we detect them, we tackle them with biological agents. In the most extreme cases, we still resort to chemical agents. But because these also kill the beneficial predatory insects, you disrupt the ecological balance in your greenhouse. We really want to avoid that as much as possible. I estimate we are now 95 percent biological.” With this sustainable approach, Miss Alstroemeria brings eight varieties to her customers under the motto: where quality meets luxury.