Sustainability

In countries like Tunisia and Morocco, we are not just growers. We are an important employer in regions with few jobs, and thus a source of income for dozens of families. Employees are given the opportunity to develop themselves. Significantly, both African locations operate almost exclusively with local employees. We take good care of employees and their families. With a salary, of course, that enables them to build a life. But also with good healthcare, such as a nurse on site and dental checks. With the introduction of Fairtrade snack tomatoes, we give our end users the opportunity to support the local population.

In 2020, Dutch horticulture received a great compliment: from biologist and television producer David Attenborough. In his documentary 'A life on our planet' on Netflix, he shows how the Dutch greenhouse horticulture has developed. Nowhere else in the world is food production per square metre greater. Nowhere else in the world is this vegetable produced with so little energy and water. Energy that is often not even fossil anymore. Greenhouse horticulture on a Dutch scale can therefore be an answer to the world's climate problem. Intensive farming also helps feed billions of mouths.

We were one of the first large-scale growers to start limiting light pollution. Over time, screen manufacturers have invested in better and better blackout systems. This enables us to keep light pollution within the prescribed standards at all our locations with illumination: 95% of the light is shielded. And so it should be.

Producing tasty tomatoes starts with a healthy crop. Whenever we are confronted with diseases and pests, we resort to natural solutions. Such as biological crop protection, with insects or agents of natural origin. The local deployment of beneficial insects is the only way to prevent an outbreak from having larger consequences. This also allows us to easily stay within the strict margins that retailers apply to residue on products.

The way in which a company such as Agro Care cultivates also fits in with a relatively new movement: that of Ecomodernism. The idea behind it is that technology can actually help protect nature. Technological development means that economic activities no longer need to have a negative impact on the environment. Modern greenhouse horticulture – with companies such as Agro Care at the helm – also has other benefits for nature. Because of the efficiency, the yields per square metre are unprecedentedly high. As a result, growing food has a much smaller global footprint. And there is more room for nature and greenery.

Tomato Blend is an ideal kickstarter for a wide variety of recipes, from pizza to pasta. At Greenblend, we make that base using only natural ingredients. Residual streams from Agro Care are upgraded here to a high-quality ingredient for buyers in industry and foodservice. The sale of Greenblend products is also in the hands of Harvest House..