"We can supply pesticide-free, locally-grown herbs from our circular indoor greenhouse year-round," begins Thomas Baars of SemperVere. "That means we can provide herbs that you'd normally cultivate in gas-heated greenhouses or import from far-away countries." Thomas and Thijs Maathuis founded this Dutch herb nursery. "We want to substitute imports sustainably and locally," says Thomas.
© Semper Vere Blerick © Louisa Vergozisi
These are sought-after products, especially since supermarkets are increasingly discarding flown-in products. That leads to a greater focus on locally grown produce. "On the sales side, there's plenty of interest in sustainable, locally-grown herbs that are available throughout the year. Demand is huge; we can barely keep up."
Quality remains the top criterion
And though year-round local, crop protection-free production is important, quality, says Thomas, remains the top criterion for sales. "Our cultivation method - creating the same ideal growing environment for the herbs all year long - results in superior quality products," he says. SemperVere has noticed that this also extends shelf life. "For basil, we're now seeing results of up to 12 days; something we think we can even lengthen."
© Semper Vere Blerick © Louisa Vergozisi
People often assume crops grown outdoors are hardier than those from greenhouses or vertical farms. SemperVere and their customers' shelf life tests, however, show the opposite. "Basil is fragile, and we easily achieve a seven-day shelf life. And if we package it on site immediately after harvesting, we can add up to five days. These results highlight the advantage of our controlled cultivation method," Thomas explains.
Packaging at the source
On-site packaging, directly after harvesting, is a nice new step for SemperVere. It further improves the quality and shelf life of their products. "When you first place harvested herbs in crates, then in a cold chain, and transport them, you lose some of the added value we want to preserve with our local, sustainable cultivation. That's why we package right at the source. We can, thus, maximize freshness and shelf life, while also significantly reducing labor and transport costs."
Flavor
"Another advantage of our optimal growth conditions is how delicious our herbs are. When selecting outdoor cultivation varieties, you must always consider the challenges the climate and diseases pose. That often means compromising on flavor and quality. Our controlled growing conditions, however, allow us to focus fully on delivering the best taste experience," says Baars.
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"We completely control light, air, and water, while excluding all external influences, so we can focus more on characteristics such as flavor, quality, and shelf life and have to make fewer compromises." According to Thomas, these choices are paying off. "Chefs tell us our herbs generally smell better and are much tastier," he explains.
SemperVere cultivates its herbs in what it calls a circular indoor greenhouse. Covered with solar panels and insulated, it is suitable for gas-free herb cultivation. "It's a closed greenhouse that not only produces crops but also energy. We even retain heat and can create a controlled climate year-round with lamps. For those, we use as much of our own-generated electricity from the solar panels on the roof as possible."
© Semper Vere Blerick © Louisa Vergozisi
Due to high demand, SemperVere wants to scale up. "We want to expand the area and optimize the yield per square meter. We can expand slightly at our current location, but we're keeping an eye out for new locations where we can apply the lessons we've learned to build on the same concept. SemperVere wants to use this concept to make a lasting impact on the herb market: local, sustainable, and tasty," Thomas concludes.
For more information:
SemperVere
Thomas Baars
thomas@sempervere.com
www.sempervere.com