Last year, Van der Plas Sprouts from Broek op Langedijk invested in a new building, which has now been completely renovated into a new, modern cultivation facility. This has doubled the growing capacity, mainly due to efficiently organized space and better waste processing. "This allows us to better meet the growing demand for sprouts, such as Pea Asparagus, Greenpeez, and Sunflowers," says Robbie Stoker.
The new construction came just in time according to Robbie. "It was really a long time of making do with the sprouts we had. A nice bonus is that we were able to purchase a building from our neighbors. On our courtyard, we created the possibility to also enter that building, so we can keep everything on the same site. The cultivation techniques have not been renewed, only in terms of sustainability have we of course been active. For example, we are no longer dependent on gas by using heat pumps and the whole building is equipped with LED lighting."
According to Robbie, who has been working at Van der Plas Sprouts for twenty years, the new cultivation facility leads to a further increase in efficiency. "Our cultivation team has been together for a long time, and they are well-coordinated, allowing us to maximize our production day. By using the right materials and amenities for the staff, we meet the most recent quality standards, and this also applies to food safety."
The sales at Van der Plas Sprouts show growth across the entire range. "The Netherlands and Germany are our largest sales countries, but our deliveries go to a large part of Europe and even the United Arab Emirates. We mainly focus on retail and catering. We also see significant growth in organic. That's why expanding our cultivation capacity was so important."
"The trend is that people are looking for healthy food themselves, and then sprouts naturally come to the fore. The catering industry continues to innovate, and our products are also perfectly suited for that. Our sprouts also do very well among vegetarians, because our sprouts are very rich in protein and the catering industry is putting more and more vegetarian dishes on the menu," concludes Robbie.
For more information:
Robbie Stoker
Van der Plas Sprouts
Bijlestaal 1
1721 PT Broek op Langedijk
+31 (0)226 33 29 99
[email protected]
www.vanderplassprouts.nl