This week, Enza Zaden officially opened their new production site in Luttelgeest, Flevoland. On an eight-hectare site, they have built several facilities to produce organic vegetable seeds, focused on sweet pepper and cucumber.
Allison Thomas, Chief Operations Officer: "The demand for organic products is growing. We want to have more control over our seed production to continue to meet that demand. Luttelgeest is extremely suited as a location for seed production because of its fertile, light clay soil."
High-tech with a green label
A range of high-tech solutions have been developed and implemented to make seed production as sustainable as possible.
Condensation and rainwater are collected in a large basin which is the size of almost three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Water at the station is reused and toilets are flushed with rainwater. More than 900 solar panels are installed on the roofs, and the site has an energy management system for efficient use of energy. The greenhouses are highly isolated, resulting in an A+++ energy rating. During construction, they considered that geothermal energy will be used as soon as that is available in Luttelgeest.
All these solutions have led to the application for Groen Label Kas (Green Label Greenhouse) certification for this site. That process is ongoing, with a lead time of one year.
For more information:
Enza Zaden
Tel: +31 (0)228 350100
[email protected]
www.enzazaden.com