To grow further and be at the top of the sector, Lans tomaten, Green2Grow, Prominent I, Prominent II, and Kwekerij G.J. van der Wel are merging into one new company with six locations in Westland. They will continue under the name ACRES from 1 January 2025.
ACRES's new management will be formed by Cornelis de Rijke, Juri van Es, René van der Lans, and Ariën van der Lans.
Within the cooperative Growers United, these companies have been growing tomatoes and cucumbers for years. All their experience and expertise will be brought along to further develop the new company in the future. The directors are Ariën and René van der Lans, Cornelis de Rijke and Juri van Es.
ACRES has six sites located in 's-Gravenzande and Maasdijk. Together, they grow on almost 50 hectares, both exposed and unlit. The focus remains on tomato and cucumber and sales will be via Growers United. By combining knowledge and expertise, the six locations benefit from each other's strengths.
Ariën van der Lans: "The strength of this new company really lies in building on everything we already have. We complement each other well as management and can now lead even more from our own expertise." Juri adds: "The merger was born out of trust. We know each other and have the same vision for the future. But we also have good conversations about things we see differently to come to the best choice. That way, you can build and improve every day."
Besides the management, ACRES consists of a permanent team of about 38 employees supplemented by seasonal workers and schoolchildren. In high season, over 250 people are at work in the greenhouse complexes.
The employees are the engine of the company. The four directors therefore say that the growth and development of their team is very important. Cornelis: "We want to grow the best and most beautiful products every day. This is only possible with a well-motivated team of people who enjoy coming to work every day. We therefore give our people room to develop and a lot of freedom in their work. Everyone gets the chance to grow in what they do." "In order to improve your processes and learn from each other, it is important to challenge your employees on this. Do you see something that could be improved? Tell us and start doing it too. This is how we grow our company together," indicates René.
The name ACRES is short and sweet, and it has an international sound. It refers to the English surface measure and stands for space. This fits well with the new company; its ambition is to grow sustainably and compete at the top of the industry. But always with attention and space for its employees. The name also fits well with the M² idea in horticulture. Everything is converted into M², enabling growers to analyze, interpret, and compare key figures. The coming months will be about integrating systems, fine-tuning working methods, working out the new house style, and further shaping the new company.
For more information:
Lance Tomaten
[email protected]
https://www.lanstomaten.nl/home.html
Prominent 
[email protected]
https://www.prominent-tomatoes.nl/