Aris, Rochus and Dirk Pieter

Organic Brothers

Hi there, my name is Aris and together with my brothers Rochus and Dirk we grow organic tomatoes in Sirjansland in the Zeeland province. Three brothers growing organic vegetables therefore the name Organic Brothers ! Apart from the greenhouse here in Sirjansland we also have one in Made where, for now, we grow non organic tomatoes. At both locations we focus on three important elements namely taste, taste and taste.

We decided to start growing organically because it fits perfectly in our vision on taste. To solely focus on a high production means that you automatically neglect the aromatic and sensoric qualities of the tomato. We believe in a great tasting product and to be honest this gives us a great deal of personal satisfaction. As we say here in The Netherlands: “we stand for our products”.

Interview with Aris van der Meer

Can you tell us something about your company ?
It will come as no surprise that we come from a “farmers family”. In 1969 my fathers started growing vegetables in a greenhouse in the village of Maasland. During that time we grew salads, flowers, tomatoes and lots more .. everything in the rich soil. In the early nineties, just like many other growers, he started growing in substrate and began to focus on tomatoes. In 1998 when I joined the business we bought this piece of land in Sirjansland. In 2004 Dirk Pieter joined and a few years later Rochus and then we bought the business in Made. Since we have sold the business in Maasland we are now focusing on the greenhouse business.

Why did you choose organic agriculture ?
For some time we had been looking for a new direction and organic always seemed the obvious choice for us. Our decision to “go organic” was however not just based on the fact that the market for organic products is booming. We were and are particularly interested in focusing on taste and this is what attracted us to organic methods.

So which brother is responsible for what at Organic Brothers ?
My brother Rochus is the manager at our business in Made and I am responsible for this location here in Sirjansland. Dirk Pieter is the commercial manager who works with our customers.

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soil

Growing organic means growing in the soil. Healthy Soil means healthy plants which in turn means healthy products. In our greenhouse we do not use artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, we do use compost .. around 3000m3 ! The compost helps us build soil fertility and soil life. Furthermore, like other organic vegetable growers we will be working with a rotation scheme whereby we will also be planting cucumber plants next season.

biodiversity

At Organic Brothers, we want to stimulate biodiversity both in as well as outside our greenhouse. That is why we have planted special hedgerows and wild flowers around our property. This is something we do with three other growers in this village. This is helping to stimulate the ecosystems and subsequently attract more insects, birds and small mammals.

When we talk about plants, we focus on the roots. The most important part of the plant roots are the very thin “hair” roots. It’s pretty amazin but these tiny hairs take up the most water from the soil. This is all about the Caspary Band … fascinating stuff which I suggest you look up on the internet.
Furthermore, we want to stimulate biodiversity both in as well as outside our greenhouse. That is why we have planted special hedgerows and wild flowers around our property. This is something we do with three other growers in this village.

individual

Tomatoes are a valuable source of food minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamins A and C.

Every year 20.000 to 340.000 farmworkers die of pesticide poisoning and 1 to 5 million farmworkers get sick from it. In organic cultivation no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used and significantly less pesticide residues are found on organic products in the store. Research indicates (Fantke & Jolliet, 2016) that this also has a health effect for consumers. In short, we can say with confidence that organic fruits and vegetables, on the average, are healthier. And that also goes for our organic tomatoes.

society

Due to the activities in the greenhouse, when it comes to our employees we work mainly with a temporary labour force. We do however, do our utmost to ensure that the same people come back and work with us year in year out. This is a big advantage for everyone and helps build a strong relationship of trust and mutual respect. We want to give our employees as much responsibility as possible since this gives everyone more enjoyment in their work.

When we look for new personnel we always show a film of our business so that everybody has a full understanding as to what the work entails.
Furthermore, since we work according to Dutch and EU labor legislation, health & safety issues, implementation of employee welfare schemes, pension plans, safe working conditions, employee rights, human rights issues, equal payment are fully respected and adhered to.

Apart from a good relationship with our employees we also believe it is important to have a good contact with the 300 villagers living in Sirjansland. That is why for example we established a special walking path, built a picknick table and planted many trees to make the surroundings more attractive for everyone. Of course everyone is welcome for a tour of our greenhouse !

climate

Compared to the Southern European countries, The Netherlands is not as sunny and warm and that means we use more energy. That is why we work with a energy saving heating system in our greenhouse.

At Organic Brothers we do our utmost to limit our CO2 emmission. That is why we work with a energy saving heating system in our greenhouse. Furthermore we pump the CO2 back into the greenhouse where it is taken up by the plants.

water

In the Netherlands we have ample rain and therefore we are hardly ever confronted with a water shortage as in other countries. We collect the rain that falls on our greenhouses in a large basin. After ensuring that the quality is good we pump it into the greenhouse.

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Aris, Rochus and Dirk Pieter

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