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Adrienne Scheffers, Vers Kwekerij Westland

"Netherlands: "We are fully committed to serving hospitality"

Five years ago, Aron and Adrienne Scheffers started Vers Kwekerij Westland in the Dutch town of Monster. The family business was founded back in 1924 by Aron’s grandfather. Since 1992, Aron and Adrienne are the owners. The nursery is well-known in the area for its broad beans.


Adrienne in the greenhouse.

The couple started very ambitiously with the cultivation of a broad and wide range of vegetables, sold in several supermarkets. "This proved more difficult than we thought. Logistics in particular became increasingly challenging. Today, we still grow a fairly broad range, but it’s more focused on the niche market, " says Adrienne. Her husband Aron is mainly engaged in the cultivation of flowers, which are sold through the auction, as well as radish. In addition to flowers and radish, the greenhouse (7,000 square meters) holds various vegetables such as broad beans, green beans, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, leeks, lettuce, endive and cauliflower. But also fruit such as peaches, blackberries and different varieties of strawberries. The first vegetables are usually available from mid-May.



Hospitality
Most of the vegetables are sold directly to the hospitality and catering industry. The nursery has built up a nice clientele in this sector. Each week, a list with available products is circulated. The hospitality customers pick up their own products at the nursery. Adrienne says that restaurants can also indicate what they want. "We’ve been working with the restaurant Pure Passie (Pure Passion) in Gravenzande for four years now, supplying various vegetables, fruits and edible flowers. Chef Leonard Elenbaas drops by every week and is very involved in production." Vers Kwekerij Westland also grows vegetables and edible flowers for restaurant Villa la Ruche in Voorburg, The Netherlands. Aron and Adrienne plan to focus more on the hospitality industry in the coming years.

Specialties
The couple cultivates various products: products which they think may be of interest to restaurants, such as artichoke, fennel and herbs. "Edible flowers are really a trend," Adrienne explains. "We have more than 15 different types of edible flowers in many variations, such as Damask flowers, violets, roses and nasturtiums. It's a fun product. This also applies to other specialties such as forgotten vegetables and purple cauliflower.

More information:
Vers Kwekerij Westland
www.verskwekerijwestland.nl
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