For almost 40 years, Theo van Neerven ran his own nursery. After delivering the last terrace and conservatory plants in September last year, he started working as an Energy Specialist at AgroEnergy. In this role, his passion for horticulture and energy matters come together. In addition, Theo is pleased to be able to further help the greenhouse horticulture in 'his' region. "The energy transition is a major challenge for growers in Southeast Netherlands. It is important to stay positive and look for the opportunities that do exist. Together."
Who is Theo van Neerven?
"I am 61 years old and was born and raised in Helenaveen, in East Brabant. I still live here with my wife Lida. We have three children: Therry, 32, Joshua, 30, and Meggy, 27.
In my spare time, I help Lida and my children with chores in and around the house, and I am also an avid cyclist. A ride on the mountain bike or road bike is an ideal way to clear your head. And to maintain a healthy weight. For some time now, I also have a Zwift bike, an indoor bike. I train on it almost every morning. This way, I start the day fit."
Horticulture is not unfamiliar to you. Did you grow up in this sector?
"That's right, I grew up on an agricultural company. My grandparents started this in 1932. Initially, it was a mixed farm with pigs and chickens, but later the focus shifted to horticultural crops. In the late fifties, my father built the first greenhouse and eventually focused on tomato cultivation.
After studying at HAS, I worked for several years as a cultivation advisor at Grodan. When the question arose whether I wanted to join the family business, I decided to do so. Entrepreneurship attracted me because of the freedom and the ability to make your own choices. For the first four years, we grew tomatoes, then eggplants. But I wanted to do something different from others. Creating a distinctive capability was especially important because at our location, which was 1.2 hectares, we had no opportunities to expand. This meant we couldn't follow the trend of scaling up in vegetable cultivation. Around the turn of the century, we switched to terrace and conservatory plants. We focused on growing Cyperus and Mandeville. We did this for almost 25 years."
In 2023, you decided to stop the nursery. Why this decision?
"There were several reasons. We had no succession. Besides, Lida and I ran the company mostly together. If one of us were to drop out, the other could not continue the nursery alone. This made us think, especially since my father and grandfather both died young.
Additionally, labor and energy costs kept rising, and our income was increasingly under pressure. To make the company future-proof, we would have to make significant investments. But we couldn't earn those back at our age. Furthermore, greenhouse horticulture businesses in Helenaveen are difficult to sell due to the location near the De Peel nature reserve.
All this led us to decide two years ago to stop the business. In September last year, we delivered the last plants. Was it difficult? Not really, it was simply the right decision. After we made the decision, I never doubted it again."
How did you end up at AgroEnergy?
"I posted a message on LinkedIn that we were stopping our nursery. I also mentioned that I was looking for a new challenge. In a short time, I had fifteen offers in my inbox. One of my contacts forwarded the message to Rien Bot from AgroEnergy. He contacted me. To make a long story short: I had a conversation and ultimately chose AgroEnergy. This way, I could stay in the horticulture sector and engage with energy matters. I was always fascinated by that theme; during my graduation research at HAS, I delved into alternative energy sources for greenhouse horticulture. And energy was, of course, an important focus at my own nursery. It's nice to now advise former colleagues in this area."
What exactly do you do as an Energy Specialist?
"I am a so-called new-style Energy Specialist. This means I do not place bids on the energy markets myself; that is the task of the operators. I watch with them but mainly focus on supporting customers in making choices for the future. I discuss energy matters with them and what steps they should take to save costs. Heat pumps are my specialty. I already delved into them during my graduation research at HAS. And I have always found it an interesting device."
Are you mainly active in the Southeast Netherlands?
"Yes, my customers are located in the area south of the Waal, in East Brabant and Limburg. The energy transition is a major challenge for growers in the Southeast Netherlands. The use of geothermal energy is not possible here, and heat pumps are difficult to deploy due to grid congestion. Entrepreneurs are in a very difficult position.
Nevertheless, I believe we should seek opportunities, and positive thinking is important. Contributing to a healthy future for greenhouse horticulture in the Southeast Netherlands; that is my goal. To achieve this, more cooperation is needed. Among growers themselves, but also with grid operators, governments, and so on. Currently, many parties still mainly look after their own interests. Together, you can get much further."
Do you feel at home within the company AgroEnergy?
"Absolutely, I feel completely at home here. AgroEnergy is really a family. I came in and felt at home immediately."
Don't you miss your own company?
"No; in principle, I am now also running my own company. Together with my colleagues, I am responsible for AgroEnergy customers in the Southeast Netherlands. I noticed that entrepreneurs appreciate that I come from the sector; I am one of them, and you understand each other.
To stay informed about what is happening in the sector, I am also still a board member of Paletti Growers. This is a cooperative of ornamental growers in the Euregio Rhine-Meuse. So, I really have both feet in greenhouse horticulture."
For more information:
AgroEnergy
[email protected]
https://www.agro-energy.nl/