After merging in 2009, nurseries Dick Kooij and WP van den Berg continued as Gerbera United. Their goal: to become the most forward-thinking gerbera grower around. Gijsbert Verboom joined in 2022; today, the company grows gerberas across 10.5 hectares at its Dutch sites in Moerkapelle, Zevenhuizen and Nootdorp. Miranda Kooij explains the company’s pioneering spirit.
Gerbera United’s flowers are sold in different varieties, formats and packaging to customers in countries across Europe via the wholesale market. Kooij has noticed that demand for certification in the market is growing. “But that isn’t the main reason we are certified. We want to set ourselves apart as a business and show that we are innovative and doing a great job. Ideally, you would want every grower to commit to this and Royal FloraHolland to encourage it too.”
Pioneering in organic plant protection
Gerbera United is taking various steps to become more sustainable, from installing LED lighting and a dehumidification system to switching to an electric boiler. Organic plant protection also plays an important role in that process, Kooij says. “We are currently working with Vertimec to trial a robot that drives around logging all the plants and checking for pests we don’t want. We also have chickens and cats on site acting as natural pest controllers. We are always looking for new techniques. When new developments come along – whether in organic plant protection or other areas – we are eager to try them out and run our own trials.”
“Joining forces”
Gerbera United is MPS-ABC, MPS-SQ and MPS-GAP certified and also uses the HortiFootprint Calculator. “We already log all our data, so it’s easy to connect to that system. But I would really like to see the different providers of footprint calculations join forces. At present it is difficult to compare different growers’ footprint results, because everyone’s data can be entered differently. That makes it hard to find out how you stack up against the rest.”
“Make sure it becomes standard”
Kooij’s hope is for the whole sector to get behind certification and “make sure it becomes standard”. “The auction should say: if you’re not certified, you can’t supply. It’s time for the whole sector – including the auction – to get behind this. Sure, certification costs money, but it does for us too. It’s high time the sector took a step forward.”
Over 30 years ago, my journey at MPS began after I saw an advertisement in the newspaper. After the birth of my daughter, I was looking to return to work and joined the data entry department. At the time, all data was still entered manually from paper forms. Since then, I have seen the organisation grow and change, and I have grown along with it.Today, I work in the Service & Support department. No two days are the same: one day I help a customer with questions about record-keeping, the next I help them understand requirements from the auction or the UO. It is precisely this variety and the personal contact with customers that make my work interesting every day.
In 2008, I joined MPS through a recruitment agency as a secretary. I then held various positions within MPS and MPS-ECAS, including roles in the Service & Support team and as a planner. In 2018, I left the organisation for a while, but in 2023 I returned to MPS-ECAS as a back-office employee. The people are simply too much fun and the world of ornamental horticulture is so innovative that it kept drawing me back. Shortly afterwards, I started working at MPS as Coordinator Netherlands.
During the final year of my Environmental Sciences degree, I joined MPS for an internship. The internship worked out so well for both sides that I was able to stay afterwards. It felt like a natural next step, because I immediately felt at home here and was given the opportunity to continue developing myself.My work is very varied. I work on different projects and products, carry out research and analyses and contribute to practical solutions. I also manage various systems, support customers with complex technical questions and work with external parties. It is precisely this combination that makes my work interesting and ensures that no two weeks are the same.
I first joined MPS through a friend who worked in MPS’s student team. I continued working here while studying Commercial Economics, and at the end of my studies, in 2004, MPS asked if I wanted to join the organisation permanently. It seemed like a great opportunity, and more than twenty years later, I am still here.No two days are the same, and that is exactly what makes my work so enjoyable. A large part of my week consists of project meetings and translating needs from within the organisation into practical solutions. Thursday afternoon is a regular fixture, which I set aside with a colleague to make MPS 1% better every week. For example, we experiment with AI, build prototypes, improve processes or develop new ideas. The goal is always to work smarter and create more value for colleagues, customers and the organisation.