When the Van der Maarel family’s nursery started to specialise in Phalaenopsis cultivation in 1999, twenty years after it was established, it also changed its name. Since 2006, Maarel Orchids has been producing more than six million plants per year, primarily for retail, on a site that now covers 9.3 hectares. Certification is important for the company, especially for external communication.
Alphons Alsemgeest
“We use certification to present ourselves to our customers,” says Alphons Alsemgeest, QHSE (quality, health, safety and environment) coordinator, who is also responsible for IT and energy. The company is MPS-A+, MPS-SQ and MPS-GAP certified and participates in MPS-ProductProof. They also hold the On the way to PlanetProof label. “That’s the only label aimed at the consumer, so we would like to see it get more publicity, especially in countries outside the Netherlands.”
Lower water, energy, gas and CO2 emissions
The nursery has plenty to proudly share with consumers. “We collect all the condensate from the air handling units and reuse it as irrigation water, which gives us a bigger water reserve, especially in the summer,” says assistant crop specialist Jeroen Wolkers.
The company has also already partly switched to LED lighting, with both hybrid and full LED, which saves a lot of energy. Additionally, light emission is reduced with new light-proof screens. “In the past, we used 6 MW per hour with HPS lights; now with LED it’s 4.5 MW per hour. So we have already saved 25%, but we’re on our way to a 40% reduction.”
Their CHPs generate electricity and therefore heat. But since this summer the nursery has been using geothermal heat, which will ultimately halve their gas usage. Thanks to the geothermal heat, the CHPs are switched on less often. CO2 is supplied from industry via the OCAP network.
Jeroen Wolkers
Crop protection minimised
Growing organically is difficult because there are no effective biocontrols available for pests such as mealybug and Echinothrips, according to Wolkers. “But we only use five percent of the active substances we are allowed to use under the On the way to PlanetProof standard, which already exceeds the legal requirements. We achieve this by optimising the growing conditions so that we need to use less crop protection.”
An example of this optimisation is the substrate they use. “We have a fairly dense substrate. This means we can wait longer with watering without harming the plants. The larva of the Lyprauta mosquito (pot worms) thrive in damp conditions, but we avoid them because we can delay irrigation.”
Honest and transparent ornamental horticulture
Alsemgeest describes the collaboration with MPS as positive. “They asked us to test the new HortiFootprint Calculator. We are open to such innovations, and it’s great that MPS is also involved.”
However, they would like to see an MPS certificate that is also directed at consumers. “If we can inform them too, the ornamental horticulture sector will only become more honest and more transparent,” Alsemgeest says. “After all, we are a very progressive sector in many areas, and we would like to see more recognition for that from the government, for example by looking at the energy tax and the impact it has on us.”
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.