Consulate General of The Netherlands visits Havecon

Members of the Consulate General who we had the pleasure to make their acquaintance and who joined the tour were:

• Mr. Henk Snoeken, Consul-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vancouver
• Mr. Maarten ten Wolde, Senior Policy Officer, Trade & Economy, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ottawa
• Mr. Stefan Theunissen, Agricultural Officer, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington
• Mrs. Marjan Lahuis, Senior Advisor Economic Affairs, Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Toronto

The first stop was a visit to a high-tech greenhouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where the latest climate computer control technologies were installed, presented by Hoogendoorn's newest innovation, the IIVO.

Next stop was a visit at the Hoogendoorn office in Vineland Station. While enjoying a cup of coffee, the conversations sparked with a discussion regarding current developments in the Canadian greenhouse horticultural sector.

1.The representatives of the Dutch Consulate in front of the Hoogendoorn office in Vineland Station. Left to right:
 Maarten ten Wolde, Marjan Lahuis, Pieter Kwakernaak, Henk Snoeken, Stefan Theunissen

Food security and food safety were high on the agenda. The developments in Ontario and Quebec give a good direction of the demand. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to present our solutions for the market and talk about organizing another event tailored to the Canadian growers.

 2. The Dutch Consulate members and the Havecon team. From left to right:
Maarten ten Wolde, Barbara Arsenault, Brett Jackson, Ricky Elz, Jon Adams, Henk Snoeken, Marjan Lahuis, Stefan Theunissen

The final visit of the day was to Havecon Horticultural Projects, where the invited guests were welcomed an introduced to Havecon's team, its operations, and what it stands for. The goal of this visit was to strengthen the Dutch Canadian relations and share the positive feedback and impact of exchanging trades, goods, and technologies between both countries.

Transport cost, materials supply challenges, and labor shortage in the greenhouse industry, were some of the hot topics discussed during the meeting. The conversations supported the cooperation between the two countries, highlighted by the Dutch Consulate General offering to work with Havecon when it comes to additional assistance regarding future challenges.  

The delegation focused on the future of Havecon and Hoogendoorn, outlining the strong ties between both firms, projected growth, and market predictions, as well as research and plans of expanding building footprint to include construction of greenhouses in remote areas of Canada.

3. The Dutch Consulate members and the Havecon team. From left to right:
Barbara Arsenault, Maarten ten Wolde, Jon Adams, Henk Snoeken, Marjan Lahuis, Ricky Elz, Brett Jackson, Stefan Theunissen.

The tour continued to the property recently acquired by Havecon, where guests were introduced to variety of grape and wine type. Havecon also shared their vision for the 20-acre property, presented with a 3D rendering of the proposed new office, greenhouse, and warehouse plans for next year. Of course, this gathering called for a toast and raising a glass of white and red wines, produced from Havecon's own vineyard.

The tour day was concluded with a great dinner, where discussions continued regarding the industry, and the key role of Dutch companies such as Havecon and Hoogendoorn of bringing large growth and new opportunities to North American market.

The shared thoughts gave helpful insights about the developments in Horticulture sector and some new information to take note of in the future regarding the collaboration between Dutch and Canadian sides.

For more information feel free to contact us.

Havecon North America Inc
360 York Road, Unit 3
Niagara on the lake,
Ontario, Canada, L0S 1J0
T: +1 905 641 0603
E: info@havecon.com

Hoogendoorn Growth Management | Canada
4890 Victoria Avenue, North, P.O. Box 9000
The Lodge Building
Vineland, Ontario, L0R 2E0
Canada
T: +1 905 562 0800
E: info@hoogendoorn.ca

Source: Havecon