The company is managed by Tim Van Hissenhoven. Born and raised near the city of Mechelen, in Belgium's main greenhouse vegetable‑growing area. As the son of a tomato and lettuce grower he literally grew up between the plants in a greenhouse.
That's where his passion for plants and greenhouse growing originates. After working for more than 10 years as a grower for several greenhouses in Belgium and the Netherlands, he started consulting other growers all over the world. Mainly specialized in hydroponic growing of leafy vegetables and herbs in open field, greenhouses or closed environments, and vegetable plant propagation.
For Growers
Van Hissenhoven consultancy can support the design, commissioning, and day by day running of a growing facility.
Together with the client we think about how to create the most suitable growing system, by looking at artificial lighting, types of glass, type of greenhouse, and all other factors that make or break a successful project.
After the building we help with the commissioning of the facility. With training off the key employees, harvest forecasting, crop rotation planning, and support on site when required.
In addition, we can help by improving the day by day running of the facility. From advise on climate settings to fertilization, and crop protection. This can be done by on location support, training, or remote support.
For Investors
Thinking about investing in vegetable production? Van Hissenhoven Consultancy can guide you through the process of building a growing facility, and help you take the right decisions.
Through a wide network of companies active in horticulture we help you design, build, and operate a highly efficient vegetables growing business, suiting your situation.
Worldwide consultancy & coaching
Van Hissenhoven Consultancy helps growers and investors all around the world to get the most out of their greenhouse. In a way that suits your bussiness: on site or remote, by means of consultancy, training, or individual coaching.
With experience all over the world and a large network in the field of horticulture, Van Hissenhoven Consultancy can help your bussiness to grow in all types of climates.
*Location of clients
News
Cultivators in Lettuce & herbs: Tim Van Hissenhoven and Cultivators join forces!
Cultivators is delighted to announce that it will join forces with Tim Van Hissenhoven. In the past few months Cultivators has been active in the lettuce & herbs industry aside from cannabis. The Cultivators team already has much experience in this industry and with the addition of Tim there will be a solid base for a hydroponic lettuce & herbs division.
Over the years the number of projects grew rapidly – and is still growing. The market developments in the lettuce & herbs industry have resulted in a high demand for cultivation expertise and management. The Cultivators team will bring this expertise through consultancy, training, project management, and experienced peop
The Cultivators team works closely with growers, horticultural suppliers, and research centres to ensure the optimal success of lettuce & herbs projects. As 100% independent consultants we unite the right parties for the project at hand. Joining forces with Tim means that we can continue and expand the services on:
Lettuce & herbs trainings for investors and/or growers
Research & development projects in lettuce cultivation and systems
Turn-key and project development support
Daily operations & management
Cultivators Team – ensuring safe and sound ingredients
“Collaboration really adds value, for the customer as well”
He's had his own consultancy company for three years now, before that he was a grower in the Netherlands for two and a half years and a few years in Belgium, and ‘born in the greenhouse.’ Tim van Hissenhoven with Hissenhoven Consultancy has been active in horticulture his whole life. He collaborates with both Cultivators and Cropex, to exchange knowledge and to build good projects together.
Consultancy
Tim mostly works in lettuce cultivation. When he was a grower himself, he worked for a Belgian company, to later on start at a Dutch company which has fully specialised itself in lettuce and leafy greens cultivation on water. “I sat at the table from the very beginning, to the start and later on the cultivation.”
Now he guides other growers, especially in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, but outside of Europe as well. 99% of them grow in high-tech greenhouses, on hydrosystems. In Germany, this crop is expanding, there they are also venturing into a more local production. “One of my new clients there is a vegetable grower but wanted to expand into another crop, another grower grows bell peppers but wanted to do something extra, these clients I got via my Cropex colleagues.”
Tim also consults a Japanese company, where he spent a lot of time last year. He still gives consultancy to this client, but because he can’t visit them anymore it’s mainly via video calls and logging into the climate computer from afar. This was the case in Poland as well in the beginning of the Corona time, but fortunately he can go there again now.
Developments in the world of lettuce
In Europe, growers are more careful with investing at the moment. “There are still building plans, but for a lot of growers the Corona period was a moment to overthink everything. They’re a little more down-to-earth now.”
Belgium and the Netherlands are very price-driven markets, making it hard to invest. “A grower with fixed sales often has small margins, but they can earn some money. Growing just for the free market, will stop over time.”
In the rest of the world, there are often investors or groups with little to no horticultural knowledge, who see local for local as a big opportunity. “Especially in the US and Canada, this trend grows rapidly at the moment. A lot of cities have lettuce grown near them now, as opposed to before when most of it came from Californian open field cultivation. In the US, the step of building greenhouses for covered, in-soil cultivation is often skipped, and they move straight to hydroponic systems in high-tech greenhouses. The same thing is happening in Asia.”
“Vertical farming and indoor growing is ‘hot’ at the moment. I do some consultancy for those systems, but I don’t see the financial benefit for real production companies yet. Nursing young plants in those systems would work nicely, but to place those in a greenhouse, would require even more cultivation technique and knowledge.”
Collaboration
Collaboration with other consultants is very important to Tim. That’s why he’s a part of both Cropex and Cultivators. “Collaboration really adds value, for the customer as well.”
Cropex is a collaboration between fourteen consultants who exchange knowledge, “but we are also a network. One has more experience with bell peppers, the other one with tomato. We can direct growers to our colleagues, too.”
Cultivators consists of a few employees, and then some freelancers, of which Tim is one. Started out as a cannabis consultancy company, the demand from vegetable cultivation came up as well so they want to start consulting those crops as well now. “They are really focussed on growth, with extended services.”
Together with Cultivators, Tim is developing courses for hydroponic cultivation, mostly focussing on leafy greens and herbs. There are courses for growers and for investors. “We want to roll this out worldwide. Within Europe, we can visit the grower, with growers in the rest of the world we can video call, as long as travel is still limited. When possible, we are excited to travel the world again!”
Developments in the world of lettuce
Collaboration
