Was it always clear that you would enter the family business?
Lisa: “No, not for me. I did always have an interest in the company, but didn't see myself working in the company forever, partly because the picture didn't look like that to others. There used to be (not by our family, but mainly from outside) always only attention for the son of. Everyone assumed that my little brother Tom would be the successor. No one ever asked about Nikki or me. When I started working one day a week with marketing and communications at the company after college, I found out that I was also interested. When we took sales into our own hands, I started working full-time. For the first few years, people still often only asked about Tom, while I would stand next to him and think, “What about me?” In recent years, though, it has been clear that together - Nikki, Tom and I - with a good team, we are going to take over the business.’’
Nikki: “Not for me either. Since we started our own sales, a lot more possibilities have opened up. We can now completely put our own spin on the products, corporate identity and communication. I really enjoy that. During Lisa's leave of absence, I took over her duties and together with my colleagues more new ideas arose. Then you get stuck anyway, because the combination of nice colleagues and all the opportunities that are available makes this work very special. And the fact that I can do this in our family business makes it extra special.”
What does being a ‘family business’ mean to you personally in this day and age?
Nikki: “For me it's mainly about personality, atmosphere and that real family feeling. I think it's important to have an approachable atmosphere, just as you often experience within your own family. And I certainly feel that there is that atmosphere here. Of course it is a challenge to maintain that as the company grows. But we are constantly working on this, because we think it's very important.”
Lisa: “A nice atmosphere to work in, personal approach, people are listened to and everyone also feels responsible for the family business.”
How do you handle the balance between family and the business?
Nikki: “Actually, we are constantly talking about the tomatoes or the company. Sometimes we joke that we really need to talk about other subjects, but unconsciously the conversation always ends up with the tomatoes. Of course we often talk about other things, but the main topic at the table is still the company and everything that comes with it.”
Lisa: “We regularly talk about work. Sometimes home is also just the time to ask questions, because during working hours everyone is busy with their own things and then I like to know more about certain things. But if someone doesn't feel like it or there are a lot of other people around, I know I have to stop.”
What does your day look like? What energizes you in your daily work?
Lisa: “My day always looks different. Lately, I've been doing a lot of human resources: talking to employees, developing policy, recruiting new colleagues, and so on. I also still really enjoy getting involved in marketing and communication projects, such as organizing trade shows, developing a new concept or picking up projects within our sustainability vision.”
Nikki: “ In the mornings I work in the commercial department. Then I have contact with customers and consult with colleagues in the warehouse. I also work a lot in the backend of our sales system. In the afternoons, I focus more on the communication of the company. And because we are a family business, all sorts of things always come up in between - from handing out birthday presents to organizing events. I think it's important to get to know the whole company well. So you might just see me doing something completely different next year!’
What are your personal and professional ambitions for the company?
Lisa: “Together with Tom and Nikki we continue to build on our family business. We do this by creating a great company culture where people like to work and stay. We also want to make a positive impact for our employees and for our fellow man, with our healthy and sustainable products. I also find it very important to be there for my family, and to enjoy life together with friends and family.”
Nikki: “At the moment I think it is important to get as much as possible of what is going on within the company. Of course it is not possible to do it all at once, but it is important to have a good idea of everything that is going on. So that's where I want to spend more time and attention in the coming period.”
You are young women in a largely male-dominated industry - how do you experience that?
Lisa: “I notice that it really is a man's world, because wherever I go that has to do with the company, I am always among a lot of men. A little more often a female perspective on certain things wouldn't hurt. Horticulture is a beautiful sector where people work on delicious, healthy and beautiful products. I would say to all women: come take a look and go for it!”
Nikki: “It is indeed still a man's world. That can also be funny sometimes, because you have very special conversations with each other. But look for example at the owners of Looye, three daughters who run a great company together. I find that really inspiring and a great example of how things can be done in horticulture.
In our company, fortunately, I don't experience it as annoying. I actually enjoy working with men. You do see that more and more women are joining, so it is slowly changing. But at the moment it is definitely still a man's world.”
What would you approach differently from the previous generation?
Lisa: “Broadly speaking, we are already involved and can help decide on the course for the future. If I look at what I would like to change myself, it is to further professionalize the organization and focus even more on being an attractive employer - for current and new staff. I also think it is important to show the outside world how beautiful the horticultural sector is.”
Nikki: “You notice that some things have been done generationally. That always worked very well, but you also notice that times change. In addition, it is also very nice to come up with whole new ideas. Where before they didn't have time for that, now you can organize very different things that are related to the company and in the theme of tomatoes, but still have a very different twist.”
Nikki, last six months you also attended the Slow Food Youth Network Academy which delves into the broad Dutch food system, can you talk a little more about your lessons during this trip and what you are taking with you to the family farm?
Nikki: “That's right! In the past six months I've been to places in the Netherlands I would never otherwise visit: from a slaughterhouse to the fishing industry. What I like best about this is that everyone does their work in their own way in their own place. The media often paint a certain picture of people or sectors. But once you start talking to people, you discover that behind those sectors there are people who do their work with a lot of passion. Many people want to change, but sometimes that is not possible or it is made extremely difficult.
Together with my case group, I did a project for Greenport West-Holland. It was incredibly interesting to see how our ideas about greenhouse horticulture on day one compared to how we thought about it on the last day. Certain themes kept coming back, and an important overarching theme was transparency. If the greenhouse horticulture sector itself does not communicate to the outside world, people are going to interpret for themselves what goes on in the greenhouses. That sometimes leads to misunderstandings, such as the idea that plenty of chemicals are used or the stories about ‘water tomatoes. For me it was really an eye-opener that it is important to communicate not only about our own company, but also about the sector as a whole. It's a pity we can't show everyone around the greenhouses, because then people would see with their own eyes what is going well. And that is also what characterizes greenhouse horticulture: we keep working on improvement. I am therefore convinced that in the coming years there will be plenty of new, great ideas for further sustainability and innovation. In addition, I also got to know many other sectors in this project. It's great to see how everyone does their best to keep innovating and moving with the times. You're often in your own bubble anyway, and then when you see what others are doing, it gives a tremendous amount of inspiration.’
Why do you think it is important to connect with society as a grower through EatThis and SFYN, among others?
Nikki/Lisa: “By working with other parties, you get a broader view of the sector. I actually found it very valuable to talk to people from outside the greenhouse industry as well. That provides new insights and helps you look at your work differently. EatThis and SFYN help with that, because they involve young people and consumers in food issues. They create more openness and give us as growers the opportunity to think together about the future of greenhouse farming, sustainability and food quality.”
How do you see the future of the greenhouse vegetable sector in the Netherlands?
Lisa: “There are a lot of opportunities: the increasing interest in and importance of healthy food, developments in robotization, automation, AI and sustainability. The latter is of course also a challenge, especially in combination with rising labor and energy costs and stricter environmental regulations.”
Nikki: “The biggest challenges right now are indeed the high cost of energy and labor. That makes the future quite exciting. We are all working hard to become more sustainable, but that requires substantial investments and is not easily solved. Fortunately, there are also plenty of opportunities and we are grasping them with both hands. At the moment there are all kinds of projects and collaborations going on that can only make us stronger and better. I see another great opportunity in the area of health. More and more people want or need to eat healthier and are choosing homegrown products more often. I also think it would be great fun to work even more intensively with parties here in the region.”
What do you hope people will say about Wim Peters Kwekerijen 20 years from now?
Lisa: “Wim Peters Kwekerijen is a beautiful family business where people like to work and stay. That the company grows the tastiest tomatoes in a sustainable way and has experienced a beautiful growth. In addition, that we make a healthy and positive impact on our colleagues and people beyond.”
Nikki: “That there is still the same atmosphere as ‘before’ and that people enjoy working for us. Keep pioneering with tomatoes, keep looking ahead and above all work on a beautiful healthy product.
