What Growers United does

Growers United is a Dutch agricultural cooperative (Coöperatie Growers United U.A.) headquartered in Maasdijk, Netherlands, that aggregates the production, packaging, and sale of greenhouse-grown vegetables across 38-56 member family businesses. The cooperative's product portfolio is organized around five sub-brands: Prominent (tomatoes, 11 varieties across ~440 hectares), Purple Pride (aubergines, 75.5 hectares, 72% of Dutch aubergine production), Green Diamonds (cucumbers grown on a proprietary high-wire system), PapriCo (blocky peppers, 85 hectares), and SweetPoint (pointed peppers, 34 hectares). Core production technology relies on high-tech greenhouses with precision control over water, feed, heat, and shade, supported by geothermal heating (Trias Westland, Maasdijk heat cooperative covering 400+ hectares), Combined Heat and Power, LED lighting, automated packaging lines, bumblebee pollination, and closed-loop water management with a 100% closed water cycle target by 2025. Natural pest control and green crop protection are deployed preventatively.

The cooperative operates four packaging facilities (Maasdijk, De Lier, Andijk, Zwaagdijk) with fully automated lines and delivers products to retailers and foodservice companies across Europe within 24 hours of harvest. Sales are conducted B2B through Dutch exporters and service providers to European retail chains and foodservice operators; the cooperative also provides category strategy and consumer insights to retail partners. Revenue is generated through sale of member-grown produce aggregated and marketed collectively. All growers and facilities maintain PlanetProof, GLOBALG.A.P., BRC Food, IFS Food, GRASP, and QS certifications, and the cooperative reports €504 million in annual turnover with 285 permanent and 600 flexible workers.

Name

Growers United

Legal name

Coöperatie Growers United U.A.

Website

https://growersunited.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Growers United is a Dutch cooperative of 38-56 family greenhouse businesses that aggregates the production, packaging, and B2B sale of tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, and sweet peppers to European retailers and foodservice companies, with €504M annual turnover.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Greenhouse Vegetable Production and Distribution

NAICS

Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Greenhouse Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Leafy Greens) (AFAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses) (AFAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Greenhouse vegetable production
• Cooperative horticulture supplies
• Fresh produce distribution
• Tomato and cucumber supply
• Pepper and aubergine production

Headquarters

HQ city

Maasdijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vegetable production and sales: Growers United is a cooperative of family businesses that grow, grade, pack and sell greenhouse vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, sweet peppers). Revenue is generated through the sale of vegetables to retailers and foodservice companies across Europe, with products sold via Dutch exporters and service providers. Members are co-owners who have invested in shared packaging facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Growers United is a cooperative of family greenhouse businesses that cultivates, grades, packs and sells fresh greenhouse vegetables — tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines and sweet peppers — to European retailers and foodservice companies. The cooperative provides members with shared sorting, packaging, sales, marketing and knowledge support, and operates fully automated packaging facilities delivering products to retailers within 24 hours of harvest.

Product overview

Growers United is a Dutch agricultural cooperative of family businesses operating in greenhouse horticulture. Their product portfolio comprises four main sub-brands: Prominent (tomatoes with 11 varieties across 440 hectares), Purple Pride (aubergines across 75.5 hectares, 72% of Dutch production), Green Diamonds (cucumbers using high-wire systems across 61 hectares), and PapriCo/SweetPoint (sweet peppers across 119 combined hectares). Products are harvested, sorted, and packaged at three facilities (Maasdijk, De Lier, Andijk) and delivered to retailers and foodservice across Europe within 24 hours. The cooperative also provides members with quality assurance, food safety certification, sustainability support, and data analysis services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Diamonds: Cucumber brand - grows cucumbers on high-wire system covering 61-70 hectares with approximately 155 million pieces per year.
• Prominent
• Purple Pride
• PapriCo
• SweetPoint

Products and services

• Prominent (Tomato brand) Prominent is Growers United's tomato product line for European retailers and foodservice, offering 11 varieties of greenhouse tomatoes across 440 hectares, including vine, cocktail, plum/mini plum, cherry/mini cherry and snack tomatoes, with 200 hectares under artificial lighting.
• Purple Pride (Aubergine brand) Purple Pride is Growers United's aubergine product line, growing 8 types of aubergines across 75.5 hectares at 9 modern growing sites, representing 72% of Dutch aubergine production and the biggest aubergine brand in north-western Europe since 1996.
• Green Diamonds (Cucumber brand) Green Diamonds is Growers United's cucumber product line, using a proprietary high-wire growing system across 61 hectares and 8 modern nurseries that produces cucumbers with a 15-day development period and 15-day shelf life, resulting in better quality, freshness, crispness and taste.
• PapriCo (Blocky pepper brand) PapriCo is Growers United's blocky pepper product line, growing blocky peppers in 4 colours (yellow, green, orange, red) across 85 hectares from 2 modern family businesses, producing approximately 28 million kg of peppers per year.
• SweetPoint (Sweet pointed pepper brand) SweetPoint is Growers United's sweet pointed pepper product line, operating across 34 hectares at 6 modern growing sites in 3 colours (red, yellow, orange), and the first grower of pointed peppers since 2003.
• Retail category strategy and consumer insight services Shared service provided by the cooperative to retail partners, sharing consumer knowledge from multiple countries and producing shopper and category strategies to optimise retailer range and increase sales in each vegetable category.
• Member sorting, packaging and shared services Centralised services delivered to the 38 member family growers, including sorting, packaging, sales, marketing and knowledge support, with packaging carried out across three fully automated facilities producing 181 million packaging units per year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% of Dutch aubergine production controlled by Purple Pride brand
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TerraChange SolarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Growers United and TerraChange Solar are exploring the use of transparent solar energy in high-tech greenhouse horticulture. This partnership aims to investigate innovative ways to generate sustainable energy within greenhouse environments.
• Cosun (sugar factory)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPointed pepper grower Van der Lans and aubergine grower Van Duijn De Jong in Dinteloord use residual water from beet sugar production. Sugar beet consists of roughly 70% water. The Cosun sugar factory purifies the water released from the beets and stores the cleaned water in underground tanks. From there it runs through pipes to the growing sites where it is used to water plants.
• Trias Westland (geothermal project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional geothermal project in the Westland area where geothermal heat is used to heat greenhouses. A heating network with multiple sources is being constructed to increase security of supply. Tomato grower Marcel van der Knaap / Roots participates in this project, with geothermal energy meeting 30% of the heat requirement of the Honselersdijk location.
• Maasdijk heat cooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEleven Growers United members with approximately 84 hectares participate in the Maasdijk heat cooperative, enabling over 400 hectares of greenhouse space to switch to sustainable geothermal heating.
• Manon Wouters (nutrition scientist)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with nutrition scientist Manon Wouters who inspires consumers through social media (70,000+ Instagram followers) about healthy eating and incorporating fresh vegetables into daily diets. She provides nutrition tips and clever food swaps to promote vegetable consumption.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Special Fruit: Belgian fresh-produce importer and supplier focused on premium and specialty fruits and vegetables. Comparable as a European fresh-produce supplier to retail and foodservice, though with a focus on exotics and specialty produce rather than mainstream greenhouse vegetables.
• Bakker Barendrecht: Dutch fresh-produce supplier to supermarket chains in the Netherlands and Europe. Comparable in Dutch fresh-produce supply to retail, though primarily a distribution and ripening specialist rather than a greenhouse producer.

Broad incumbents

• Agrial: French agricultural cooperative with vegetable production, fresh produce, and beverage businesses. Comparable cooperative governance structure and European retailer reach, though much broader across multiple agricultural categories.
• Total Produce (now Dole plc): Global fresh-produce distributor and producer formed via Total Produce's combination with Dole. Competes with Growers United's Dutch exporter partners for shelf space across European retailers and serves overlapping foodservice customers.
• Greenyard: Belgian fresh, frozen, and prepared produce company with vertically integrated sourcing, packaging, and logistics across Europe. Comparable as a major European fresh-produce platform serving the same retailer and foodservice customers, though broader in scope than Growers United's greenhouse-only focus.
• Bonduelle: French-headquartered global leader in processed and fresh vegetables with significant European greenhouse and open-field production. Operates a cooperative-adjacent grower network and serves the same European retail and foodservice channels; broader in canned/frozen but comparable in fresh vegetable sourcing.

Direct peers

• NatureSweet: Greenhouse-grown tomato specialist with branded snacking and fresh tomato SKUs sold across North American retail. Comparable in greenhouse tomato category leadership and brand-led go-to-market, though a single-category specialist versus Growers United's multi-category breadth.
• Windset Farms: Canadian greenhouse producer of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and lettuce serving North American retail. Comparable in high-tech greenhouse production methods and direct retailer relationships, though operating in a different geographic market.
• Mastronardi Produce: North-American-based greenhouse vegetable producer (SUNSET brand) specializing in tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Direct comparable on greenhouse production technology, branding, and retail channel strategy, though geographically focused on North America.
• The Greenery: Dutch fresh-produce cooperative supplying supermarkets across Europe. Closest structural analog to Growers United as a Netherlands-based grower cooperative with a national packaging and distribution network serving retail customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/werkenbijgrowersunited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Growers United