Drenthe Growers BV

What Drenthe Growers BV does

Drenthe Growers BV is a third-generation, family-owned Dutch greenhouse horticulture company headquartered in Erica, Drenthe, the Netherlands, founded in 1956. The company operates exclusively in cucumber cultivation across 18 hectares of greenhouse space, of which 11.1 hectares are equipped with assimilation lighting to enable year-round production, with annual output of approximately 40 million cucumbers. Its technical setup incorporates dynamic assimilation lighting control tied to electricity market prices and, as of 2026, three KOMPACKER packaging robots from Lenzeel for automated end-of-line packing.

Name

Drenthe Growers BV

Legal name

Drenthe Growers BV

Website

https://drenthegrowers.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Drenthe Growers BV is a third-generation Dutch family-owned greenhouse cucumber producer in Erica, Netherlands, operating 18 hectares of glasshouse to grow approximately 40 million cucumbers annually for European supermarkets via the Oxin Growers cooperative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (11121), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Cucurbit & Melon Farming (Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Watermelon, Cantaloupe) (AFAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Greenhouse cucumber cultivation
• Horticulture production
• Greenhouse farming
• Fresh produce supply
• Substrate cultivation

Headquarters

HQ city

Erica

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cucumber Production and Sales: Drenthe Growers BV cultivates 40 million cucumbers annually on 18 hectares and sells through Oxin Growers producers organization to supermarkets in the Netherlands and abroad. Sales are managed by Oxin Growers which handles arrangements between buyers and growers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Drenthe Growers BV is a modern greenhouse horticulture company that cultivates cucumbers on 18 hectares of greenhouse space (11.1 hectares with assimilation lighting and 6.9 hectares with traditional umbrella system), producing 40 million cucumbers annually harvested from January to early November. The company sells exclusively through the Oxin Growers producers' association to supermarkets in the Netherlands and abroad, holding multiple food safety and social certifications (GlobalGAP, GRASP, SEDEX, NURTURE, SNF) required by major retailers.

Product overview

Drenthe Growers BV is a modern greenhouse horticulture company specializing exclusively in cucumber cultivation. Operating 18 hectares of greenhouse space (11.1 hectares with assimilation lighting and 6.9 hectares with traditional umbrella system), they produce 40 million cucumbers annually. The company uses substrate cultivation techniques for improved controllability and distributes products exclusively through the Oxin Growers growers' association to supermarkets domestically and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cucumbers (Komkommers) Greenhouse-cultivated cucumbers grown on 18 hectares with 11.1 hectares under assimilation lighting, achieving an annual production capacity of 40 million cucumbers harvested from January to early November. Sold via Oxin Growers producers organization to supermarkets in the Netherlands and abroad, with direct home sales available under a special exemption.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oxin Growers U.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSIG&F recognized growers cooperative through which Drenthe Growers sells all its cucumbers. Oxin Growers manages sales arrangements between buyers and growers, connecting the company with 4 trading firms that distribute to retailers and supermarkets.
• LenzeelcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of three KOMPACKER inpakrobots for automated cucumber packaging. These robots are integrated into existing packaging lines to automate the packaging process, increasing processing capacity and product quality consistency.
• Maurice KassenbouwminorOthersGreenhouse construction company that built the new greenhouse structure including all poles and trusses for Drenthe Growers' expansion.
• Olsthoorn Greenhouse ProjectsminorOthersCompany contracted to demolish the collapsed greenhouse after snow damage, repurposing heating systems for use in the new greenhouse.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc: Global fresh produce leader (formerly Total Produce). Comparable as a large downstream customer/competitor in European fresh produce, though operates at vastly different scale and across multiple categories.
• Greenyard: Listed Belgian global fresh produce supplier across fruit, vegetables, and prepared produce. Operates as a much larger incumbent in the same downstream channel as Drenthe Growers' cooperative partners.
• Bakker Barendrecht: Dutch fresh produce distributor and supply chain partner serving major retailers. Comparable as a downstream channel player in the same supermarket supply chain Drenthe Growers accesses via Oxin Growers.

Direct peers

• GreenCo: Dutch greenhouse vegetable growers' association selling tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and aubergines to European retailers. Direct comparable — same business model, same channel type, similar producer sizes within the cooperative.
• The Greenery: Dutch fresh produce cooperative supplying supermarket chains across Europe. Highly comparable on the distribution and customer side, although at a much larger scale and as a cooperative rather than a single grower.
• Nedato: Dutch growers' cooperative focused on greenhouse vegetables (notably tomatoes). Comparable on the cooperative sales structure and shared customer base with Dutch/European retailers.
• CombiVliet: Large Dutch greenhouse vegetable grower producing tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables on a similar substrate/greenhouse model. Comparable in scale, technology adoption, and channel mix (sells through Dutch growers' cooperatives to retailers).
• Veiling Zaltbommel: Dutch fruit and vegetable auction and grower cooperative serving supermarket supply. Comparable in grower cooperative structure and produce assortment that overlaps with cucumber supply.

Regional players

• Special Fruit: Belgian fresh produce supplier specializing in tomatoes, cucumbers, and exotics with pan-European retail distribution. Comparable in cucumber category focus and European retail go-to-market, though operating from Belgium rather than Netherlands.

Others

• Royal Van Zanten: Dutch breeding and propagation company in floriculture and potted plants. Adjacent in Dutch horticulture but not a direct competitor; relevant for shared technology, certification, and input ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DeVriesEricaBv
• Instagraminstagram.com/drenthegrowers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drenthe-growers-bv

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Drenthe Growers BV