Leveraging Dutch Innovation and R&D with Sustainable Local Supply Chains
As the leading turnkey greenhouse builder and system integrator in the world, Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects has a rich history of greenhouse innovation dating back more than 70 years. With Dutch greenhouses recognized as the world’s most advanced growing technologies, the company secured a reputation for excellence but also for a key differentiator that sets it and its global portfolio of full-service, transformative projects apart from its peers.
As other Netherlands-based greenhouse companies concentrated on expanding their Dutch manufacturing capabilities, Van der Hoeven — known among U.S. growers as simply “VDH” — chose a different route. Instead, the company focused on maximizing R&D, design, and in-house knowledge to deliver the finest Dutch-technology greenhouses to growers worldwide.
“We are one of the very few large Dutch greenhouse builders without its own production location. We began outsourcing our production to strong, established partners several years ago as we focused on R&D and design,” explains Daan Mansveld, Van der Hoeven Sales Manager for the Americas.
An example of the company’s commitment to R&D and design is its ModulAIR semi-closed greenhouses, developed to accommodate global climate variations. Rather than offering a single semi-closed greenhouse design, Van der Hoeven analyzes and creates an optimal configuration for each ModulAIR greenhouse, tailored to each location and its specific conditions.
By leveraging its Dutch innovation and R&D with carefully vetted suppliers local to its projects, Van der Hoeven delivers a more practical, sustainable, and cost-effective project. This unique approach benefits and supports project stakeholders and local economies. Headlines about U.S. tariffs on European steel amplify the value of Van der Hoeven’s approach for U.S. growers.
“We don’t believe our biggest value lies in Dutch-produced steel and glass. Instead, our strength is in our Dutch knowledge, IP, experience, and engineering capabilities,” Mansveld adds. “High-quality materials can be sourced worldwide, but our expertise in designing and integrating greenhouse solutions is what sets us apart. We handle all engineering in-house and aim to source materials locally whenever possible — provided it makes sense cost-wise.”
Tailoring Sustainable Greenhouse Innovations to Your Unique Site
Van der Hoeven states a mission to “provide sustainable taste anywhere.” That mission is reinforced by the company’s deep understanding that building strong, sustainable global food systems involves more than greenhouse construction. Ensuring that projects perform optimally and scale profitably is essential to long-term success.
Van der Hoeven’s business model is founded on the idea that every site and the elements contributing to the project’s sustainability are different. Greenhouse growers and investors working with Van der Hoeven work with a greenhouse company that designs, builds, and operates state-of-the-art horticultural solutions tailored for each customer and their specific site.
Greenhouse project designs from Van der Hoeven maximize production and profitability while minimizing environmental impact, but always with the business case in mind. That process starts with an intense focus on the project goals, including crops, and the specific site.
By viewing challenges as opportunities in disguise, maximum positive outcomes for the customer and the project sustainability come within reach. From alternative and renewable energy availability to rainwater capture and irrigation recapture, waste streams become resources. Crop production, labor management, and financial strategies — all built around local, site-specific factors — complete the full-service approach.
Thanks to project-specific services, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Location-Based Analysis (LBA), Van der Hoeven clients can receive clear, honest, detailed insights into possibilities and feasibilities relating to the entire life of their greenhouse facility. This includes pre-delivery, pre-construction impact, such as CO2 emissions and water use, as well as suggestions for more sustainable practices to minimize environmental impact and optimize profitability.
Critical for growers, owners, and investors, these insights come early in the process, not late. So, all stakeholders in a Van der Hoeven project can make informed decisions at every stage, fully understanding the environmental and financial impact of specific choices, from materials selection to supply chain partners.
Optimizing Sustainability and Service Through Strong Partnerships
The strengths of local supply chain partnerships magnify the value of choosing not just Dutch-style greenhouse design, but Van der Hoeven’s globally respected Dutch greenhouse innovation. Working with trusted local suppliers minimizes the project’s carbon footprint and alleviates traditional transport and import costs — and U.S. tariffs facing European greenhouse manufacturers. But those aren’t the only value-adds for U.S. projects.
“At Van der Hoeven, we have chosen to focus on engineering, consulting, and integration rather than manufacturing, and source locally as much as possible. This benefits sustainability, but also is much more practical from a service point of view,” Mansveld says, noting the benefit to both the U.S. project and the local economy.
“The more we can source materials and equipment from local and made-in-the-U.S.A. sources, the easier and faster it is for our U.S.-based customer to get service. But we are also stimulating the CEA sector in the United States itself. With this approach, we combine our Dutch heritage IP and knowledge with all the great manufacturing possibilities within the U.S.A.”
This economy-boosting support for local industry and incorporation of locally sourced USA-based components reduces lead times, improves supply chain reliability, and makes service easier — ultimately strengthening the U.S. greenhouse and CEA industries while fostering local innovation and partnerships much like those enjoyed in Europe today.
Staying Your Full-Service Partner After Completion
Mansveld emphasizes that the company’s top priority is the long-term success of Van der Hoeven’s customers. “With Van der Hoeven, you’re not just buying a structure — you’re partnering with a team committed to your success,” he says.
From the Netherlands to Japan to Virginia and Texas, Van der Hoeven’s tailored project approach extends to tailored, ongoing support. Whether a customer is a seasoned grower or someone entirely new to the industry, the Van der Hoeven team works to ensure your greenhouse project thrives.
“At Van der Hoeven, we have made the transition from being a greenhouse builder to a complete system integrator where more of the focus lies on integrating all the different greenhouse parts and machines into a project so that our customers get a smooth process, not just a bunch of machines and parts,” Mansveld shares. That translates to a reliable greenhouse and the seamless integration of everything needed for successful project implementation and beyond.
“The customer’s after-sales experience is something that we are focusing on. We very much keep ourselves involved in the project to make sure our customers succeed,” Mansveld says. “We have frequent meetings with our customers until far after construction or completion. Also, with their permission, we have access to their growing data, for example, and we have a dedicated team monitoring this every day, so in case we see something happening, we can inform the grower on site.”
Throughout it all, Van der Hoeven remains committed to customer success and its role as a knowledge provider. With deep expertise not typically available locally, the Van der Hoeven in-house and in-the-field experts remain available to help you leverage their Dutch innovation, R&D, and IP so your greenhouse project and your business succeed.
Learn more about Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects and their unique approach to the future of sustainable greenhouses on their website at: https://www.vanderhoeven.nl/en. Be sure to stop and visit the team at Indoor Ag-Con 2025.