The HLB Group recently raised growth funding from the NOM and Horizon Flevoland. The money is part of a comprehensive investment program that will be implemented within the group's various branches in the coming years, including the construction of a new growing location in Dronten.
'Even more knowledge needs to be brought into practice,' Janny Peltjes states. 'That's also why we approached the NOM and Horizon Flevoland for growth funding.' Peltjes is founder and CEO of HLB Group, a group of companies that each contribute to efficient and sustainable agriculture from their own expertise. The HLB Group consists of Hilbrandslaboratorium, the Green Fly, the Nutrient Management Institute and AgroCares. 'Our strength lies in a unique combination of research, diagnostics, advice and innovative measurement systems,' she explains. 'We bridge the gap between science and practice and bring knowledge, techniques and systems from the lab to the field. We do this using an integrated approach. Simply because a healthy soil and a healthy crop are inseparable.'
Second breeding site
In recent years, the HLB Group has become a leading player in the pursuit of a future-proof industry. But to add even more value, the company wants to continue to grow. Especially now that agriculture and the agri-food chain are facing increasing challenges. 'For example, at De Groene Vlieg Bio Control in Dronten, part of the group, we are building a facility for breeding sterile onion flies,' says Peltjes. 'It is our second breeding location, because we already have such a facility in Nieuwe-Tonge in the province of Zuid-Holland. That means we can double the production of sterile onion flies in Dronten and thus serve a larger market.'
Pest Control
The onion fly is one of the most important pests in onion cultivation worldwide. One of the most sustainable methods of pest control is the sterile-insect technique (SIT), a technique introduced by The Green Fly in the 1980s. Cultured flies are sterilized and released along onion plots, then compete with wild onion flies in producing offspring. 'By releasing and monitoring enough sterile insects weekly, you can keep an infestation, without using chemicals, manageable,' Peltjes clarifies. 'Until recently, sterilization was done by a specialized company from Belgium. Since we purchased our own sterilization equipment, we do it in-house.'
Growth Fund
Creating a breeding facility is a costly endeavor. After all, insect cultivation is extremely sensitive to outside influences. And yes, that requires a substantial investment in climate control in particular. 'With funding from our Growth Fund, we are happy to contribute to that,' stresses Inge Verschuur, investment manager at Horizon Flevoland. 'Not least because Flevoland has traditionally had a lot of onion cultivation. The HLB Group has amply proved with its activities that it has a great social added value. Not unimportantly: in Dronten, HLB Group creates jobs at all levels.'
Coherence of activities
In addition to expanding the cultivation business, the investment funds will also be used to help grow the other companies that make up the HLB Group. These include further digitalization and the development of innovative measurement systems at HLB and AgroCares, an agritech company specializing in data-driven agriculture and sensor technology.
'Partly because of the Wijster-based Hilbrandslaboratorium, HLB for short, the group's activities are closely linked to the north,' says Ruud van Dijk, investment manager at NOM. 'Indeed, it is an important specialist in our region in the field of plant and soil health that demonstrably contributes to a more sustainable, healthier and smarter Northern Netherlands. Moreover, the mutual coherence of activities ensures that the HLB Group can support the agriculture and agro chain on virtually all relevant fronts. It is precisely these types of companies that make an important contribution to accelerating the transition the sector is undergoing.'
Webinar on the food transition
