Hello, I am Peter, a grower for Coöperatie Hoogstraten since 1992. I inherited the interest for horticulture from home. My parents grew strawberries, gherkins, sprouts, leeks and tomatoes. After my higher technical education at the horticultural school in Hoogstraten, I worked for six years, including at the Proefcentrum in Hoogstraten. This increased my interest in horticulture and especially the desire to do something on a self-employed basis. In 1992, I started growing cucumbers. In my quest for diversification, I started growing snack cucumbers on a very small scale in 2011. However, due to the sky-high energy prices, in recent years I have increasingly been looking for less energy-consuming crops. This led to the planting of kiwis in 2013 and a field of blueberries in 2015. Through Coöperatie Hoogstraten and Ghent University, I came into contact with kiwiberry cultivation. Energy friendly and innovative, this cultivation was the ideal challenge for us. The combination of different crops is not always obvious, but this variety is what makes our work so fascinating. This diversity does require very tight planning. The summer months are the busiest, since that is when all the crops are at their peak in terms of harvest. Kiwiberries are harvested in bunches, after which the stems are removed and the berries are immediately sorted and packed according to size. This is all done manually to prevent damage. The pruning of both blueberries and kiwiberries fits well in our schedule because we do not grow cucumbers from early November to mid-January and this is precisely the ideal period for pruning. Pollination of flowers also requires the necessary attention. This is done by bees, bumblebees and solitary bees (wild bees). All our products are traded by Coöperatie Hoogstraten. Since a lot of attention at our company goes to the cultivation and the quality of the fruit, it is important for us to be able to count on a reliable partner for the sale of our products. Hoogstraten also stands for quality, so this fits in perfectly with our vision. In my spare time, I brew beer together with some friends. We have set up our own brewery, De Boeretang. I am also active in the club life, including the "Landelijke Gilde". Bon appetit!