Hello, I am Lieven De Backer, a kiwiberry grower for Hoogstraten since 2012. In 2007 I graduated as a Bio-Engineer at the University of Ghent. Immediately after my studies I started working as the person responsible for the IWT project 'Phytomonitoring of greenhouse vegetables - The talking plant' at the research centre for agriculture and horticulture in Rumbeke - Beitem (POVLT). After one year, I called it a day and started working at tree nursery Sylva BVBA in my home village of Waarschoot. I am still working there and am now responsible for the production of forest and hedging plants. Through my training as a bio-engineer in agriculture, I came into contact with the kiwiberry by chance. From my interest in agriculture and horticulture, from home (farmer's son) and from my education, it itched to do something in the sector myself, on a self-employed basis. Since we got the chance to buy an old vegetable farm in Drongen with some land, this was the perfect moment to take the plunge. So in the spring of 2010 we planted about 265 female kiwiberries, divided into 4 varieties: Weiki, Ken's Red, Geneva and Jumbo. On the soil that remains, we grow Taxus spawn plants and some Christmas trees on a small scale. Bon appetit!