Somewhere on the island of Voorne-Putte, in the village of Tinte, there is a small piece of the Amazon rainforest. Thirty thousand square metres, with anthuriums as far as the eye can see. Red and pink. White and purple. Orange and even multi-coloured. Here, at the company owned by Stefan Groenewegen and Richard van der Salm, a humble anthurium cutting was the start of a flourishing career.
Groene Tint was founded in 2007, but the company behind Groene Tint has its origins all the way back in 1936. Nico Groenewegen, the second generation of growers, cultivated flowers and vegetables in the Westland region from 1969 onwards. This was a very popular combination in the mid-20th century. Therefore, like many other growers in Westland, Nico decided to specialise. The crop he chose was the chrysanthemum, one of the most popular cut flowers grown in the Netherlands. Eventually, the company moved from Westland across the other side of the Nieuwe Waterweg, to the island of Voorne-Putten.
A bigger challenge
When Nico’s son Stefan took over the company as the third generation of growers, he had the desire to take on a bigger challenge. He wanted to grow something new, something that offered a greater opportunity to make a difference as a grower. The plant he chose was the anthurium. It is a houseplant with a long history. It could be described as a designer houseplant with flowers that look like they’ve been painted.
At the turn of the century, the unique qualities of the anthurium began to be rediscovered. Stefan, joined by his friend Richard van der Salm, began to see opportunities. Add in a winning combination of passion and professionalism and the rest is history.
A well-known name in anthuriums
These days, Groene Tint is a well-known name in the world of anthuriums. This reputation was built on products with perfect quality, surprising colours and unique flower shapes. The thirty thousand square metre greenhouse is fully tailored to this. Automation takes over much of the manual work, so production is efficient.
The manual work that is required, such as potting up cuttings, sorting and packaging, is carried out by eight employees. They are not only experienced in every aspect of growing, but they are also passionate about the beauty of the anthurium. Our employees can often be found visiting garden centres to see how ‘their’ products are presented.
The highest quality grower in the Netherlands
A lot has changed in the fifteen years following the birth of Groene Tint. It’s gone from a fledgling grower to an established name. From a limited range to an assortment dominated by innovation. From average quality to the highest in the market. This is precisely the vision of the two growers and employees behind Groene Tint: to be the highest quality grower of anthuriums in the Netherlands all year round. And stay that way!
Crop protection is essential to achieve the perfect product. With the many organic options available these days, there is nearly always an environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals. We also take responsibility for our energy consumption. As of 2021, Groene Tint runs partially on geothermal energy. This has more than halved our use of gas. We aim to reduce our energy consumption even further. Tests with energy saving LED lighting are promising enough to predict that we will eventually transition away from conventional lamps.
Increasing job satisfaction
Eight employees work to perfect our natural product, with fair working conditions and favourable terms of employment. This is a family business where the employees are part of the family too.
