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This is the story of the Dutch horticultural sector through the eyes of his family, interweaving the rise of the industry, the culture, innovations and entrepreneurial spirit.
The author Koen van Wijk's grandfather Bram Moerman was a tomato grower whose family have spent their lives in the industry in the Den Haag, Rotterdam area.
The family has fanned out worldwide, with branches in Canada (Sunnyside Produce peppers, Rosa Flora and Village Farms tomatoes), USA (Pluck'd tomatoes) as well as growing tomatoes (WS Moerman), pepper (Dalipa) and gerberas (Flower Harmony) in the Netherlands.
Growing under glass was the first step and the book describes innovations such as rockwool cultivation and biological crop protection in 250 densely packed pages.
This is a captivating, multi-generational biography that transforms the industrial history of Dutch horticulture into a deeply personal epic. Beginning with the early 20th-century introduction of the tomato as an "exotic newcomer" during World War I, the book captures a century of profound cultural and societal shifts. It beautifully traces the evolution of the close-knit family dynamic, moving from strict Calvinist traditions and intensive family-run labour to a highly sophisticated global network.
Publisher is Horti Inside and the book was originally published as Land Van Glas.
