Loading...Only a few traditional outdoor farms remain in the region between Rotterdam and The Hague. Instead, the area is filled with greenhouses where many vegetables and speciality crops are produced. This is also the case in De Lier, where Sander van Kampen has been growing wasabi – also known as Japanese horseradish – for several years. Around 2,000 of the plants thrive on 3,000 square metres in his production halls; with the spicy paste extracted from the roots.
In Japan, this unconventional spice has almost cult status – can you have good sushi without wasabi? Hardly imaginable. If you ask the chefs at the high-end Japanese restaurants in the Japanese quarter of Düsseldorf – Little Tokyo – what the secret of good wasabi is, you are unlikely to get an answer, it remains a secret. However, it is no secret that Japanese cuisine is becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe, with the demand for wasabi growing – in the Netherlands alone, 800kg are consumed every year. Von Kampen identified this growth in popularity some time ago and recognised it as an opportunity, importing the first young wasabi plants from Japan in 2018 to grow on his farm.
The fresher, the better
He is a pioneer, being the first person in the Netherlands to venture into growing the coveted spice. As he walks among his lush green stock, he openly admits that he is “still learning and experimenting”. Nevertheless, despite some catastrophic failures along the way, he has been able to successfully establish himself as a grower of this high-value crop. The 41-year-old entrepreneur now produces an impressive 200-300kg on his farm – around 100 grams per plant – worth around £166 to £250 per kilogramme (€200 to €300). However, customers, and especially the Japanese restaurants, demand uncompromisingly high-quality – the fresher, the better.
Harvested roots can only be kept fresh for a maximum of 14 days at a constant cooling temperature of 4°C, after which the quality drops dramatically. Ideally, the root tuber is harvested at midday and in the restaurants by the evening. Travelling the short distances from the farm guarantees maximum freshness, which has even been acknowledged by the Japanese ambassador to the Netherlands when he publicly welcomed that something so quintessentially Japanese is being produced in De Lier.
A career changer is experimenting
With this backing, it comes as no surprise that the Dutch farmer, who used to work in the entertainment industry, wants to expand his wasabi production further. He cannot forego the use of expensive crop protection chemicals due to viruses, fungi, and insects that attack the Japanese horseradish – but he sees good opportunities for increasing revenue as demand grows. Although he currently still must fly in new, young plants from the Far East, this may change in the future if propagation becomes established in the Netherlands.
I admit that I am still learning and experimenting.
Sander van Kampen
Until then, he will continue to gain experience and optimise his growing techniques like temperature, lighting, steaming, water, nutrients, and the composition of the potting soil. In addition to producing wasabi, which has a 400-year growing tradition in Japan, von Kampen has other crops in mind that he would like to grow in his greenhouse; bergamot, Indian basil, galangal (Japanese wineberry).
Specialty crops for fine dining
Koppert Cress in Monster, just 10km away is also paving its way in the niche crops market. In the greenhouses there 35 different varieties of cress alone are grown, which are in demand worldwide. More than 150 people now work at the company, which is currently conducting intensive research into the cultivation of various types of algae, as well as the indoor production of vanilla.
Meanwhile, the growing of such specialist crops is still relatively unknown in neighbouring Germany. According to Laura Lafuente from the German Vegetable Growers’ Association (ZVG), expanding the product range could make sense for direct-marketing businesses, like farm shops and market traders. “But from a business point of view, production and consumer sales would have to be right,” warns Lafuente.
“Ultimately, it is the customer’s willingness to pay that determines what you can produce. And, unfortunately, the last few years have shown that price is a significant purchasing argument for the end consumer – regional production and sustainability are considered less important.” Of course, price is one important aspect, but quality is also of the utmost importance as Von Kampen demonstrates with a spontaneous taste test in the greenhouse. It tastes wonderful, beguiling, spicy but not too spicy.