Impactmaker Ter Laak Orchios: Research as a driver for innovation

Ter Laak Orchios grows top-quality moth orchid (vanda) in the Westland region. The company was created from the merger of the family businesses Ter Laak Orchids and Orchios, which joined forces on January 1, 2025. With locations in Wateringen, Naaldwijk, and De Lier, Ter Laak Orchios is a future-oriented organization that brings together technology, cultivation knowledge, and nature. What the companies have always shared—craftsmanship, curiosity, and a sense of people and the environment—is now being brought together into an even more sustainable whole.

“Show what steps we are taking in the field of sustainability. That creates confidence in horticulture.”

Research as a driver for innovation

Sustainability is in Ter Laak's DNA. Based on research, data, and curiosity, the cultivation team is working on creating increasingly resilient plants. By experimenting with greenery resources such as biostimulants and precise control of climate and irrigation, stress is prevented and crops become stronger, with the aim of reducing crop loss due to disease and reducing the use of chemicals.

The market has become more critical, which Ter Laak sees as both a challenge and an opportunity. Crop protection remains necessary to control diseases and pests. The trick is to support nature in this. New, greenery agents must first be thoroughly tested before they are truly ready for practical use. This is a process of trial and error, in which knowledge agencies, universities, and growers work together to share insights and make progress.

Nature-inclusive cultivation

This idea also took shape in a research project in which Ter Laak has been participating for a year, together with other horticultural companies throughout the Netherlands. In collaboration with researchers from Wageningen UR, a 250 m² biodiversity strip was created next to the greenhouse in November 2024, sown with perennial summer flowers that attract insects, including natural enemies.

Every four weeks, researchers visited to inspect which insects had settled and how the populations were developing. These measurements provide valuable insights into the contact between biodiversity and pest pressure in and around the greenhouse.

For André and his colleagues, it was also an exciting experiment. “Normally, we keep the grass short to ward off pest insects,” he says. “For the biodiversity strip, we did the opposite. That required trust in nature.” The biodiversity strip showed how the perennial summer flowers developed, but in terms of the numbers of insects and natural pest controllers that were attracted to them, it was somewhat disappointing because the summer flowers did not blossom as profusely as hoped due to the dry spring. Next year, they hope to see a greater diversity of summer flowers.

Smarter use of energy and climate

Ter Laak is also looking ahead in terms of energy and climate management. For example, the company has invested in LED lighting and cultivates in a 5-hectare ‘daylight greenhouse’ where special lenses in the roof concentrate the sun's rays onto a tube through which water flows. The resulting heat line warms the water in the pipes. They then use this heat to heat the greenhouse. This saves them 40-50% in energy. In addition, they will participate in a geothermal project. The combination of technology and craftsmanship makes it possible to achieve more with less energy. This brings them step by step closer to their ambition for 2030: an emission-free greenhouse with minimal use of chemical crop protection and fossil fuels.

Looking ahead

For André and his colleagues, sustainability is not about big words, but about small, smart steps that add up. “Nature must be supported, but the chimney must also continue to smoke,” he says matter-of-factly. It is precisely this balance between realism and innovation that characterizes Ter Laak Orchios: curious, learning, and with both feet firmly planted in the greenhouse soil. Together with knowledge partners, fellow growers, and suppliers, they are building a future in which people, plants, and the planet reinforce each other.

Do you have questions about this specific sustainability initiative or do you have your own sustainability plans? Please contact sustainability@royalfloraholland.com.

Impactmakers is a series by Royal FloraHolland that highlights entrepreneurs who are making the sector more sustainable with vision and courage. From big steps to small improvements: together we are building a future in which flowers and plants are grown with respect for people and the environment. Ter Laak Orchios is an inspiring example of this.