The 5 questions to... Henk Jacobs

I am Henk Jacobs, General Director at Evanthia and working in the horticultural sector for exactly 40 years. I started my career at the seed and pelleting technology company Incotec, as product and account manager for Northwest Europe. I then worked for 16 years as director of horticulture at the buying and selling cooperative Agrifirm, after which I started working in the breeding sector. First as director at the breeding company Royal Van Zanten and then as CEO at Dekker Chrysanten. Since 1 year I am General Director at Evanthia and DGA Nico Grootendorst has taken more distance from the day-to-day operations. In this position, I am responsible for the company’s results and satisfied customers. Together with the management team, we determine the company’s strategy and ensure the best possible execution of the policy.

Almost too much to mention, but mainly the growth Evanthia has experienced and is still experiencing with record sales in 2024. Evanthia has only been around for 11 years. It started with 17 employees, now has over 90 employees and another 60 or so temporary workers. Where initially sales were in the Netherlands, we have become a global player.

Also special is our product portfolio, which is broad and deep. We have a Flowers division where we sell flower seeds from our own breeding and trading sources. From the Tropical division, we sell tropical young plants and seeds and are market leader in Europe with Strelitzia nicolai and Monstera.

It is also nice to see that the development of our own genetics has gained momentum. We have formidable peers worldwide, but in summer flower breeding we are a company to be reckoned with.

Evanthia has a team of highly committed employees. We are still a real family business with short lines of communication. We think in terms of opportunities and see plenty of growth potential. Where necessary, we adapt our organisation, because we believe in Darwin’s motto ‘survival of the fittest’. In short, there is no lack of variety at Evanthia, no two days are ever the same.

Privately, my youngest son Niels’ marriage is the highlight. Seeing your children happy makes you proud as a parent. At a moment like that, you realise again what life is really about.

In business terms, the record sales achieved by the Tropical division is a highlight. At the time of Covid, selling green plants was a hype. We all benefited from that, but now that this hype is behind us, we have still grown. That is a great compliment to our team and that too makes me proud.

A slogan from the somewhat distant past is ‘Flowers love people’. And this is also true the other way round. People love flowers and plants. They provide positive emotion and well-being, but are under social pressure. As Evanthia, we can contribute to the development of sustainable cultivation systems. We are tackling a breeding focus on resistance, low-energy crops and investing in seed technology and new breeding techniques. This is how we contribute to the right of existence of our beautiful sector.

2025 will certainly not be a dull year, but one with many challenges. We have so many plans that we have to dose. What do we pick up now and what can/should wait for a while? Not everything can be done at the same time. Besides, the world is turbulent and it is not clear what the consequences will be for the sales of flowers and plants. This could also have consequences for the marketing of our starting material.