Family Ceulemans

The farm

Paul’s father started a lettuce and melon farm with his wife in 1969. Paul joined the business and later took it over. Since 1985, they have focused exclusively on butterhead lettuce. After various expansions and a few acquisitions, they now have 17.5 hectares of greenhouse space. In 2004, they switched from growing lettuce in open soil to hydroponics. They converted their old greenhouses into gutter systems, which now cover 4.32 hectares. In one gutter greenhouse, there are more than 600,000 plants. Each year, they grow 8 million heads of butterhead lettuce on gutters.

Paul also grows butterhead and other types of lettuce in soil-based greenhouses. “The big advantage of growing on gutters is that it’s much cleaner and more efficient,” says Paul. There are no expansion plans for now, but they might add a smaller amount of another lettuce variety or switch completely to gutter production in the future.

The crop

Paul’s biggest challenge is keeping the quality of his lettuce consistently high. “It’s important to anticipate every day, take the weather into account and leave nothing to chance,” he says. That’s also why Paul chooses to keep the same seasonal workers each year. “Having nearly the same team every season is key to maintaining quality, because lettuce is a tricky product to grow.” Another challenge is controlling fungal and root diseases.

Winter is a bit quieter because lettuce takes longer to grow. In summer, it takes about four weeks, while in winter it can take up to eight weeks. In his free time, Paul enjoys a drive in his convertible or a game of squash with friends. Holidays are more difficult, as he can’t stay away from the farm for too long.

Tip

“It’s best to chill lettuce as soon as possible to keep it as fresh as possible. If you store lettuce with the root ball in the fridge, it stays fresh for an extra week,” says Paul.

Paul also has a final message for consumers: “Eat lots of fresh vegetables, they’re much healthier. Choose local products and try to avoid throwing food away.”

Paul’s top tip? Lettuce soup. “Not many people know it, but it’s definitely worth a try. It’s really tasty with herb cheese!”