Family Heulens

Jan, Tom and Ann Heulens inherited their passion for vegetable growing from their parents. Mr and Mrs Heulens grew tomatoes and lettuce for many years. In 1993, they made the bold switch to aubergines, becoming one of the first growers in Belgium to do so. Back then, the beautiful dark purple fruit was still fairly new and unfamiliar in our region. Over time, the farm expanded to 7.5 hectares. Aubergines are a subtropical plant that thrive in a warm and humid climate. But you can grow them perfectly well here too, in a greenhouse.

“Our aubergines are grown in greenhouses on special rockwool. In summer, temperatures can rise to 30°C, with humidity levels around 85%. Visitors often say our greenhouse feels like a tropical rainforest. Well, aubergines are exotic and they love warm, humid conditions. We use a combined heat and power system and a climate computer that carefully adjusts the temperature in the greenhouse. We also use bees for better pollination, which gives you those nice dark aubergines, and natural predators like predatory mites to control harmful insects.”