Village Farms is honored to have an excellent growing team with numerous years of
experience in hydroponic greenhouse production. No wonder our tomatoes, peppers,
and cucumbers are always so fresh and taste so delicious! Below is some information
on a few of our top growers.
Jan Kortland
Regional Manger, Texas
Jan Kortland is Regional Manager for Village Farms in Texas. Born in the
infamous "Glass City" Westland region of Holland known for its 80,000 acres of greenhouses,
growing came naturally to Jan. From a young age he helped his grandfather and uncles
in the greenhouse business, picking tomatoes in the early mornings before school,
sometimes as early as 5am. After graduating Jan worked 7 years for a tomato labor
contractor in his home region doing the crop work. Due to his love of travel Jan
took a job with an international firm building greenhouses overseas. Finding himself
in the USA for this project, upon completion he stayed on for 6 years to train workers
in the greenhouse in the crop work and maintenance of the facility. In 1993 this
same greenhouse, (owned by a major competitor), was purchased by Village Farms.
It was at this time Jan began his career with Village Farms as a grower, and soon
after moved to Texas where he has worked for the past 10 years. He says Village
Farms is a great company to work for due to its co-founders Mike DeGiglio and Albert
VanZeyst foresight as true innovators in a technology driven industry. Jan says
he enjoys the many challenges his job provides. So maybe that’s why even though
he has his complete attention on growing top quality produce for Village Farms 24
hours a day, with little time for much else, liking this so much he would not have
it any other way.
Arie Van der Giessen
Facility Manager, Marfa
Arie Van der Giessen is Facility Manager for Village Farms in Marfa, Texas.
Raised among a family of growers, Arie is third generation born in the Westland
region of Holland also known as the ‘Glass City’. His first memories as a child
are happy ones of growing tomatoes and lettuce under his Dad’s watchful eye in their
family greenhouse. Fostering a keen interest in technology Arie attended school
and pursued dual degrees in technology and agriculture. But with his first love
being agriculture, Arie went to work in the greenhouse after college and was on
the forefront of technology when the industry in Holland took the swift turn toward
hydroponics more than 20 years ago. Hydroponics ability to reduce costs while increasing
production intrigued him enough to open his own operation and run it for almost
5 years. After this Arie came to the USA where he has worked for Village Farms on
& off for 11 years. Arie appreciates helping Village Farms achieve its mission of
growing great quality produce while maintaining the highest food safety standards
using cutting edge technology. He thinks hydroponic greenhouse growing is fascinating
due to its dynamic techniques such as climate control computers, but he also resonates
with the human element of the his job. Village Farms feels like family Arie says.
Jose Cruz
Facility Manager, Fort Davis
Jose Cruz is facilities Manager for Village Farms in Fort Davis, Texas.
Born in Chihuahua Mexico into a family of farmers, Jose was always good with plants
and realized from a young age he had an affinity for growing. Because of this he
chose to pursue a degree in agriculture in school. Jose has been growing tomatoes
in greenhouses for 21 years, starting out as a laborer doing the pruning and clipping,
working his way up to supervisor, then on to assistant grower, and finally to his
current position now as grower. Jose has been with Village Farms for 10 years, starting
out in the position of grower and in 2007 promoted to the position of Facility Manager.
Jose says the best part of his job is literally being with the plants, and he finds
this very meditative. The plants are like his babies he says, and he loves helping
them grow to reach maturity. Jose sees Village Farms' as a company with opportunities
for solving complex food security issues in the future. He says opportunities in
the innovative technology of the future will depend on creating resource efficiencies
like the type hydroponic greenhouse production provides.
John Van Etten
Facility Manager, Presidio
John Van Etten is Facility Manager at our Presidio greenhouse in Texas.
Born in Holland, John started helping out in his family’s greenhouse when he was
just 8 years old, and by the age of 16 was helping to actually grow the tomatoes.
After graduating from Horticultural College, John pursued a higher agricultural
degree in Marketing & Horticulture Science. After his studies John worked in the
family greenhouse business until an opportunity aboard brought him to Colorado where
he worked in a greenhouse for 3 years. After this time Village Farms found John
and he joined the company. He has been with the company for the past 10 years starting
as assistant grower and working up to his current position as Facilities Manager.
John is optimistic that trends in greenhouse technology will continue to develop
further. He says he appreciates Village Farms' GATES technology being like no other;
it is truly far ahead of its time. However, John is quick to point out, it is grower
expertise and experience which ultimately drives the ability to integrate the technology
and make it work to produce our great tasting tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
Michael VanZeyst
Facility Manager, GATES
Michael VanZeyst is Facilities Manager for Village Farms GATES experimental facility in Marfa, Texas. Initially Michael studied Fine Art in New York state. After this time Michael started working with Village Farms parent company Agro Dynamics in New Jersey in 1992 as a warehouse employee. Michael has been with Village Farms from the very beginning and literally from the ground up. When Village Farms was positioned to begin construction in 1996 on their Fort Davis greenhouse in Texas, Michael came there to oversee construction and help with installing systems such as roof glazing and water gutters that bring fruit to the packhouse. He enjoyed this part of the country so much, as well as his experiences with Village Farms thus far, he decided to apprentice as a grower. Then Michael really began to learn all about the growing operations from water sampling, drain measurements, to fertilizer mixing. He says he is privileged to have been given the opportunity to work with world class growers and learn from these individuals at Village Farms in Texas. In Michael’s current position as facility manager for the GATES experimental greenhouse he tells us the technology is like no other in the world, "Village Farms' GATES greenhouse system has broken all records for tomato production in one season and we will be achieving these same results with cucumbers and peppers in the very near future".
Dirk de Jong
Regional Manger, British Columbia
Dirk de Jong is Regional Manager for Village Farms in British Columbia,
Canada. For Mr. de Jong greenhouse growing is in his blood. Born into a family of
hothouse growers in the Netherlands, Mr. de Jong’s father and uncles grew tomatoes
and peppers under glass. From a young age Mr. de Jong spent holidays and summers
learning every aspect of greenhouse production nurtured through a long line of family
tradition. Educated at horticultural school in Holland, upon graduation de Jong
was officially initiated into his family’s greenhouse tomato business where he stayed
for 10 years. Village Farms was pleased to find Dirk and persuade him to join up
with us in the USA where he spent a year as Grower in the Fort Davis, Texas facility.
For the past 10 years, Mr. de Jong has been part of the Village Farms’ family in
British Columbia, Canada. Here Dirk started out as Grower, then moved up to Site
Manager, and currently is Regional Manager of all of our greenhouse facilities in
Delta. Mr. de Jong says, "I am very pleased Village Farms has given me this opportunity
and with it the responsibility of overseeing an extremely efficient operation whose
technological innovation exemplifies environmental stewardship values."
Laura Bryce
Site Manager/Grower, British Columbia
Laura Bryce is Site Manager/Grower for Village Farms in British Columbia,
Canada at our Delta II facility. Ms. Bryce has been with Village Farms for 9 years
where she began her career and worker her way up to her current position as Site
Manager. Ms. Bryce is a graduate of the renowned Horticultural program offered through
Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley, B.C. Born and raised in Price George
in northern central British Columbia, Laura was attracted to greenhouse vegetable
production as a career from a young age. "To work with plants is ideal and working
in an environmentally friendly indoor garden helping plants to reach their optimal
potential is better than any desk job", she says. Ms. Bryce appreciates the strong
team effort put forth at Village Farms and realizes this is integral to the success
of the company. Laura draws inspiration from a long line of family farmers on her
mother’s side, particularly her great grandmother, a grain farmer in Alberta, who
was self sufficient, living without electricity or running water, and lived healthy
until the age of 101.
Rob Baldwin
Site Manager/Grower, British Columbia
Rob Baldwin is Site Manager/Grower for Village Farms in British Columbia,
Canada at our Delta III facility. Mr. Baldwin has been with Village Farms for three
years, starting as Grower and moving up to Site Manager. Prior to this Mr. Baldwin
was with BC Vegetable Greenhouse as Grower for 3 years, and before this Windset
Farms for 3 years as Assistant Grower. Mr. Baldwin is a 2000 graduate from the esteemed
Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, B.C., with a degree in Greenhouse Vegetable
Production. Mr. Baldwin has lived in British Columbia is whole life, spending most
of it on the lower mainland. Growing up in White Rock, as a teenager Rob spent his
summers as a picker and laborer for a family friend’s greenhouse business. Rob appreciates
the diversity of his work in greenhouse production because it merges the knowledge
of science with the fine art of growing, "Village Farms is a good fit for me. The
organization and management is top notch".
Mitch Fortier
Grower, British Columbia
Mitch Fortier is a Grower for Village Farms in British Columbia, Canada
at our Delta I facility. Upon graduating in 2004 from the esteemed Kwantlen Polytechnic
University in Surrey, B.C. with a degree in Greenhouse Vegetable Production, Mr.
Fortier embarked on a career with Village Farms. He has been with the company for
4.5 years. Mitch says he is honored to have the opportunity to work with world class
growers at Village farms and appreciates their influence in helping to grow his
own knowledge of hothouse production technology. As a native Canadian Mr. Fortier
was raised in the far reaches of Northern Manitoba but currently enjoys residing
in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
To learn more about Village Farms and the hydroponics industry, take a
virtual tour or read our
press releases
and
articles.