The announcement was made at the Hillenraad award ceremony for the leading horticulture companies in the Netherlands. The Hillenraad committee of experts also ranked Koppert Biological Systems third overall in the Top 100 for the fourth time in row.
The committee said it was particularly fond of what Koppert itself describes as ‘fundamental pioneering’. ‘Koppert likes to go against the grain and that has brought it to the victory platform of the Hillenraad 100.’ In its report, the committee commented that Koppert was ‘constantly searching for ways of doing things differently’. ‘Why only look at the plant when you can also look at what is going on with the roots and soil? Koppert is doing pioneering research into micro-organisms and plant extracts in the search for optimum plant resistance. It always looks further and thinks deeper.’
The committee described Koppert as a ‘game changer that had rightfully taken its place on the podium of the Hillenraad 100’. It said it ‘combined curiosity with good commercial sense as revenues and profits are on the rise.’
The Hillenraad 100 charts the movement in the sector in the Netherlands on an annual basis. ‘We look at the moves made by the leading horticulture companies in the Netherlands over the past year and where this has led them,’ said the committee who judged the national ranking.