The smell of bay laurel meets you when you step inside Gova in Nispen. The family business that started as a modest nursery more than 95 years ago has since grown into a multifaceted enterprise, combining the traditional cultivation of bay laurel with modern applications in cosmetics, medicinal products, sustainable substrates, and, last but not least, licorice.
Jack and An Goossens at the Trade Fair
From strawberries to bay laurel
Jack Goossens, owner of Gova together with his brother Charl: "Our family business actually started very differently from where we are now. My grandfather started growing strawberries under glass before World War II. He was one of the first to deliver strawberries early in the season, and he had a clever marketing strategy: selling strawberries by the piece. That was a huge success. In the 1970s, during the energy crisis, we had to look for crops that were less dependent on gas. That's how we eventually switched to bay laurel."
He continues: "What many people don't know is that the 'Prunus Laurocerasus', which you often see in the Netherlands, is not a real laurel, but a prunus. We grow the 'Laurus nobilis'. This is the same plant whose leaves you find in bags at the supermarket. The special thing about bay laurel is that it is a slow grower. It can take up to eight years before a plant is truly mature and ready for sale. That's a big difference from many other crops, where you often see results within weeks."
Licorice
"Seven years ago, we started looking at what we could do with the residual flows from our plants. In the shops, you pay a few euros for a few leaves, while we have mountains of leaves left over here. That's how we started extracting bay laurel oil from the leaves. That oil is now used in cosmetics, but also in licorice," Jack says. "A licorice manufacturer wanted to make an authentic bay leaf licorice, not based on flavorings, but with real bay leaf oil. It's more expensive, but the taste is better. He went to test it in a market and our laurel licorice turned out to be by far the most popular. Meanwhile, our licorice is sold in country shops and tourist shops."
Laboratory
Besides laurel licorice, they also have herbal teas, with which they won the Horticultural Entrepreneur Award just last year, in the Theelers partnership. They also work with universities and colleges to see how plant extracts can be used in healthcare, and research into plant ingredients and applications in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries is being done in a lab in Bergen op Zoom. "We are researching how to extract these substances, but also how to preserve them for longer, for example through fermentation. Our goal is to eventually replace fossil raw materials with plant-based alternatives, and bay laurel plays a central role in this."
Peat-free
Gova is also developing peat-free substrates from the fibers left over after oil extraction. "Peat-free is an important step towards more sustainable cultivation," shares Jack. "We have been peat-free for three years, which is already in high demand, especially in the UK market with a view to future legislation. Switching to peat-free substrates was one of the biggest changes we went through. You have to adapt everything: from the way you water to the cultivation methods. Laurel grows slowly, so it takes time to see results, and research doesn't always go right the first time. But the market is changing, customers are choosing more consciously and demanding sustainable products. We work according to FSI standards and participated in a pilot project for FloriPefCR (the footprint calculation method), mapping the full environmental impact of our product. This makes it easier to communicate transparently to consumers and gives us insight into where we can still improve."
Balance
"It's a good balance between traditional cultivation and innovative developments." Jack is also a board member of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and has recently lectured in India on the promotion of ornamental horticulture products. In addition, Gova is a member of Decorum, where he sees room for fellow tree growers. "Together with my brother, I run our business, and we have a nice team around us. We also work with people with distance to the labor market, using their talents and thus giving them a place in our company. We are active on many fronts at the same time, that makes it fun."
For more information:
Jack Goossens
Gova BV
Essenseweg 47
4709 RB Nispen, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 610 646166
[email protected]
www.gova.nl