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Cor Brinkman (1858 - 1923), born and raised in ’s-Gravenzande, recognized the development of horticulture in the nineteenth century and founded the company C. Brinkman Zeilmaker. Responding to the needs of growers in and around ’s-Gravenzande, he began buying and selling tarpaulins, bags, nets, and various types of rope. The tarpaulins were particularly successful, and as a manufacturer, he provided custom covers for the flat-bottomed Westland barges. Once it became possible, Cor quickly applied for a telephone line. He proudly listed “No. 14” in an advertisement of the local newspaper. He was also among the first in ’s-Gravenzande to have his own postbox, P.O. Box 2. Low plantbeds were fitted with ‘Eenruiters’. Under this flat glass, cauliflower, lettuce, but also cucumbers were grown. Cor Brinkman started our company in 1885, named C. Brinkman Zeilmaker, in ’s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands. 

Around the turn of the century, the son of founder Cor, Henk Brinkman (1885 - 1967, second generation), joined the company. The name of the business was changed to ‘Firma C. Brinkman & Son’. Even then, we took pride in our founding date, as the company name featured the phrase “established in 1885.”

Our board of directors expanded to six members. Bas Brinkman (born in 1986 and son of Henk) joined as the Technical Director, becoming the fifth generation of the family with an executive position in the company. Royal Brinkman is a 100% family-owned business, and the shares have remained unchanged in the family’s hands for 140 years. As of 2024, our business is structured on three pillars: Trading goods (Horti Essentials), ICM (Integrated Crop Management) and Tech (Technical Projects), with a focus on digitisation, internationalisation and innovation.

Bas Brinkman
1986

Founder Cor Brinkman started our company in 1885, selling rope, nets, bags, and tarpaulins. He had no idea it would grow so large, but business expanded worldwide. Starting in the Pepersteeg (now Havenstraat) in ’s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands. Today, we have fifteen branches in different countries worldwide.

In 1885, the Westland region looked very different from today. People used horse-drawn carts on land and flat-bottomed barges on water for transport. Horticulture was just beginning to develop. Early growers experimented with growing grapes along walls and later in greenhouses with walls. By placing glass against the walls, they could harvest grapes much earlier. Open-field growing of fruits and vegetables also began using flat glass panes, like single glass. In Dutch, we call them ‘Eenruiters’, or ‘Lentse windows’ on low plantbeds. Growing crops like cucumbers under flat glass worked very well, allowing for an earlier harvest and protecting the vegetables from bad weather.

One of the successful products in the early years was the sale of “asparagus twine,” used to bundle asparagus. Cor himself would deliver the twine by bike to Scheveningen, where it was knitted into nets. The first staff members joined the company, with Brinkman employees traveling by horse and cart or bicycle to visit farmers and growers. The horse-drawn cart carried small nets, baskets, jute sacks, twine, horticultural equipment, and tools.

The company grew steadily, and in 1917 we moved to a new building in ‘s-Gravenzande on the square in the village center (e.g. Marktplein). This location became commonly known as ‘Kousenhoek’. In 1919, another significant development took place: we acquired our first lorry, a T-Ford, from ‘Wagenmakerij H. van Trigt’. Van Trigt had a construction company at a historic location in the center of ’s-Gravenzande, where he made cabins and loading bays for Fords. For Brinkman, this first lorry represented a revolutionary development, as it speeded up transport. However, the road network was not yet fully prepared for mass transportation. For a long time, the transport of goods remained a mix of horse-drawn carriages and motor vehicles, but gradually, the company’s reach in Westland (e.g. the biggest horticultural region in the Netherlands) expanded.

After the cultivation of grapes in walled greenhouses, the use of greenhouses for grape growing began to rise. The origin of greenhouses lies in Belgium; several progressive growers from Westland travelled to the grape-growing region near Brussels to observe them. The iron greenhouses were built separately and had glass on both sides. During a second visit, they brought along a local blacksmith, which gave greenhouse construction in Westland a significant boost. In these greenhouses, grapes were primarily grown, followed later by other fruits such as apricots and peaches, as well as some vegetables in between. Grape cultivation was prominent in Westland during the first half of the twentieth century. Alongside the greenhouses, there was often a narrow railway track used to transport products by trolley to the barge, which carried the harvest via water to the auction.

Growers in Loosduinen, The Netherlands, were innovative and first experimented with single-pane flat glass (e.g. Eenruiters) to build greenhouses in 1906. By raising the single glasspanes, they created affordable greenhouses that were tall enough to walk inside! These greenhouses were referred to as ‘warenhuizen’ (department stores) because they were suitable for multiple crops, both low-growing and tall-growing variations. The name ‘warenhuizen’, directly linked to the well-known retail establishments where various products could be purchased. The construction of these department stores with single glasspanes gained significant momentum in Westland from the 1920s onwards. It became profitable to plan multiple crops in succession, mainly tomatoes, with lettuce usually planted as a preceding crop, and sometimes cauliflower and spinach. Cor Brinkman steadily expanded the product range and was resourceful in sourcing items that growers needed.

Around 1900, the first tomatoes were grown in The Netherlands. The rise of tomato cultivation in ‘warenhuizen’ contributed to its growth in Westland. By 1920, Brinkman was the first to introduce a sorting device for tomatoes, known as the tomato hopper. As the hopper moved back and forth, smaller tomatoes fell through increasingly smaller holes, while the larger tomatoes remained on top. Brinkman played a significant role in supplying tomato sorting equipment, known as topping machines. The carpentry workshop was quite busy with this! In 1926, the company won first prize for the topping machine at the Fruit and Vegetable Exhibition in Utrecht. Following the topping machine, they developed the sorter, a tomato sorting machine that sorted tomatoes into five or six sizes, from small to very large. Brinkman rapidly adapted to the developments in horticulture. Business was so good at that time that in 1931, our first branch in Rockanje, The Netherlands, opened.

In 1934, our premise on the market square in the village center was severely affected by a fierce blazing fire. The fleet of cars, which had grown to three lorries by that time, was completely lost, along with large stocks of wood and machinery. Everything was rebuilt and restored, but the crisis years gradually became more noticeable. Meanwhile, in 1938, the founder’s grandson, Cor Brinkman (1914 - 1997, third generation), became director during this challenging period. World War II broke out, and growers continued to work as best they could while the company tried to supply them. The Nazis had their sights set on the premise in ’s-Gravenzande, and we were forced to leave our building. A quick search was made for a temporary location in the region, and we found a place in a wood factory owned by the firm ‘In ’t Veld & De Jong” in De Lier, The Netherlands. After the war years, we returned to the building in ’s-Gravenzande, while the branch in De Lier remained active for many years.

Brinkman exists 75 years! The entire staff went on a day out with the Brinkman family to Avifauna in Alphen aan den Rijn.

Brinkman overcame the difficult post-war period and joined the growth of horticulture in Westland. The construction of greenhouses (‘warenhuizen’) continued steadily, and growers and suppliers were inventive in finding solutions. The post-war period was marked by a series of new developments, new crops, and new cultivation methods. With the rise of the Venlo greenhouse in 1928 and the expansion of greenhouse areas, there was also an increased demand for materials.

Brinkman was a pioneer in irrigation. We contributed to all developments in the automatic and even watering of crops in greenhouses. Automatic irrigation in greenhouses was developed through the installation of rain pipes made of metal and sprinklers. This revolutionized greenhouses and greatly improved working conditions for irrigation. After the metal rain pipes, hard PVC pipes, self-priming pumps, electric taps, and fully automatic concentration meters were introduced. Our irrigation department grew rapidly!

The possibilities for heating greenhouses also increased. Brinkman included the well-known ‘ploffers’ from the company Priva in its product range. With greenhouse heating, the growing season for crops such as lettuce and tomatoes could be extended, marking a significant advancement in the development of horticulture!

The use of crop protection products to treat crops for diseases and pests has been around for ages. In the early days of the company, people spoke of “the evil” affecting grapes. Various substances were tried to combat this disease, which turned out to be powdery mildew. Eventually, sulfur was successfully used as a pesticide. Brinkman quickly established good contacts in the field of plant protection products and also expanded its focus to foreign markets for sourcing chemical pesticides. This provided Dutch growers with a variety of products to combat diseases and pests.

In addition to expanding the range of products, we were also at the forefront of developing various types of spraying equipment. In 1971, the horticulture sector faced a whitefly epidemic that traditional high-volume spraying techniques could not adequately address. A new technique emerged in horticulture: fogging. The Pulsfog dispersed small, uniform droplets of water mixed with pesticides in the greenhouse using jet engines, effectively combating flying insects. Photographs from those years show growers operating the Pulsfog without wearing protective clothing or masks. The awareness that this was necessary came many years later.

The building of Brinkman at Marktplein became too small for our ever-growing company in the early 1970s. Road transport was increasing, and loading and unloading at the location caused too much disruption in the center of ’s-Gravenzande. Moreover, horticulture had completely shifted from water transport (via barges) to road transport (using lorries). Until the 1960s, every village in Westland had its own vegetable auction. ’s-Gravenzande even had two auctions: Woutersweg Auction and Rijnstraat Auction. These two vegetable auctions merged with several others to form Groenteveiling Westland Zuid, leading to the sale of Woutersweg Auction. The Brinkman family came together and made a bold decision: they purchased Woutersweg Auction with an eye toward the future. Many wondered if the building was too large, but time has shown that this was certainly not the case.

In 1972, we moved from “the Kousenhoek” to the former buildings of Woutersweg Auction. The opening of the 45,000 m² business site was a significant milestone in our history. In just five days, 11,000 visitors came to see the new warehouses, offices, and workshops at Woutersweg 10. The entire community of ’s-Gravenzande and the surrounding area turned out for the festive opening!

Our logo was updated to a green, red, and black version. The logo symbolised ‘Your crop with Brinkman from the soil’. The crop was green, the soil was black, and for the first time, Brinkman was shown in red. The colour red is still used as a main colour today.

The demand for products also grew internationally. We were already exporting to several countries, and in 1974, we opened our first foreign branch in Dunswell, England. Communication was done via telephone, mail, or telex. The fax machine only became available many years later. In the following years, we opened more foreign branches and gained recognition worldwide.

In 1975, the first steps were taken in horticultural process automation. The first climate computers were developed for climate control. Brinkman actively participated and developed the Micom. This climate computer was the size of a fridge, revolutionary for its time, and could measure both indoor and outdoor temperatures while controlling the heating. It was a significant improvement for growers. They could program a specific day and night temperature with the Micom, automatically turning the heating on or off and automatically opening or closing windows. Later, irrigation was also connected to the Micom, allowing growers to control watering. With just 
a few buttons, it became possible to regulate water supply in sections, ensuring that crops received water automatically in designated areas.

Brinkman played a significant role in the early days of soil-less cultivation. It began in 1974 with Finnish Sphagnum moss, intended for growing crops in containers or on tables. Growing above the ground prevented contamination from diseases and pests. The idea to grow on Rockwool stone wool came from Scandinavia. Our own Brinkman specialists were involved in the first tests of this stone wool product with Dutch tomato growers. Our research department encouraged the use of Grodan stone wool in collaboration with research institutes and practical applications. Cultivating on substrate offered great advantages, significantly increasing the yield per square metre for crops like tomatoes. Many innovations were needed, including the dimensions of the stone wool mats, methods for venting in film, creating planting holes in the mats, growing in troughs, and using drippers. It was a true revolution.

One of the key benefits of stone wool is that it is an inert substrate. This means it is pH-neutral and contains no electrical conductivity (EC) on its own, unlike organic growing media, which naturally contain nutrients. With stone wool, you essentially started from scratch, allowing for a 100% accurate control of the nutrient balance. This required technical expertise in dosing water and fertilisers in substrate cultivation.

In the early 1980s, growers widely switched to growing above the ground on stone wool. We introduced the Vocom, which combined a mixing tank, pumps, filters, control boxes, and a computer into one frame. We even featured it on the TV programme Horizon in The Netherlands. The Vocom (Nutrient Computer) measured, regulated, controlled, monitored, and supervised the delivery of water and fertilizers. The Vocom was and still is a success, and you can find these installations all over the world, including in the second-hand market.

In 1984, we were preparing our 100th anniversary in 1985. This milestone was planned extensively behind the scenes, including a logo change, an application for the ‘Royal’ designation, and a week-long celebration for customers and partners. The centennial celebration, titled ‘A Century Ahead’, took place over the course of a week in one of the halls of the Westland Zuid vegetable auction in ‘s-Gravenzande. The event was made even more special with the presentation of the Royal designation to our management by TV presenter Mies Bouwman. This honor, valid for 25 years, is personally awarded by the King (or Queen) of the Netherlands. Since 1985, we have included the Royal designation in our logo and name, using “Koninklijke Brinkman” in the Netherlands and “Royal Brinkman” internationally.

During the centenary celebration, Elco Brinkman (then Minister of Welfare, Health, and Culture) unveiled our new red and black logo. Following this, the major Brinkman horticultural exhibition was opened and visited, showcasing the latest innovations in horticulture to thousands of attendees over the week. The slogan “Leaders in Horticulture” was introduced alongside the new logo, and this branding remained our identity in the domestic and international markets for thirty years.

The often inconsistent battle against pests and diseases using chemical pesticides has always been a challenge. Pesticides that were once effective against issues like spider mites suddenly became less effective as pests developed resistance, prompting growers to seek natural solutions. Initial successes were achieved with the use of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis as a natural remedy for spider mites. Brinkman took steps into this new market by offering live products in the form of natural enemies (predatory mites). After initially sourcing from Bunting in England, our first in-house biological pesticide was launched in 1984.

Speaking of living products, the introduction of bumblebees for pollination in tomato cultivation marked a significant revolution in Dutch horticulture. Until the 1980s, tomatoes were manually shaken or vibrated to ensure that the pollen from the yellow flowers fell in the right place to develop into fruit. This shaking was a monotonous and time-consuming task, requiring about 1,000 hours per hectare each year, leading to significant labor costs. Fortunately, in the 1980s, an excellent biological and sustainable alternative emerged: live bumblebees. A lot of effort went into designing and developing the right bumblebee boxes, equipped with a flight hole and enough food for transport. It became crucial to find ways to breed enough queens and bumblebee colonies to supply Dutch tomato growers. We prioritized educating growers through one-on-one discussions by our representatives, our magazine ‘Voorop’, and special informational evenings about bumblebees across the country. These events attracted a lot of customers in the Netherlands and Belgium and resulted in exciting stories and beautiful presentations about bumblebees. 
It was always amusing to explain that female bumblebees are the workers, active throughout the day, while male bumblebees, known as drones, consume a lot of food and drinks but do not work at all. This always led to much hilarity.

In 1989, we received an important award in The Netherlands: the ‘Tuinbouw Ondernemersprijs’. This is a Dutch horticultural entrepreneur award. This was presented at the Dutch Horticulture Trade Fair (NTV) in Bleiswijk in recognition of our innovative developments. The award highlighted the cucumber sorter Vito-Rotomatic, the biological pesticide Rhytopack, and the business registration computer Repac. Henk Brinkman (fourth generation) accepted the award. Later that afternoon, Prince Claus (of the Dutch Royal family) visited our booth at the NTV, where he learned about substrate cultivation.

Our company kept growing and growing: the number of products in our range increased, as did the number of customers and locations both domestically and internationally. Inventory management, storage, and shipment became increasingly important, and the warehouses, halls, and storage sites at the headoffice in ‘s-Gravenzande were no longer sufficient. In 1990, the first pole was driven for the new construction of the store and distribution center on Woutersweg in ‘s-Gravenzande. A year later, we celebrated the official opening of our new store. This modern shop offered customers access to a wider and more extensive product range. Our company continued to grow, but this rapid expansion unfortunately led to an emergency measure in 1991. Costs were rising faster than revenue, prompting a reorganisation to restore the company to good health. In 1994, a second measure was necessary, after which we managed to regain positive growth by the late 1990s.

In 1995, we started our cooperation with the Spanish company Agrobío. This is a production company of biological crop protection products, natural predators, and bumblebees. Brinkman acquired a 50% ownership in Agrobío, and together we started developing solutions for natural pest control and pollination. Today, Agrobío is a strong brand in the horticultural sector, with branches in Spain, Turkey, and Morocco.

The Brinkman catalogue launched in 1999. This 312-page publication showcased the broad assortment with photos of the products, featuring a range that had grown to 30,000 items. An update followed in 2000, and by placing the entire range online for the first time, Brinkman marked the beginning of the digital era. At that time, however, growers were only sporadically online and not yet accustomed to digital transactions. In 2009, our first webshop was launched, making Royal Brinkman the first horticultural supplier to offer an online store. Significant hours were invested to introduce growers across the country to the webshops usage and benefits. From that moment on, they could place orders online, anytime and anywhere they wished. This development added convenience, and the webshop was enthusiastically embraced. Today, it is the largest in the horticultural sector. In 2016, Royal Brinkman was honored with the German TASPO Award in the category ‘Best Website for the Green Sector.’

Being granted the ‘Royal’ designation does not automatically mean it remains permanent. This honour is awarded for a period of 25 years, after which a company must demonstrate that it still merits the title before it can be renewed. And that was indeed the case. We successfully regained the designation and will officially remain ‘Royal’ until 2035. On 19 October 2011, Sjaak van der Tak, mayor of the municipality of Westland presented the official document. As a horticultural supply company, we were reviewed and assessed, and Her Majesty the Queen deemed us more than worthy of the Royal designation.

During the reorganisations of the 1990s, the Brinkman family decided to appoint an external management team. However, in 2004, Henk Brinkman (fourth generation) returned as CEO of the holding. Unfortunately, Henk had to step down in 2009 due to health issues, and it would not be until 2023 that another member of the Brinkman family would join the board of directors.

With Ton van Mil’s appointment as CEO in 2013, the new management team was introduced: Gert-Jan van Peer as Financial and Operational director, Ton van Mil as CEO, Jan Schuttrups as International Director, Coert Rasenberg as Sales Director, and Henry Janssen as Purchasing Director. In line with the internationalisation of horticulture, our name was changed from Koninklijke Brinkman to Royal Brinkman, though for a long time, people continued to refer to our company as Brinkman or “at De Brink.”

After more than thirty years of using a red and black angled logo, we introduced a new design in 2015 featuring a crown as a reference to our Royal designation. The primary colour remained the familiar red, with the crown in silver-grey. The addition of the new slogan, ‘Global specialist in horticulture’, highlighted the company’s international role as a horticultural specialist. The updated logo was applied across all countries, on our vehicle fleet and on our products.

solutions in over a hundred countries worldwide. To strengthen our presence, we aimed to follow the ‘local-for-local’ principle. This meant being close to growers in key horticultural countries. In 2014 and 2015, we opened new branches in Mexico and Australia. Later, we also established locations in Morocco, Canada, and China. As of 2024, we have branches in fifteen countries.

In 2018, we acquired Berg Hortimotive, based in De Lier. This enriched our product range with complete logistical solutions. The ‘shop styling project’ led to an upgrade of four stores in the Netherlands in 2019. New stores were built in Gameren and Venlo, while our locations in ’s-Gravenzande and Bleiswijk were modernised. This allowed us to better meet our customers’ needs. We optimally combined online (digital) and offline (personal) services through local service points.

In June 2019, we launched our new promise, ‘Let’s improve together’, during a major innovation seminar in The Netherlands attended by Prince Constantijn van Oranje (Dutch Royalty). This initiative aims to improve and make horticulture more sustainable worldwide, working alongside growers, suppliers, and other partners. By focusing on customer needs and developments in the horticultural sector, we can offer specialised products and solutions. It’s wonderful to see that we continue to pursue exactly what founder Cor Brinkman started many years ago.

Watch the corporate Royal Brinkman video with our story of how we collaborate, connect and learn, how it started and how we continuously improve to make it better.