"This is the first year we've really had a harvest," says René with a beaming smile, gently patting a kiwi hanging above his head. In their greenhouse in Kwintsheul, René and Gerda Arkesteijn are growing kiwi vines, a surprise discovery by local broadcaster WOS.
The couple, formerly ornamental growers, stopped producing amaryllis during the energy crisis and switched to edible crops. They now also grow cherries, which they sold earlier this spring, and last winter, they sold their very first kiwis.
For René and Gerda, the real challenge lies in mastering the art of kiwi cultivation under glass. "You wouldn't build a brand-new greenhouse just for these crops," René told us earlier this year, "but this way, we can keep going for many years to come."