DryGair CEO, Tal Netzer, and Royal Brinkman’s Hans Belt Interview for HortiBiz News Radio
During GreenTech 2023, Tal Netzer, CEO of DryGair, and Hans Belt, international product specialist at Royal Brinkman, sat down for an interview with HortiBiz News Radio.
The interview touched on DryGair’s solution to humidity control, Netzer’s new role in the company, and the cooperation with Royal Brinkman.
Listen to the full interview on HortiBiz News Radio.
Tell Us a Bit About DryGair and Its Place in the Industry
“DryGair is a dehumidifier company originated in Israel. We have a patent for horticulture dehumidification, and that’s our only focus – providing a sustainable solution to humidity in horticultural environments.” Says Netzer.
“We have grown a lot over the past decade, but we look forward to growing even more in the coming years. The first step was to understand what growers need, so we can fit the solution like a glove. We’re always trying to adjust and modify in order to stay ahead of the market, to be ahead of regulations and to provide greater benefits all the time.”
Hans Belt adds, “Everyone knows the plant empowerment principles – If you’re growing in a closed environment, you use less pesticides, and less energy, so this market is growing quickly.”
“Also, due to energy prices, more and more competitors see dehumidification as an opportunity. However, in my opinion, they fail to see the bigger picture, which DryGair does. That’s why Royal Brinkman works with DryGair, because they don’t just view it as a dehumidifying system. But focus on getting a better crop, better yields, and saving energy. Their combination of air circulation and dehumidification makes their solution better for growers. It’s the best way to control the microclimate of the plant.”
How Do You See DryGair’s Future?
“Dehumidification is a necessity in the horticulture space. We feel that we’re just now reaping the benefits of our early work, which focused heavily on educating the market as to why it’s critical to control humidity, and how to do it most efficiently.” Tal Netzer says.
“Even in the Netherlands, where some of the best growers in the world are, it took a while for us to be integrated into greenhouses. We started with flowers, with tulips, and moving into vegetables and other areas was a process.”
Netzer continues, “Of course, as you grow and build awareness of the issue, competitors will come. We bless competition, it makes us better and keeps us sharp. We’re creating the market and we have to share it. We know we have the best solution and continue to work to maintain that, but there will always be room for others too, that’s part of life.”
As a Newcomer, What Stands Out About the Horticulture Industry?
“I think it’s a very different industry. We sell a premium product that isn’t cheap and isn’t easy to sell. But there is a mechanism that already works, in our partnership with Royal Brinkman. It is fascinating, and there is a lot to learn. It’s a pleasure coming to GreenTech, meeting everyone, and seeing how the industry operates.” Netzer says.
“We had a great tour the day before GreenTech, organized by DryGair, along with Royal Brinkman. We took growers from all around the world to visit some of our customers here in the Netherlands. To show them how advanced greenhouses use DryGair, and to understand the benefits as well as the challenges. It’s all about creating a network of professionals, to create discussion, and to push the industry forward, everywhere in the world.”
What Led You to DryGair?
“I come from a Kibbutz in Israel, which is an agricultural environment. My first job was as an avocado picker and many of my friends are growers to this day. So this is like coming back home for me. I also wanted to work at a company that improves the world, that provides a sustainable solution to a problem.” Netzer describes.
“For me personally, it’s also about stepping up to a challenge. My goal as CEO isn’t to increase sales by 5% or 10%. The goal I was given is to double the revenue annually. I did my own due diligence and saw that DryGair fits all of the current trends in the industry. So, I came to the conclusion that this goal is very achievable, and I wanted to take it on.”
Belt adds, “Royal Brinkman has the capability to choose the manufacturers we work with. So, if we feel it’s right, we can choose another dehumidifier manufacturer. But what we have seen over the past years, is that the DryGair company doesn’t finish their work after a unit is sold. They have consultants and experts that continue to assist the growers in optimizing and tweaking protocols to make cultivation better and better over time.”
Netzer continues, “It also works the other way around. We appreciate a partner that doesn’t look to make a quick sale and move on. We need partners that can support and share our vision with us. This helps us to continue to grow, not only in the Netherlands, but around the world. Royal Brinkman sees things in the same way DryGair does.”
What’s In Store for DryGair?
“I think the future is bright. We’ve only just started to penetrate the market.” says Netzer. “There are so many hectares of greenhouse in the Netherlands and globally. I think different growers and different companies are now learning of the benefits of dehumidification. I also think restrictions around CO2 emissions will continue to develop, and as they become stricter, the more our solution becomes in demand. We’re already seeing this.”
Belt concludes, “I follow a lot of research. For example, in vegetable greenhouses – two weeks ago I was at a trial in a cucumber greenhouse, and they asked ‘how can I grow cucumbers with a certain amount of gas and electricity?’ They did research with a lot of cucumber growers and researchers, for a year. The main conclusion was that you need to dehumidify if you want to maintain the right set points within these limitations.”
