Precision in Every Bloom: The Hollandia Story

In Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Hollandia Greenhouses is more than a place where flowers are grown. It is a story of tradition, craftsmanship, and continuous innovation, where generations of growers have refined what it means to produce high-quality florals at scale.

Founded in 1952, Hollandia has grown from a small family farm into one of Western Canada’s largest gerbera producers, now operating a 22-acre greenhouse and producing millions of blooms each year. At the heart of this growth is a commitment to precision and consistency, powered by advanced greenhouse technology that allows the team to carefully control every aspect of the growing environment, from climate and irrigation to lighting and CO₂ levels, ensuring reliable, high-quality production year-round.

Precision at Scale: How Hollandia Greenhouse Optimizes Every Drop and Degree

A greenhouse built on control

In Pitt Meadows, greenhouse growing is shaped by variability. Light shifts quickly. Rain is constant. Conditions outside are rarely predictable.Inside Hollandia Greenhouse, the goal is the opposite. With more than 600,000 plants and over 120 varieties of gerbera, the operation is built for scale. But what defines it is not size. It is control. Operations Manager Terry Pastorek has seen firsthand how complex greenhouse growing has become. “There are so many variables… it’s crazy,” he says. “But when everything is connected, it becomes manageable.”

A system that thinks as one

At Hollandia, climate, irrigation, and water systems are not treated as separate layers. They operate as one integrated environment, powered by Priva. Every input is connected. Light influences temperature strategy. Temperature impacts humidity. Irrigation responds to plant demand in real time. Instead of constant manual adjustments, the system interprets conditions and responds automatically. “You can set it on humidity, temperature, or both,” Terry explains. “The system takes care of it.”  This level of integration creates consistency across the entire greenhouse, even as external conditions continue to change.

Light as a driver of production

For Hollandia, light is not just monitored. It is optimized. Even small increases have a measurable impact on production. More light leads to faster development, more blooms, and improved overall yield. “For us, more light means more production,” says Terry. To achieve this, the greenhouse relies on detailed sensor data and responsive screen systems. Irradiation levels are continuously measured, allowing the system to adjust in real time and maintain the right balance between energy retention and light capture. The result is a stable growing environment where plants can perform consistently, regardless of outside conditions.

Closing the loop on water

Water management is one of the most critical systems in the greenhouse, and one of the most advanced. Hollandia captures rainwater, recirculates irrigation, and treats it before reuse. Up to 80 percent of water is recycled back into the system. “You’re not allowed to discharge, so you have to recirculate,” Terry explains. “But economically, it just makes sense too.” At this scale, efficiency is essential. With irrigation happening multiple times per day and each plant using up to 1.2 liters of water, resource use adds up quickly. Without recirculation, both water and fertilizer consumption would increase dramatically.

Turning sustainability into measurable savings

At the center of this strategy is the Priva Vialux, which ensures that recirculated water is clean and safe to reuse. The impact is immediate. “We save about $4,000 to $5,000 dollars a week in fertilizer,” Terry says. That level of savings changes the economics of the operation. What would otherwise be a major ongoing cost becomes a controlled and optimized input. By closing the loop, Hollandia reduces waste while maintaining precise nutrient delivery across the entire crop.

Built for today, ready for what’s next

Each plant at Hollandia is grown on a three-year cycle, producing consistently once established. Every decision is guided by data. Every system is connected. This approach allows the team to manage complexity without being overwhelmed by it. “When everything works together, you don’t have to chase problems,” Terry says. As the greenhouse industry continues to evolve, growers are being asked to do more with fewer resources and tighter margins. Hollandia shows what is possible when systems are designed to work together from the start. By integrating climate and water management through Priva, they have created an operation that is efficient, scalable, and predictable. And in a business defined by variables, that level of control makes all the difference.