Key Takeaways:
- Wessel van Paassen grew up in the Dutch town of Andijk in a family deeply involved in greenhouse horticulture.
- The company integrates with the GreenV group to access cross-functional expertise in irrigation, automation, and greenhouse infrastructure.
- Wessel van Paassen emphasizes customized system design tailored to crops and site conditions rather than defaulting to off-the-shelf vertical solutions.
- Collaboration and operational transparency are highlighted as ways the industry can improve performance and reduce redundancies.
- Green Simplicity continues to focus on practical implementation and incremental innovation based on grower needs.
Early Career Foundations of Wessel van Paassen
Wessel van Paassen grew up in the Dutch town of Andijk in a family deeply involved in greenhouse horticulture. His early experiences with crop production and greenhouse machinery gave him insight into both technical systems and plant physiology. This background eventually shaped the founding philosophy of Green Simplicity, a company he launched to provide growers with tools to better understand and optimize plant performance.
According to van Paassen, “combining technical systems and plant science was a natural outcome of growing up surrounded by glasshouses and automation.”
Green Simplicity’s Growth and Integration into GreenV
Initially focused on research chambers, Green Simplicity offered systems that allowed growers to explore variables such as light intensity, color spectra, CO₂ levels, temperature, and irrigation methods. These experiments aimed to define the true growth potential of crops under controlled conditions.
As demand for scalable solutions increased, Green Simplicity expanded into propagation systems and indoor farming infrastructure. In 2023, the company became part of the GreenV group, gaining access to a network of companies specializing in horticultural construction, irrigation, automation, and climate systems. This collaboration enabled the company to provide end-to-end solutions while maintaining its specialization in vertical and hybrid farm environments.
Wessel van Paassen on Tailored Design and System Integration
Wessel van Paassen emphasizes the importance of customized system integration based on specific crop and site requirements. He noted that some vertical farms have adopted modular infrastructure originally designed for other industries, which may not align with agricultural needs.
He also commented on the importance of starting with a clear production goal and adapting technology around the crop, rather than the reverse. In some cases, single-layer systems within greenhouses may be more practical and cost-effective than high-stacked vertical farms.
“We aim to design systems that work from day one,” van Paassen said, adding that full functionality from the start is a standard expectation in the greenhouse sector.
Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing, and Future Outlook
Van Paassen advocates for a more open exchange of performance data and technical benchmarks across vertical farming companies. Drawing from practices common in Dutch horticulture, he suggested peer-to-peer sharing of metrics such as fertilizer use and labor efficiency could support collective improvement.
“Sharing technical insights and operational data helps reduce inefficiencies and accelerates development across the sector,” he stated.
He also observed that several vertical farming companies are shifting toward clearer role separation, focusing on crop production and leaving system integration to technical suppliers. This trend, he noted, may lead to more stable operations and improved performance outcomes.
Read our European Indoor Farming Report.
