Ben came to the Netherlands as a migrant worker from Tunisia, with absolutely nothing to his name. He even had to give up his watch to make the journey here. In Enkhuizen, he started at a seed company, initially helping with loading and unloading trucks. Later, he moved to the office when it became evident that he was fluent in French. It was there that his love for vegetables began, cultivated in a vegetable garden he was able to rent through the seed company. He then moved to another company in Alkmaar, specializing in vegetable trading. What he missed there was the personal attention given to the growers. For him, it was crucial to visit the growers and understand the product well before sending it to customers.
Partly for this reason, he started Hortica in 1990 from a small office in Enkhuizen. Later, he moved to his own building in Andijk. After 34 years of uninterrupted work, it wasn't easy for Ben to stop, but he managed to retire on January 1, 2024.
Since 2009, son Moncef started, and in 2011, another son Menno joined. Moncef will continue to run the company independently starting from August 1, 2024. We are proud to continue working with growers and customers that Ben started with back in 1990.
