The International Soft Fruit Conference gives an excellent opportunity to network and expand your knowledge. Our exhibition is open for visits all day and during the day, knowledge will be shared on stage by international presenters.
International Soft Fruit Conference
ISFC – Thursday January 8, 2026
Fieldtrip – Friday January 9, 2026
Fieldtrip – Friday January 9, 2026
International Softfruit Conference 2026
ISFC – Thursday January 8, 2026
Fieldtrip – Friday January 9, 2026
Fieldtrip – Friday January 9, 2026
International Soft Fruit Conference Program 2026
The Dutch Strawberry day is an event for the Dutch strawberry industry. Presentations this day will be in Dutch. The Dutch Strawberry day give perfect possibility to visit and catch up with Exhibitors.
The handouts are available at the Dutch website: www.aardbeidag.nl
Times
08:00
Exhibition floor open
09:00 – 09.10
Welcome
Henny van Gurp | Network Coordinator Soft Fruit Glastuinbouw Nederland
Klaas Walraven | Manager Soft Fruit Team Delphy
09:10 – 09:20
Opening of Aardbeiendag
Adri Bom-Lemstra | Chair Glastuinbouw Nederland
09:20 – 09:40
Soft fruit campaign “Een handje zomer” exceeds expectations
Wilco van den Berg | Marketexpert GroentenFruit Huis
09:40 – 10:00
Sustainable and profitable: chemical-free strawberry cultivation for growers
Klaas Walraven | Delphy BV
10:00 – 10:20
AH’s success thanks to focus on quality in which our growers play a pioneering role
Simone van der Steeg | Albert Heijn
11:30 – 11:50
Space acceptance / Competition on the m2
Martin Scholten | Imares
11:50 – 12:10
Step by step and together you will move forward!
Maurice Wubben | Self-employed
12:10 – 12:30
Maze of rules international working
Ingrid Blom | Glastuinbouw Nederland
Albert van der Burg | Stigas
12:30 – 12:50
Greenhouse cooling and coarser fruits: convert heat into sustainable electricity with spectral filtering PV
Linda Nooren | Delphy – Kas Vermeer | Voltiris
15:20 – 15:40
Saving energy in the greenhouse: towards sustainable unlit strawberry cultivation
Gondy Heijerman | Delphy ISFC
15:40 – 16:00
From pest control to pest management: innovative approach to whitefly in strawberries
Iza de Bruijn | Koppert
16:00 – 16:20
Building the future of Osmocote
Lianne van Wijk | ICL Group
16:20
Closure
Jeroen Schwering | Glastuinbouw Nederland
17:00
Strawberry Day Dinner
Buffet opens at 17:15
08:30-09:30 Arrival of Guests & Visit Exibition
09:30-10:25 Conference Session 1
09.30-09.45
Opening
Vera Theelen | Manager, Delphy Innovative Soft Fruit Centre
09-45-10.05
Energy-saving strategies for early-season strawberry production
Stef Laurijssen | Researcher, Research Centre Hoogstraten
10.05-10.25
Strategies to flatten labour peaks in strawberry cultivation
Simon Craeye | Researcher strawberry and fruit vegetable cultivation, Inagro
10.25-11.30 Break & Visit Exhibition
11.30-12.30 Conference Session 2
11.30-11.50
Breaking the mold: Innovative and sustainable mildew control in strawberry cultivation
Vera Theelen | Manager, Delphy ISFC
11.50-12.10
Blueberries: Market trends worldwide, production breeding
Mariusz Padewski | Sales & Grower Support, Fall Creek
12.10-12.30
Sweet news from Bayer: Introducing De Ruiter’s first Strawberry Variety
Will Roberts and Alin Borleanu | Bayer
12.30-14.00 Lunch & Visit Exhibition
14.00-15.00 Conference Session 3
14.00-14.20
The underestimated importance of climate screens and controlled vertical air movement through the canopy, for more active, more healthy and more sustainable soft fruit crops
Dominique Blok | Accountmanager, Climaflow
Ton Habraken | Greenhouse climate specialist, Svensson
14.20-14.40
… will be announced soon
14.40-15.00
Maximizing blackberry greenhouse production with limited fossil resources: is it possible?
Pim Kleeven | Researcher soft fruit, Delphy ISFC
15.00-16.30 Break & Visit Exhibition
16.30-17.15 Conference Session 4
16.30-16.50
Preventive Plant Health: How Risk Control Drives Profit in Modern Strawberry Production
Jakb Aubel | CEO, Moleda
16.50-17.10
Using sensor based technology for irrigation of substrate Berries
Dennis Wilson | Senior Agronomist & Managing Director, Delphy (UK) Ltd
17.10-17.15
Announcements & closing
Vera Theelen | Manager, Delphy Innovative Soft Fruit Centre
Exhibition floor is open till 18.00
Dinning & networking
Complementing the International Soft Fruit Conference is the Conference Dinner, a unique opportunity for visitors, exhibitors and speakers to be together in an informal way. Eating together with others from the international soft fruit community provides an opportunity to share knowledge, discuss business or network.
The Conference Dinner is exclusive and complimentary for visitors to the International Soft Fruit Conference. Registration is required.
Location: Van der Valk hotel in Vught
Start time: 19:30
The Van der Valk hotel in Vught is also the preferred hotel for visitors to the International Soft Fruit Conference. Look for more details at ‘where to stay’.
Excursion: Together on the road to innovation: from research to practice.
The day after the International Soft Fruit Conference we are organizing a Field Trip. Start at 7.30 am from the Van der Valk Hotel in Vught. End or program about 2:30 pm. Bus will be back in Vught around 4:00 pm.
The trip will take us to different innovative companies in the soft fruit sector. Finally, we will visit our own soft fruit research center: Delphy ISFC. There we look at different soft fruit trials with an explanation by the researchers.
At the experience Center ISFC trials of the Interreg Vla-Ned PlantGoed project will be part of the tour.
Field Trip:
- Innovation in research and practice
- Visit growers and related companies
- Experience Delphy ISFC, the international research site for soft fruit
Please note
- Participation in the Field Trip is only for visitors of the International Soft Fruit Conference
- Lunch and travel by bus are included
- For more information about our research center Delphy ISFC: Vera Theelen
- Dutch Strawberry Day | January 7, 2026
-
The Dutch Strawberry day is an event for the Dutch strawberry industry. Presentations this day will be in Dutch. The Dutch Strawberry day give perfect possibility to visit and catch up with Exhibitors.
The handouts are available at the Dutch website: www.aardbeidag.nlTimes
08:00
Exhibition floor open
09:00 – 09.10
Welcome
Henny van Gurp | Network Coordinator Soft Fruit Glastuinbouw Nederland
Klaas Walraven | Manager Soft Fruit Team Delphy
09:10 – 09:20
Opening of Aardbeiendag
Adri Bom-Lemstra | Chair Glastuinbouw Nederland
09:20 – 09:40
Soft fruit campaign “Een handje zomer” exceeds expectations
Wilco van den Berg | Marketexpert GroentenFruit Huis
09:40 – 10:00
Sustainable and profitable: chemical-free strawberry cultivation for growers
Klaas Walraven | Delphy BV
10:00 – 10:20
AH’s success thanks to focus on quality in which our growers play a pioneering role
Simone van der Steeg | Albert Heijn
11:30 – 11:50
Space acceptance / Competition on the m2
Martin Scholten | Imares
11:50 – 12:10
Step by step and together you will move forward!
Maurice Wubben | Self-employed
12:10 – 12:30
Maze of rules international working
Ingrid Blom | Glastuinbouw Nederland
Albert van der Burg | Stigas12:30 – 12:50
Greenhouse cooling and coarser fruits: convert heat into sustainable electricity with spectral filtering PV
Linda Nooren | Delphy – Kas Vermeer | Voltiris
15:20 – 15:40
Saving energy in the greenhouse: towards sustainable unlit strawberry cultivation
Gondy Heijerman | Delphy ISFC
15:40 – 16:00
From pest control to pest management: innovative approach to whitefly in strawberries
Iza de Bruijn | Koppert
16:00 – 16:20
Building the future of Osmocote
Lianne van Wijk | ICL Group
16:20
Closure
Jeroen Schwering | Glastuinbouw Nederland
17:00
Strawberry Day Dinner
Buffet opens at 17:15
- ISFC | January 8, 2026
-
08:30-09:30 Arrival of Guests & Visit Exibition
09:30-10:25 Conference Session 1
09.30-09.45
Opening
Vera Theelen | Manager, Delphy Innovative Soft Fruit Centre
09-45-10.05
Energy-saving strategies for early-season strawberry production
Stef Laurijssen | Researcher, Research Centre Hoogstraten
10.05-10.25
Strategies to flatten labour peaks in strawberry cultivation
Simon Craeye | Researcher strawberry and fruit vegetable cultivation, Inagro
10.25-11.30 Break & Visit Exhibition
11.30-12.30 Conference Session 2
11.30-11.50
Breaking the mold: Innovative and sustainable mildew control in strawberry cultivation
Vera Theelen | Manager, Delphy ISFC
11.50-12.10
Blueberries: Market trends worldwide, production breeding
Mariusz Padewski | Sales & Grower Support, Fall Creek
12.10-12.30
Sweet news from Bayer: Introducing De Ruiter’s first Strawberry Variety
Will Roberts and Alin Borleanu | Bayer
12.30-14.00 Lunch & Visit Exhibition
14.00-15.00 Conference Session 3
14.00-14.20
The underestimated importance of climate screens and controlled vertical air movement through the canopy, for more active, more healthy and more sustainable soft fruit crops
Dominique Blok | Accountmanager, Climaflow
Ton Habraken | Greenhouse climate specialist, Svensson14.20-14.40
… will be announced soon
14.40-15.00
Maximizing blackberry greenhouse production with limited fossil resources: is it possible?
Pim Kleeven | Researcher soft fruit, Delphy ISFC
15.00-16.30 Break & Visit Exhibition
16.30-17.15 Conference Session 4
16.30-16.50
Preventive Plant Health: How Risk Control Drives Profit in Modern Strawberry Production
Jakb Aubel | CEO, Moleda
16.50-17.10
Using sensor based technology for irrigation of substrate Berries
Dennis Wilson | Senior Agronomist & Managing Director, Delphy (UK) Ltd
17.10-17.15
Announcements & closing
Vera Theelen | Manager, Delphy Innovative Soft Fruit Centre
Exhibition floor is open till 18.00
- ISFC Dinner | January 8, 2026
-
Dinning & networking
Complementing the International Soft Fruit Conference is the Conference Dinner, a unique opportunity for visitors, exhibitors and speakers to be together in an informal way. Eating together with others from the international soft fruit community provides an opportunity to share knowledge, discuss business or network.
The Conference Dinner is exclusive and complimentary for visitors to the International Soft Fruit Conference. Registration is required.
Location: Van der Valk hotel in Vught
Start time: 19:30The Van der Valk hotel in Vught is also the preferred hotel for visitors to the International Soft Fruit Conference. Look for more details at ‘where to stay’.
- Field Trip | January 9, 2026
-
Excursion: Together on the road to innovation: from research to practice.
The day after the International Soft Fruit Conference we are organizing a Field Trip. Start at 7.30 am from the Van der Valk Hotel in Vught. End or program about 2:30 pm. Bus will be back in Vught around 4:00 pm.
The trip will take us to different innovative companies in the soft fruit sector. Finally, we will visit our own soft fruit research center: Delphy ISFC. There we look at different soft fruit trials with an explanation by the researchers.At the experience Center ISFC trials of the Interreg Vla-Ned PlantGoed project will be part of the tour.
Field Trip:
- Innovation in research and practice
- Visit growers and related companies
- Experience Delphy ISFC, the international research site for soft fruit
Please note
- Participation in the Field Trip is only for visitors of the International Soft Fruit Conference
- Lunch and travel by bus are included
- For more information about our research center Delphy ISFC: Vera Theelen
Worldwide leading conference in soft fruit
International Soft Fruit Conference
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