COMPOST
What makes a good compost?
The answer to the question of what makes a good compost is mostly connected with straw quality, water amount or oxygen values. At compost
producer Holpol however, the question is answered with one word: ‘people’. By Kasia Bieniecka
T
he Holpol history goes back to 1999 and Tom Hol, who gave his name to a company which a year later started with compost production in 4 bunkers
and 3 tunnels in Tarnowo, in the west of Poland. The following years brought new developments and expansion. In 2003 the existing facilities were completed with 3 new tunnels and a spawning hall and in 2006 Holpol introduced the first top filler in the Polish composting market. After expanding with another 4 bunkers and 13 tunnels the company structure changed, as 50% of the shares were acquired by Dutch compost producer CNC. The merger resulted in further investment in a new pre-wetting process. Soon the company’s offer was completed by year round production of compost for brown button mushroom. Around that time the rapid develop- ment of the company’s human resources begins as well. Jan Willem Jansen arrives to Holpol to unite its structure, not easy to manage because of equal share volumes belonging to two different partners. In 2012 Rudi Joris takes up the position of managing director, Ania Zdunek becomes sales manager and Jakub Piasek is appointed as quality manager. About one year later Holpol becomes the single representative of CNC in Poland which doubles its market share and eventually leads to a full takeover by CNC. Following further investments and installation of a liquid CO2 cooling facility, enabling the transport of compost throughout the country, the company opens 2 new tunnels for pasteuri- sation and incubation in 2015. The same year starts a tight cooperation with the oldest producer of compost for shiitake in Poland, the company of Mrs and Mr Drzażdżyńscy from Jutrosin and Holpol becomes the exclusive trader of CNC Exotic Mushooms substrate in Poland. Nowadays the company produces 650 - 700 tons of phase III compost for white and brown mushrooms a week, both in bulk and blocks. The
38 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
production takes place in 8 bunkers with aerated floors and 21 fermentation and pasteurisation tunnels. The spawn used is Sylvan A15 for white and Amycel Heirloom for brown mushrooms. The raw materials are acquired locally, only the horse manure arrives from another member of the CNC group, the company Amco. “Another advantage of being a member of the CNC group”, states Piasek. Addition of the horse manure faciliates the compost production, makes fermentation more predictable and ensures repetitive quality. Holpol uses a Hoving head filler for filling the bunkers and a casette filler by Christiaens for tunnel filling, whereas the blocks are being formed on two Alpi machines.
Transporting prepared ingredients to the mixing line.
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