By Roel Dreve
The new wind at CNC
Hildo Brilleman took over as CEO of the CNC group on 1 April 2025, succeeding Eric van Asselt, who headed a company in transition for five years. We spoke with Brilleman, and CCO Alex Vos, who is also new, in Moerdijk about the recent developments at the company and in the sector.
H
‘The concept of ‘creative
destruction’ is a healthy process, you just have to
make sure you’re leading in it’
ildo Brilleman has worked in the agricultural sector for around 25 years. He started his career at Campina and worked for crop
protection products manufacturer Nufarm before joining CNC. He has a proven track record in marketing, supply chain, sales, general management, and various corporate functions. “I have experienced agriculture and horticulture in all shapes and sizes, across different conti- nents. From small-scale farmers in Guatemala to huge multinationals like Delmonte.” Alex Vos, commercial director, is also new to the management team at the composting company, which seems to have reinvented itself positively following many turbulent years.
A fresh look Asked about his initial findings in the Dutch mushroom sector, Brilleman comments: “I appreciate the direct contact with growers. I speak to one or other of our customers every week. It’s a chance to hear what the actual situation is and if there are any pain points. This contact shows me just how important compost is for our customers. Another interesting facet is the unique opportunity this gives me to view the world outside CNC from a regional perspective. We clearly want to play a more significant role globally.” He admits that working in a sector that is so completely new has meant a steep, personal learning curve. “But I don’t see it as a problem; as a newcomer, you can also look at this industry with fresh eyes, and the sector is relatively compact. Our management team, comprising seven members, also reflects this. The team combines a lot of experience and expertise that we can build on. Another thing that struck me about the sector is that it delivers a performance at a truly Olympic level, achieving impressive efficiency and with ambitions to embrace the potential of automation and robotisation. The latter two in particular can serve to significantly increase the competitive position of the Netherlands.”
20 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
Expansion of CNC Since CNC was acquired by Sun European Partners at the end of 2020, it has sold a number of divisions and business units, including the casing soil branch, but has also acquired other companies. Brilleman explains. “One of my observations is that we simply make very good compost at CNC. That is our core expertise. That has motivated our desire to expand, so we can also take other composters to that same elevated level. We have enthusiastic people in their sixties who want to keep working for us and together with the new generation, they can help drive this expansion, which is quite unique.” In an interview with Mushroom Business in 2023, van Asselt also indicated that CNC had growth ambitions again following the turbulent period of strategic realignment before and after the acquisition by Sun European Partners. In 2024, a majority stake was acquired in VEME Specials and Verbruggen Substraat and Verbruggen Paddenstoelen. The Dutch Trading Office (DTO) was also acquired in the same year. “These companies match our strategic plan of expanding our offering to grow into the leading player in substrate in Europe by 2030, and they complement our core business.” This particularly applies to the acquisition of Polish composting company Kompostpal, which should strengthen the position of CNC in Eastern Europe - as Holpol has also grown, according to Brilleman. “This compost facility was underutilised and we can contribute our expertise.” Another contri- buting factor is that CNC prefers to supply compost locally, rather than transporting it over long distances, whereas the acquisition of DTO gives greater access to international exports of compost. What about selling the whole logistic division, which has transported CNC’s own compost and horse manure by road for such a long time? Brilleman: “We do transport high volumes by road, but we had reached the limits of our capacity in terms of logistics, maintenance, scheduling routes for drivers and purchasing
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