The group only uses renewable energy from geothermal sources, and its brand ‘Happy Tomato from Rye Island’ is taking market share from big European players in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
GreenCoop družstvo president Zsolt Bindics said the greater amount of sunlight meant his growers had an advantage over Dutch growers.
“We have some disadvantages because in our area the summers are hotter, but the main advantage is the geothermal energy.
“In our region, if you drill into the land deeper than 1km (0.6mi), you will find hot water and you can heat the greenhouse.”
