Name: Meteor Systems
Address: Minervum 7081, Breda, 4817 ZK, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 76 504 28 42

Growing solutions
Growing solutions

Growing solutions
- Greenhouse
  Greenhouse
- Semi-outdoor
  Semi-outdoor
- Indoor Growing Systems
  Indoor Growing Systems
- Irrigation
  Irrigation
Solutions by crop
Solutions by crop

Solutions by crop
- Vegetables
  Vegetables
- Soft fruit
  Soft fruit
- Cut flowers
  Cut flowers
- Leafy greens & herbs
  Leafy greens & herbs
Get in touch

Get in touch
Get in touch

Wilkin & Sons in Tiptree, Essex, grows a wide range of fruit, with strawberries accounting for the largest acreage. In May 2026, the farm harvested the first strawberries in their new 4-hectare Mini-Air fruit. The system captures rainwater and collects drain water, making the strawberry crop under the cover fully self-sufficient in water.

The Wilkin family have been farming in Essex for almost 300 years. They started growing strawberries under cover in 2002. "Since then, we have been continuously looking for ways to improve our cultivation," says Farm Director Andrey Ivanov.

"Like most growers, we started with open-field strawberry cultivation and moved to covered tunnels in 2002 and on tabletop systems from 2010. This brought great improvements in fruit quality, labour and water usage. But rainwater still went to waste."

Self-sufficient in water

The Mini-Air Pro solves that. "Water is usually an absolute nightmare," says Ivanov. "Once you collect rainwater, it's yours. Our goal was to be fully self-sufficient in water, and today we are."

In the Mini-Air, drain water is captured by steel growing gutters below the plants and stored for reuse. Rainwater gutters between the arches collect all rainfall, also to be stored. Together, this provides all the water needed to grow strawberries year-round, without the need for ground water abstraction.

Ticking all the boxes

"We compared six different cultivation systems, and the Mini-Air really ticked all of the boxes," Andrey explains. "A high degree of customisation is possible. Meteor Systems can tailor the dimensions to how we want to work. The structure is straightforward to build yourself, with the construction manual and on-site guidance from Meteor Systems."

Low height, strong ventilation

The limited height of the Mini-Air brings practical advantages. "Much easy to work on the structure and it warms up quickly in spring and autumn. Initially we were a bit apprehensive about ventilation, but the growing climate is excellent with venting every two rows. The climate is uniform throughout, so every row ripens evenly."

View the Mini-Air

Automated ventilation

Tiptree opted for the Mini-Air Pro variant, with automatic hoop opening and closing that can be paired with all common climate computers. "Labour is a big challenge and will only become more so," says Andrey. "The automated ventilation saves manual work. And the precise, consistent dimensions of the Mini-Air allow for autonomous robots for mowing, spraying and UV treatment."

Ready when the plants were

Looking back on the project: "Meteor Systems did a brilliant job. From the design phase with Erik van Nieuwenhuijzen to the on-site supervision by Mark Vermeulen, everything went straightforward. Even with the extreme rainfall in January, the team kept going and managed to roll-form the gutters on site. The plants were ready to go in, so there was no room for delay."

With the first strawberries coming off the plants, Tiptree is already thinking ahead. "We need to get to know the Mini-Air and get the best out of it. But we never stand still. Agri-PV on the same structure as Mini-Air is something we are exploring, to generate our own energy alongside our crops."