how Gerry Huygens plans to scale Bioline Agrosciences

Gerry Huygens is no stranger to the world of biological crop protection, though his roots lie elsewhere. An economist by training, Gerry built his career with corporate giants like AB InBev and Mars. Following leadership roles at Aveve and Biobest, he has now taken the helm as CEO of Bioline Agrosciences. His mission? To blend the passion and innovation of the biocontrol sector with the structured efficiency of major industries. In doing so, he aims to support growers worldwide in transitioning to biological crop protection, while driving double-digit growth for Bioline itself.

With a history dating back to the 1970s, Bioline Agrosciences was formed ten years ago through the merger of Syngenta Bioline and Invivo Biotop. The UK-based company has grown into a major global player in macro-organisms (beneficial insects and mites) used for biological crop protection in greenhouse horticulture. This year, Bioline introduced new solutions like Eggline and Sprayvent—innovative systems designed for faster, more targeted dispersal of beneficials like Phytoseiulus or Chrysoperla. However, if you ask Gerry, who took over as CEO this year, about the fine agronomic details, he quickly defers to the company’s specialists.

“I look to our biologists and engineers,” Gerry says. “We have incredible people with deep agronomic knowledge, alongside engineers developing cutting-edge methods to distribute macro-organisms more effectively and efficiently than ever before.”

Bringing corporate rigor to horticulture
Gerry’s background in economics might seem like an unusual fit for horticulture. Moving from highly standardized breweries and confectionery plants to the unpredictable world of biology is quite a leap, but that is exactly where he brings value. He is introducing the operational rigor of his former employers to Bioline. By implementing frameworks like Management Control and Reporting Systems (MCRS) and Stage-Gate innovation processes, the goal is not to replace the biologists, but to strengthen Bioline’s commercial and operational foundation.

This is a deliberate strategy for Bioline, which has set ambitious growth targets in alignment with its investors, Eurazeo through its Planetary Boundaries Fund and Aurae, which acquired the company with a long-term vision in 2025.

“We are targeting 13% to 15% organic growth annually,” Gerry explains. “Managing a company with a €70 million turnover requires a completely different operational approach than managing one at €250 million. Our goal is to strengthen the business side without losing our focus on biology. At the same time, we want to keep our team motivated and engaged, because our people are the ones driving this success.”

Beyond organic growth, Bioline is actively pursuing acquisitions to diversify its portfolio. Gerry explains that the objective is to become a full-service provider—a “total player.” This approach is crucial for opening doors with growers and distributors, while reducing reliance on third parties. A key example of this strategy was last year’s acquisition of the Belgian parasitoid wasp producer, Viridaxis.

“We see great opportunities to deploy Viridaxis’s technologies and find new applications for their products,” Gerry notes. “As long as we rely on third-party suppliers, we are subject to their margins, which pressures our competitive position. That’s why we want to offer a complete portfolio.” He adds that for any biocontrol company, maintaining the ability to invest in innovation is vital. “Our innovation pipeline must keep moving. Profitability has to stay on track so we can continue investing in new products and applications.”

The “Fast Follower” strategy
With a market share in macro-organisms representing about 40% of the industry leaders, Bioline knows it cannot win every battle based on R&D budgets alone. Instead, the company has adopted a smart strategy: act as a “fast follower” when it comes to developing new beneficial species, but be a market leader in application technology.

“At Bioline, we are exceptionally strong at developing new application methods for various species,” Gerry says. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel if other players have already developed key organisms. We differentiate ourselves by adding the right application technology.”

The primary focus is on reliable delivery systems that reduce labor. “The entire horticultural sector is struggling with labor shortages and rising costs. We need to automate application so it requires minimal labor while remaining highly precise. The fewer steps a grower has to take to achieve effective crop protection, the better their return on investment.”

Recent examples include the earlier mentioned Eggline and Sprayvent systems, as well as the Exhibitline for slug control. “We look for smarter solutions. By applying Phytoseiulus in a liquid formulation via spraying, you get much faster and more even distribution,” Gerry explains.

Bioline plans to apply this same technical expertise to acquired companies. Talking about Viridaxis: “There is natural synergy between our customer bases, offering great potential for upselling and cross-selling but its also about combining skills and knowledge. The Viridaxis production technology is world leading and now we are combining that with our Agronomy andR&D capabilities. New application methods open up entirely new opportunities there as well.”

These innovative delivery systems might also open doors to open-field crops. In the US, beneficial insects are already used on a larger scale outdoors, a model Bioline wants to bring to mainland Europe for crops like onions and lettuce. The main hurdle here is cost. While a greenhouse grower might spend hundreds or thousands of euros per hectare on biologicals, the budget ceiling for open-field farming is much lower. “Smart spraying technologies that can disperse macro-organisms quickly could be the game-changer that makes biocontrol viable for outdoor crops,” Gerry says.

Expanding geographically and balancing the seasons
Growth is not just about expanding into new crops; there is also significant geographical potential. Bioline currently holds a strong presence in the Netherlands, France, the UK, the US, Spain, and Kenya. However, untapped potential remains within Europe. In countries like Poland, Germany, and even Belgium, the company’s current market share is still relatively small.

Opportunities also lie further afield. “We see that several solutions in our portfolio are highly suited for pest pressures in other regions, such as the US, Asia, and Canada,” Gerry says.

Geographic expansion serves a dual purpose: it grows the business and stabilizes the business model by smoothing out seasonal peaks and valleys. By expanding into regions with opposing seasons, like parts of Asia (such as Malaysia and Japan), Bioline can better balance Europe’s seasonal fluctuations.

“Spain, for example, sees a massive spike in demand at a specific time, and then dips for the rest of the season,” Gerry explains. “Our challenge is to balance these spikes out at a global level to make demand more consistent.”

Managing these fluctuations is one of the core operational challenges Gerry is tackling. In the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, success comes down to scale, logistics, and predictability. “If you speed up the production line in a brewery, you know exactly what the output will be,” he says.

In horticulture and biology, it doesn’t work that way. You are dealing with living organisms, both in production and in the grower’s greenhouse. At the same time, supply chains must be highly responsive. If a pest outbreak occurs, the grower needs a solution immediately. Waiting until the following week is simply not an option.

To better align supply and demand, Bioline is investing heavily in Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP). Because insect breeding cannot simply be turned on and off, the company translates real-time forecasts from its field staff directly into production planning, maintaining strategic inventory buffers to absorb demand spikes. The goal is to reduce product waste while significantly improving service levels. Bioline aims to stand out by actively partnering with growers, whether through specialized packaging or flexible delivery schedules.

Protecting the future of food security
This structured business approach is essential in a sector where pricing pressures are intense, yet continuous innovation is mandatory. Gerry points to shifting climate patterns, noting the severe rains and flooding seen in Spain this year.

“We are also seeing rising pressure from new pests, like Thrips parvispinus,” he warns. “Right now, it’s impacting Spain, but that pressure will inevitably move north toward our regions.”

Combined with a shrinking pool of approved chemical options and regulatory approval processes for new biologicals that can take years, finding the right balance is tough.

“Price matters, but the horticultural sector cannot survive on a race to the bottom on cost alone,” Gerry emphasizes. “As an industry, we need viable margins to keep innovation moving forward. We need to deliver these innovations because growers desperately need them. The list of challenges that our customers face is growing every year, and their long-standing solutions are disappearing rapidly. Our goal as we scale the business is to rise to that challenge and provide solutions for those growers. If margins disappear, it ultimately hurts us as a supplier, but it hurts the growers even more because they depend on new solutions. Ultimately, this impacts food security.”

A shared passion
Despite the focus on optimization and metrics, Gerry emphasizes that this industry is driven by something deeper than just numbers. When asked what sets this sector apart, he highlights the unique passion found in horticulture. After thirty years of corporate experience, he has found a level of connection in the biocontrol industry that he rarely saw elsewhere—even in the beer world.

“You see it in our team, in our customers, and even in how competitors interact across company lines,” Gerry reflects. “When emergencies hit, competing companies will actually step in to help one another ensure that the grower’s supply is guaranteed. That is truly remarkable. Such a genuine love for the product and passion for the industry is unique to horticulture.”

For more information:
Bioline AgroSciences
[email protected]
biolineagrosciences.com/