Peter Reijm – Data Scientist

Peter has been working at LetsGrow.com since 2017 (and started as an intern).

I studied Plant Science at Wageningen University, during my studies I further specialized in the horticultural sector. From a young age, this was where my interest lay because my family has a horticultural business. During days off and holidays, you could always find me in the greenhouses. We grew tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer and switched to growing lettuce and endive in the winter. I also worked for a pepper grower during my studies in Wageningen for five years.

During my final year of study, I was looking for an internship company in horticulture that also did something with data and this is how I ended up at LetsGrow.com. For my internship, I carried out a data analysis assignment for a large tomato grower. After completing my studies in 2017, I took up the challenge of working as a Data Scientist for LetsGrow.com.

What I like most about my job is the variety of projects and the freedom to complete projects as I see fit. 25% of my work consists of performing existing analyses such as creating a harvest forecast model for a new customer. I also spend 25% of my time improving existing data-driven solutions for customers. And half my time is spent on various R&D projects. The horticultural sector is full of innovation and it is fun to be able to contribute to this.

Looking at five years ago and now, I am proud of the development the company has gone through. The platform has improved enormously with a new look and feel. In addition, we can offer more and more data-driven solutions to our customers. One solution I have worked a lot on myself is making harvest forecasts using Machine Learning. It’s great to see that something that starts as an idea ends up being used by growers worldwide.

Even though LetsGrow.com has been active for over 20 years, it feels like a young and dynamic company. Many new colleagues have joined in recent years. These are often graduates who start working at LetsGrow.com after their studies. In addition, we are actively monitoring and optimising processes within the company (HPO). This creates a working environment in which everyone can contribute to the further development of the company. Furthermore, the Knowledge team, which includes the data scientists, is a young international team. We have colleagues from Italy, Germany, USA, Greece, Syria and Indonesia.

At half past 12, it’s always time for a lunch walk. This is a good time to catch up with colleagues. There are also plenty of activities after working hours to better get to know your colleagues. For instance, our staff association regularly organizes outings such as bowling or barge trips through the Westland region. Occasionally there are also spontaneous activities, such as a FIFA tournament on Friday afternoons.