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GROW No. 4 september 2016 Royal FloraHolland’s magazine for members and clients

“Clock auction presale suits today’s market” Celine van Schie Cymbidium nursery Celine Colours

Working together is co-creation Hotel guests raptured by flowers and plants

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Exquisite

Dahlia has Mexican roots

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Beeldschoon

Dahlia is a genus in the Asteraceae family, also known as the Compositae family. There are twelve species, all of them indigenous to Central America, and primarily Mexico at that. The first descriptions go back to 1615. In the same period, the first seeds were sent from Mexico to Spain.

A proper introduction of the dahlia only took place two hundred years later, in 1804. The dahlia is named after the Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, who was a student of the famous botanist Carl Linnaeus. In 1918, the Dutch Dahlia Society was founded. The society aimed to stimulate the growing of, the trading in, and the exporting of dahlias.

The society still flourishes today and yearly holds a national dahlia competition.

The Dutch often use dahlia in their flower parades. It’s well suited for that use, for the dahlia is strong, easy to grow and has a wide range of colours. A lot of the villages or towns that have flower parades grow their own dahlias, on fields that are tended to by volunteers. The southern Dutch town of Zundert for instance has thousands of acres of dahlia fields, just for the flower parade.

The road to 2020

Ambition

Cees van der Meij, Royal Lemkes: “In our company, every employee is unique.”

Clock auction presales via FloraMondo have risen considerably this last year.

A client and a grower talk about their experiences with auction presale, and discuss the advantages.

p 12

p8 Points of view Aad van der Knaap, KP Holland about cooperation:

“We desperately need each other.” p 22

Trends

How do changes in society manifest themselves in our houses or our gardens?

Read about the trends for 2017. p 28

Editorial The central theme of this edition of GROW is cooperation within the floriculture sector. Lucas Vos, CEO of Royal FloraHolland, considers it to be the glue that holds the cooperative together. We should exchange knowledge and build connections in order to achieve more. Servaas van der Ven, CCO of Royal FloraHolland (see page 18) adds to that: “Also, more external parties, that have little to do with floriculture, will seek to collaborate with Royal FloraHolland and its clients and members.”

What’s driving Lucas Vos The road to 2020 News Big data Insights Globetrotter Cross-fertilization Service Calendar Publishing details

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What’s driving

Lucas Vos Cooperation to really get through to consumers The cooperation between floricultural companies already is commendable when compared to other businesses in agriculture. Lucas Vos, CEO of Royal FloraHolland, sees collaboration as the glue that holds the cooperative together. “Cooperation is partnership. It’s in the growers’ DNA to collaborate.

You help each other out. And the common goal is to keep our unique floriculture sector as strong as possible.”

When Lucas started out at Royal FloraHolland, he noticed that the cooperation within the cooperative was good, but the cooperation with other parts of the floriculture sector left something to be desired.

For clients (buyers), it’s another story, says Lucas.

“They’re competitors first, of course, and partners second. But they still all use the same market place and buy off the same growers. That is where collaboration gets tricky. So that they’re willing to talk to Royal FloraHolland about shared interests and want to collaborate, is a good thing.”

Cooperate to get through to consumers “I hope the cooperation in the sector will evolve to go forward, to share a common goal. Growers all have 4

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a similar vision. Some clients look back, though, and wait for us to come up with innovations. That’s why we’re not succeeding as of yet to join our efforts to get through to consumers. I think, now that the 2020 strategy is unfolding, it has become clear we focus on the consumer. Meanwhile, people are looking at us expectantly. And that’s not how it should be.

Clients, please take the helm, lead the way! All of you together can ensure that consumers will be spending more on flowers and plants.”

More cooperatives “I also feel that the cooperative business model has gained influence during the long years of the last crisis. The cooperative now is becoming

increasingly popular. Companies noticed they have been underestimating the power of collaboration and started to form cooperatives. This has helped many companies survive dire times.” Lucas makes a comparison to businesses in agriculture, such as The Greenery, and the dairy sector. “The high level of cooperation is what makes the floriculture sector strong as it is.”

Sharing knowledge Lucas feels that to make further progress in the floriculture sector, ever more cooperation is needed between breeders, greenhouse manufacturers and Royal FloraHolland, among others. “We will have to be more transparent in our communication.

“ Clients, please take the helm”

We must strive to exchange knowledge. ‘Knowledge is power’ is no longer valid. ‘Sharing knowledge’, that is the way forward. It’s a bumpy road and we may lose our way a little every now and then, but it’s a road we must take to get to a better future.” ← What’s driving lucas vos

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The road to 2020

“ It’s better to have your say than to stand idly by” The Cooperative 2020 programme has kicked off. A group of growers, representative of the entire membership, form the so-called Guidance Team. Thijs Hermans and Johan Oudshoorn, both members of this team, speak in this GROW interview about the importance of Cooperative 2020. “It’s better to have your say than to stand idly by. It is vital that we help figure out the future of our cooperative. And that has to happen now”, stresses Thijs, general manager of plant nursery Van Geest.

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The Guidance Team consists of thirteen growers, from both the Netherlands as other countries.

Johan and Thijs both have their reasons for joining the team. Johan is 56 and has a small company (1.5 hectares) growing summer flowers, and he breeds lilies of the valley as well. Thijs is 32 and the general manager of plant nursery Van Geest; he is a young entrepreneur and has a critical approach to matters.

Interaction with members Why is it so important to have the Cooperative 2020 programme anyway? Thijs: “Royal FloraHolland has a history of more than a hundred years. Much has changed in that time. What has not changed during that century is, for instance, how members are treated and what your obligations as a member are.

Now it is time to ask aloud: what is the cooperative and what is its purpose?” Johan: “We’ll chair several interactive meetings in our own region to ask members how they would answer these questions.

We’ll also talk about joint decision-making, the different kinds of membership and the rates. How will changes affect major and/or minor growers, what about direct trade, and so on. And together we’ll

Who are Thijs and Johan?

Thijs Hermans (32) is the general manager of plant nursery Van Geest in the Dutch town of Maasland.

The family Van Geest owns the company shares. Thijs manages the employees, takes care of the sales, and so on – everything except the actual growing process. He is an entrepreneur with a no-nonsense approach who knows exactly what’s going on in the world.

Johan Oudshoorn (56) grows summer flowers on two locations, in Roelofarendsveen and Nieuwe Wetering. His main crop is hanging amaranth. In winter and spring Johan breeds potted lily of the valley, and the busiest time is the 1st of May, when many European countries celebrate a socialist holiday. Johan hopes he’ll do a good job of representing the summer flower growers, for ‘summer flowers usually are the icing on the floriculture cake’.

determine what the general gist of the answers was.”

Thijs: “Furthermore, we’ll show our findings to other members as well and ask for feedback. This really is a collective process. It’s not as if we are telling the members how it is.”

Better to have your say than to stand idly by What made these two entrepreneurs join the Guidance Team and help take the members through the process? Thijs: “Well, there’s a certain amount of unrest among the members about the role of Royal FloraHolland when it comes to sales. It’s important to join the discussion, especially now. At first, I had my reservations about the future of our cooperative.

That’s why I’m in the team, for I prefer to have my say rather than stand idly by and moan from the sidelines.” Johan adds: “When there is change afoot, as there is now, it’s good to have growers involved from all fields of floriculture that are willing to work with colleagues to find the best possible common denominator. In other words: get fellow growers together and let them do their bit. I consider that a nice challenge. And I feel a responsibility. I think it’s important to assist in determining the future of our cooperative, to be part of this process.”

Unique range of flowers and plants Why should members contribute to the discussion about the cooperative, and why specifically now?

“Lucas Vos and Jack Goossens assured us change is welcomed. Jack Goossens even stated that if there weren’t any alterations to the statutes after our sessions with the members, we’d have failed to do a proper job. But, we do need input from the members.

The floriculture sector is great, with all its traditional firms and all that emotion. Our range of flowers and plants is unique. This should get our members off their feet. We can no longer sell whatever we produce; we have to find out what the market wants and meet demands. It is vital that we help decide the future of our cooperative. And that has to happen now.” ← Want to find out more about Cooperative 2020?

Did you already register or would you like to learn more about the programme? Check out the dossier Cooperative 2020 on www.royalfloraholland.com.

The road to 2020

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The road to 2020

Auction presale via FloraMondo on the rise: “You never have to say no” Buying flowers and plants online via FloraMondo is taking off in a big way. The sales in the first eight months of this year are double those of the same period last year. GROW interviewed two new FloraMondo clients to see how they like it: wholesaler and export company Weerman and cymbidium nursery Celine Colours.

Purchasing manager Dennis Witteveen of Weerman: “Because of the clock auction presale, I never have to say no anymore.”

Wholesaler and export company Weerman joined FloraMondo in January 2016. Dennis Witteveen is a big fan of the clock auction presale. It means a great deal of convenience to his clients and it’s efficient.

Ever since Weerman started taking part in the auction presale, the number of containers they trade has increased dramatically.

The big advantage of clock auction presale, according to Dennis, is that clients now can decide for themselves when they want to purchase their goods. “Usually they visit the online store at 17.30, now they can order several hours earlier. There is a rather large group of clients joining us live to check out our stock. Especially when you only have a few colleagues, or when you have to man the flower shop on your own, it’s handy to log on in the evening and order your flowers and plants. That’s twelve hours gained. There’s certainly a shift in when clients do their restocking.”

Never say no An extra advantage of clock auction presale is more flexibility, says Dennis. “Anything goes, I never have to say no to a client.” Yet another bonus is a decreased 8

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risk of overstocking. “We no longer have to have everything in store anymore, auction presale can fill in the gaps.”

Straight from the grower Dennis points out an extra advantage: freshness. “It’s a big plus the goods come straight from the grower.”

He does feel, however, prices are a little too high at the moment. “I’m convinced clock auction presale can develop further if growers make sure the clock auction continues to have a wide range of products on offer. And it would be nice if they offered their products for the going market-rate. At the moment, this is not the case. And that’s a pity.” Dennis means growers shouldn’t price themselves out of the market, so the clients of Royal FloraHolland will keep on buying their products.

Many more containers because of auction presale Ever since Weerman joined the auction presale, the amount of traded containers has grown considerably.

265 containers in January, 120 in February, 3,400 in March, 3,434 in April and a whopping 5,524 containers in May. In June and July sales dropped a little bit, as is normal for that time of year.

Cymbidium nursery Celine Colours only started using clock auction presale via FloraMondo a few weeks ago. The owner is Paul van Schie, and we’re talking to his daughter Celine (whom the company is named after). “We’re very happy with clock auction presale, that’s some invention! The online platform is user-friendly and not at all time-consuming. Auction presale enables us to incorporate small orders into our standard logistics operations. Previously those orders complicated the logistics. Our clients can now be sure that if they want a product, it will get there on time and at a price that is agreed upon in advance. This is an advantage, for they don’t have to wait for the prices to be set at the clock auction.”

Supplying the market Auction presale is an extra tool for the company to supply the market. “Some export companies use their own online store to show whatever is available at the clock auction presale directly to their customers. These customers can, at the drop of a hat, see for themselves what’s on offer, with pictures and all. Since there are more and more orders, but for smaller quantities, auction presale is a very welcome tool.”

Celine Colours: “It’s a great invention”

Don’t do anything Celine thinks it’s a great plus that the company doesn’t have to worry about the logistics anymore. “You don’t have to do anything, for Royal FloraHolland takes care of it all. In the afternoon, we put online all we want to sell at the clock auction. And part of that stock goes directly to the auction presale.” During the summer there is less cymbidium to go around, so Celine Colours purposely sells more via auction presale because the company can get better prices that way. ← Would you like to find out more about FloraMondo?

Go to www.royalfloraholland.com/floramondo.

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News

Flowers and plants thrill hotel guests

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This summer, a little experiment was conducted in hotel Sofitel Legend The Grand in Amsterdam: some of the rooms were adorned with flowers and plants.

The hotel guests reacted very pleased indeed. “They create a romantic atmosphere.” Or: “They add a touch of Amsterdam to your hotel room.”

The IF centre of Royal FloraHolland came up with the idea for the experiment. This new centre was set up to put innovation in the floriculture sector into practice.

“Innovation is essential, so we facilitate this for and together with our members. We make sure the right people get together”, states programme manager Nicole Hendrickx of the IF centre.

Ice Hotel Where did they idea come from to use hotel rooms? “Well, we heard about the Ice Hotel at the

North Cape, which is entirely made of ice. The hotel links the extraordinary ice experience to itself. So we thought: why not link an extraordinary experience with flowers and plants to a hotel?

We see this as a potential winner, a concept that might appeal to a large group of people. We’re now looking into whether it’s true that people welcome this. Do they find it heart-warming? And, also, will it stimulate them to buy more flowers and plants?”

Kong. “It’s great we were able to participate in this experiment.

Flowers and plants definitively improve the atmosphere. The rooms feel more natural, and people immediately feel more at ease.” By for instance putting lavender, eucalyptus and mint in the hotel bathrooms, guests will perceive an invigorating smell. That has a positive effect, according to the stylist. “It really is an added value for hotel guests.” ←

Linking emotion to flowers and plants The hotel rooms were brightened up with Vanda’s (a type of orchid), and red roses in both the bedroom and the bathroom.

Guests were asked to fill out a questionnaire to express their views on the flowers and plants.

All of them thought they were a welcome addition to the hotel room. “Romantic, a touch of Amsterdam, they really bring something extra, very cosy”, those are some of the reactions.

Nicolien: “This proves it really works when you link emotion and an experience to flowers and plants.”

New target groups The experiment in the hotel rooms will be continued later this year. A question that still should be answered is whether the guests with florally adorned hotel rooms actually spend more money. “We’ll also check out how the experiment does in other hotels. So we might get hold of even more target groups.”

Good atmosphere Floral stylist Rian van Dijk of The Floral Designers creates the decorations for The Grand in Amsterdam, but also for luxury hotels in Shanghai and Hong

“ Flowers and plants definitively improve the atmosphere”

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Ambition

Cees van der Meij:

“ To build something up takes time, patience and passion” Cees van der Meij is the owner and general manager of Royal Lemkes.

This is a true family business that has been breathing floriculture for over a hundred years.

In that century, it has transformed from a traditional nursery to a trading company to a modern service provider.

“Value that you add to products and people is a long-term investment.” →

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AMBITIE

• Cees van der Meij Cees is 54 years old.

He was born in Valkenburg and now lives in Rijnsburg, where he feels at home.

• His motto: “This era calls for a different kind of leadership. Change is the only constant factor.

AMBITIE

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• The Lemkes family founded Royal Lemkes in 1882. The company has a history of cooperation and maintaining good relations with suppliers and buyers.

• Royal Lemkes is committed to sustainability and supporting social projects, in the Netherlands as well as in other countries.

• www.royallemkes.nl

“ It’s important to have a goal in life” Cees has his roots in the Dutch town of Valkenburg, where his father and his uncle ran a nursery. “My father was a grower in every fibre of his being and was always looking to innovate the growing process.” As son of a grower, Cees is an enterprising kind of guy. He started out in purchase and sales and subsequently ran a trading company for twenty years, together with a partner. In 1999 he managed his first major takeover when he bought the old trading company Edelman Green off Hagemeijer. His other companies moved to Bleiswijk and the whole lot settled in a new building in the Greenparc there.

Takeover Lemkes Around 2006 negotiations started between Cees 14

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and Hans Lemkes, who had no family member to follow in his footsteps. Since their views on the sector as a whole as well as both corporate cultures matched perfectly, the deal went through. Royal Lemkes was established at January 1, 2007.

Long term What makes Cees tick as an entrepreneur? “It’s vital to have a purpose, a goal, a meaning in your life.

That should never be a short-term goal, although that seems to occur often these days. You can’t make a good product or provide a good service when you only think short-term thoughts or only seek personal gain. It takes time, money, patience and passion to build something up. And that goes

Ellen den Bieman, designer Concept & Creation, is one of the designers that work in the Creation Lab, where people use their creativity to come up with lovely applications and presentations of the flowers and plants of Royal Lemkes.

especially for a family business, for every decision you make affects the next generation as well. You need a sensible business management, of course, but it’s in the long term that you really reap the rewards. Value that you add to products, people and the world, is a long-term investment.”

Unique talent Providing excellent products and services, that’s what Royal Lemkes is all about. “We want to excel the expectations our buyers have. When it comes to our staff, that means investing heavily in personal development and training. Sometimes people might even start some course that, when successfully completed, would lead them to outgrow Royal Lemkes.

And I still encourage these people to take that course. It’s the art of finding out someone’s unique talent, whether it’s a cleaner or a manager, for everyone has an individual and unique talent.”

2020 strategy of Royal FloraHolland Royal Lemkes takes part in the Royal FloraHolland platform for clients, and Cees has his own views on the 2020 strategy. “I have tremendous respect for the board of directors, that has had to cope with a lot of overdue maintenance. Still, I have a strong desire to find out what the cooperative will decide to do with the future provision of services and the financial business model – income and costs. You can’t make real changes until you figure those things out.” ← Ambition

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Big data

The Netherlands is market leader in exporting chrysanthemums → The Netherlands produces the most chrysanthemums in Europe and is the market leader in their export. In 2015, the export of chrysanthemums was worth about €250 million. Colombia takes second place with €162 million of export value in 2015. Chrysanthemums leave the Netherlands primarily for the UK, Germany, Russia and Poland. If you would like to learn more about the export of chrysanthemums, read the interview that GROW held with market specialist Sheila Mahmood from Royal FloraHolland.

Look at www.royalfloraholland.com

Top 10 export countries 2014 & 2015

Anastasia White

North America 2,640 ha

Canada

United States

value x 10 m euro 2015 2014

The Netherlands Colombia

Italy

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South Africa

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Chrysanthemum cultivation continues to grow in Colombia because it is an alternative to cut flowers like gerbera (then disbudded varieties are chosen) or asters (santini are chosen).

Colombia also favours them because of its use of shipping, which is cheaper than air transport.

Malaysia

Vietnam

China

Ecuador

Spain

Denmark

Column BIG DATA

Colombia

export €162 m: → US 80% → UK 9% → Canada 6%

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South America 1,155 ha

The 4 most commonly cultivated chrysanthemums from 2013 to present

Bacardi White

Baltica White

The Netherlands

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export €250 m: → UK 39% → Russia 15% → Germany 14%

Europe 991 ha United Kingdom

Zembla White

The Netherlands is the largest trade partner in the world and thus the largest export country for chrysanthemums.

The highest production efficiency is found in the Netherlands.

The declining production in several countries has led to a decrease in export.

Russia Germany Japan

China

China

export €13 m: → Japan 88%

Vietnam

export €14 m: → Japan 91%

Vietnam

Malaysia

export €58 m: → Japan 89%

Malaysia

Africa 264 ha

World total 36,984 ha

Asia 31,900 ha

There is a large amount of acreage in Asia, but part of that in China is not productive

Australia 40 ha Column

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Insights

Servaas van der Ven: “Collaboration is turning more and more into co-creation” Servaas van der Ven, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), has been with Royal FloraHolland for the past 25 years. He has seen the cooperative, and the world, change considerably during that period. He shares his views on how cooperation in floriculture has developed over the years. “Collaborations have become much more market-oriented.

How to conquer the market together.”

Servaas: “25 years ago, growers only had horizontal collaborations.

That means growers exchanged information about the growing process, plant diseases, quality issues. From these collaborations grew the growers associations.

They were based on equality.

In my experience, the growers association is much too complex to have real firepower. Everyone is equal, which is undesirable from a commercial point of view.”

Result-based cooperation At some point the growers associations changed: a dominant party would take control and determine the course. Equality lost out. Servaas compares it to a pack of wolves, which has a similar 18

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hierarchy. Growers associations started engaging in vertical collaborations, with buyers and retailers. This process is still going on in floriculture. “The structure has changed. It’s no longer selfevident to want to collaborate. It’s more businesslike. Cooperation is now based on expected returns.

Not the interests of the collective prevail, but those of the individual.

If there’s no gain in it, people simply leave; that might give rise to opportunism. Cooperation is result-based, short-term. People merely plan a few years ahead.

Collaborations no longer hold firm for years on end, they’re just project-based. And those that collaborate often have exactly the same goals to achieve.”

“Indeed, without cooperation you won’t get anywhere. And that doesn’t apply to horticulture alone. Primarily, people often focus on their own interests and try to do everything themselves. But doing everything yourself is adding up, working together is multiplying.”

Leo Lamboo Project manager Holland Indoor Plants

More and more co-creation How does Servaas see the future of floriculture, taking into account the 2020 strategy of Royal FloraHolland? “Collaborations will be even more short-term. Formed especially to accommodate one certain buyer, for instance, or one specific segment of the market.

Also, there will be more external parties that have little to do with floriculture, like logistical of financial companies, that seek collaboration with Royal FloraHolland and its clients and

“Integration throughout the floriculture sector, up and down, is essential. As producers, we increasingly have reach out to consumers together, as a whole. We work together with bulb growers and retailers to try and find out what the consumer’s needs are. These last three years we’ve really got closer to the consumer. One plus one equals three.

We really need each other.”

Herman de Jong, grower Member of the advisory council for flowers

“ Teamwork is very important.

We care for our people; our people care for our flowers. Alone you are weak, together you are strong.”

Richard Fernandes, also know as ‘Kiki’, Kariki Farm, Kenya (140 ha, 1,450 employees)

members. It will all be about co-creation.” Servaas provides an example: orchid company Anco works together with a shoe manufacturer in order to improve the orchid sales. “Traditional partners within the sector are still important, but others enter the playing field as well.” ←

“ No one thinks ‘cooperation’ is a strange word nowadays. We have two partners, breeding companies, that we work closely together with so we can keep our priorities straight. It’s impossible as an individual to keep up with every development. In our market-related activities we try to collaborate even more with other collectives in the same segment, in order to remain a big enough player to be reckoned with.”

Piet Kuivenhoven Growers association Addenda

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Globetrotter

The Chinese love the Dafeng Holland Flower Park

North of Shanghai there’s a little piece of Holland. It’s the Dafeng Holland Flower Park, which has windmills, replicas of old Dutch houses and a Dutch church, a pancake restaurant and 30 hectares of bulb fields. The park attracts some two million visitors a year.

“Holland is known in China as ‘The Kingdom of Flowers’. Funnily enough, it was a hydraulic engineer from Holland, Hendrik de Rijke, that one hundred years ago designed the typically Dutch polderland in the region of Dafeng, as part of a plan to desalinize the soil.” This tells us Ibo Gülsen, manager of IGMPR, Flowers, Park & More as he speaks about the success of the park. His company provides the Chinese government with advice concerning Dutch flowers.

The flower park is a sought-after wedding location. Lots of Chinese couples have had their photographs taken amidst the flowers from Holland, and it’s a favourite spot to take selfies. There’s no Dutch folk music coming from the audio speakers though, the musical entertainment is Chinese only. The programme World Flower Exchange went to Dafeng recently and is exploring the options for some kind of collaboration with the park.

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Globetrotter

This returning section features objects from all over the world, providing they have a direct link to international horticulture and Royal FloraHolland.

Toulouse wants a greener city The council of the French city of Toulouse wants to have a greener city. Therefore, it started a campaign that stimulates citizens to grow flowers and plants against their outer walls. People had until July the 15th to register, and if the registration is approved, the council will come by and prepare a planting spot in the pavement, against a wall.

This can be the wall of an apartment building, house, or shop.

The council also provides gardening advice. A special brochure has suggestions about what flowers to use, such as jasmine, passion flower, and yellow everlasting flower.

The council does have some rules for those that use public property to create a greener street and a greater sense of well-being. You can’t use just any plant, for poisonous ones are off limits, and people have to look after their plants and the surrounding pavement for at least a year.

Perennials in bloom in the heart of Chicago This year, the international floriculture convention of Fleuroselect took place in Chicago. One of the delegates, Peter van den Bosch, was there and took pictures.

“Once every ten years this convention is held in the United States. I noticed straightaway how green the city parks are. The first day of the convention had an educational twist, for we visited a project that was devoted to the circular economy. After this, we went to a park that had an enormous allotment in it. It’s in the centre of the city. We also stopped by the Millennium Park (photo). In the picture, the skyline of the city forms the background, and in the front is the festival ground. In the middle of July, there are lots of perennials in bloom, right in the heart of the city.”

Italy, a popular land to get married in More and more people choose to get married in Italy. The trend seems unstoppable. The wedding season runs from May until October, tells us Charles Lansberg, who’s been living in Italy for the last sixteen years and does the marketing for floricultural products, among other things.

“Thousands of tourists want to get married here, and that means good sales for the cut flowers we import from Holland. Popular flowers for wedding bouquets are roses, tulips, hydrangeas and many kinds of summer flowers.

Couples seeking to get wed usually opt for cities like Rome or Florence, or the Amalfi coast, south of Naples, with its gorgeous and inspiring coastline.”

The city of Florence recently sponsored an international wedding conference. Over two hundred wedding planners from all over the world travelled to the Tuscan region to visit a number of wedding venues.

Charles also mentions how an Indian steel magnate got married in Italy not long ago. For this event, two hundred thousand flowers were brought in from Holland, and some two hundred wedding planners were hired.

“Italy gains popularity as a wedding location. That’s good news for the floriculture sector.” globetrotter

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Points of view

“ Cooperation is in our genes” KP Holland has been working closely together with partners from different parts of the floriculture sector for decades now. At this point in time, in 2016, the plant nursery collaborates with several breeders and growers in order to get the best results possible.

Promoting and marketing are other areas in which KP Holland works closely together with others.

“From a global point of view we are but small fry, so we desperately need each other in the sector”, states general manager Aad van der Knaap.

Cooperation is in the genes of the Van der Knaap family, Aad says. The driven entrepreneur himself focuses on marketing, but also on breeding. “Two heads are better than one and joining forces is always smart. By doing that, you gain knowledge.

It’s always beneficial to collaborate. It gives you new energy, and you can share that energy with one another. And if you can turn that energy into innovative ideas, you’re really getting somewhere.”

World-class players So what is it that KP Holland does when it comes to cooperation? “In our family business, we’ve always sought collaboration with others. Taking care together of stuff like sales, quality care and breeding is more efficient. In the floriculture sector we’re still small fry compared to the world-class players.

You’re dealing with companies that are way bigger.

Elephants seek out elephants. You want to get a level playing field. And we’re not there yet in our sector, not by a long shot.”

Cooperation, curcuma and health KP Holland has another collaboration going, in the growing and promoting of the three product groups kalanchoe, spathyphillum and curcuma. KP Holland was the first in the Netherlands to grow curcuma.

“In 2011 we found out this plant has medicinal value as well as a great story behind it.” When it comes to curcuma, KP Holland again seeks cooperation with other growers, but also with other parties, in this case the ACM, a university hospital in Amsterdam.

“We came into contact with Michal Heger, who 22

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studies the effects of curcuma. Curcuma slows down uncontrollable cell division and the development of blood vessels in tumours, and fights metastasis.”

Part of the revenue of curcuma sales is donated yearly to a national foundation that fights cancer.

“The great thing is that curcuma is healthy and useful in the kitchen as well. Growing, health and enjoyment.” ←

KP Holland, the company Aad is part of the KP Holland management team, together with his brother Hans, Leo de Vries and Peter Somwel. A recent and youthful addition to the team is Roy, the son of Hans.

KP Holland is by now 65 years old and presents itself both as a grower and a breeder. “That’s our strong point: we do both. This is also reflected in our new corporate identity: breeder and grower.”

“ To make curcuma a success, KP Holland has teamed up with the Amsterdam university hospital” Aad van der Knaap General manager KP Holland

Green Agenda: bringing knowledge and needs together You can’t think about cooperation and not think of the Green Agenda. It’s a programme in which organizations with expert knowledge get together with entrepreneurs to develop and test innovative green concepts. These are concepts that focus on green products in built-up areas and have the intention to improve the health and well-being of the general population. All projects must be practicable and achievable.

“We bring partners together that have mutual interests” Albert Haasnoot Royal FloraHolland Green Agenda

The aim of the Green Agenda is to help floricultural business find new opportunities for selling their products. Royal FloraHolland offers both guidance and support, aided by the iVerde foundation. The Green Agenda has four central themes: living, working, learning and convalescing.

Mutual interests Albert Haasnoot of Royal FloraHolland is the man who establishes the links between suitable partners; he’s the connection hub. “We collaborate with growers associations such as Decorum and Air so Pure, trading company Waterdrinker, technical company Priva and professional gardeners.”

How come the Green Agenda is such a specialist in cooperation? “We bring partners together that have mutual interests. One can be creative and innovative, while the other has a lot of expertise. When they team up, their strong points strengthen and complement each other.”

Green as a solution These future decades, the Netherlands (and other countries) will have to deal with more extreme weather conditions, an aging population and ongoing urbanisation. The environment in which we work and live will deteriorate and that will affect people’s health and well-being more and more. Many researchers have proven that flowers and plants have a positive effect on health and well-being, so they can be put to use to solve these problems. The Green Agenda collects relevant data and knowledge and turns that into expertise and business models.

The programme will run for five years.

New business models Via the 2020 strategy Royal FloraHolland wants to gain deep insights into the end consumers and the market, the aim of which is to develop concepts, innovations and new ways of cooperating. The Green Agenda does its part by trying to find new business models for the floriculture sector. Focussing on our sector will lead to collaboration between floricultural businesses. What business models are currently being developed? “Well, we have a project that features green walls; they provide clean air indoors.

Also, there’s the Innovation-Quarter, a place where we bring technology and marketing together. That’s where we work together with Decorum at a project concerning health and green plants. And we just started something in collaboration with a number of growers of green houseplants: a project to ‘green up’ student areas at an Amsterdam university.”

All projects within the Green Agenda have their own schedule and dynamics, Albert states. One project will take more time than another project and may also need a different approach. ← Points of view

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“ In China, it’s all about connections” The Word Flower Exchange programme (WFE) has been exploring the Chinese market and now aims to put into practice what has been learned. To do this, cooperation is essential. Especially in China it is vital to win the trust of your partners, states Guido de Wit, the WFE programme director. “The growth potential is enormous. But you can’t enter the Chinese market if you fail to win over your Chinese partners. In China, it’s all about connections.”

“We’re used to doing everything the Western European way, the rational way, if you will. That won’t do in China, you’ll have to learn to deal with a whole other kind of society. Sure, in all countries it’s important to establish connections, but this is especially true for China. It can take years and years, but on the other hand, you can reap the benefits for many years as well. It’s even good for your e-commerce activities, where trust is

“In all countries it’s important to build connections, but this is especially true for China” Guido de Wit Programme director WFE

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INSIGHTS

everything. Consumers will only order something if they see recommendations of people they know. The Chinese use their mobile phones for over four hours per day and never stop sharing their experiences, together with lots of pictures, with their friends and acquaintances.

Social media On the 9th of August, Chinese Valentine, the first bouquets were sold via the e-commerce platform T-Mall, says Guido. Almost half of all buyers left a review or wrote something about it on social media.

“That’s a huge percentage, certainly if you compare it to the Netherlands, where you’ll never ever get that kind of response. On social media, they’ll show for instance how the flowers are packaged. We take great care to keep the flowers cool and customers really appreciate that. It starts with the long journey to China and the joint efforts of our export companies and Chinese customs. By now we have such an excellent understanding that we’re allowed to use the cold storage facilities at the airport. After that, our Chinese partners take over. Cooperation is a matter of paying attention to the logistics and – very important – seeing to it that the packaging is good, splendid even. A Chinese wants to be sure that he will make a favourable impression on the recipient of the flowers. Having success in China means taking this into account.”

Subtle way of communicating Cooperation is essential if you want to ‘get’ the Chinese way. It’s also vital to have a presence in China, as WFE team. Martijn van Os of the WFE moved to Shanghai this summer and will spend a year building business connections. “We come from a country where people start off with the business side of things, after which you may engage in social activities. In China, you first have to get to know each other. Once you’ve established a personal relationship, you can do business. And every time you have to repeat the process. Every time you have to win someone’s favour anew. By making small talk, about family, hobbies, the differences between east and west. And about business, of course. It’s a pretty subtle way of communicating. You have to read between the lines.

In the Netherlands, we tell it bluntly like it is. What the Chinese are good at is letting you feel what the shortcomings are. That subtlety is very difficult to get, and we work hard at it in order to do business successfully.” ←

“ Together, we really can create added value” Rob Bomhof Managing director Univeg Flower Trade

More knowledge through cooperation The Dutch floricultural trading company Univeg Flower Trade works closely together with the Retail Services of Royal FloraHolland. The cooperation consists for a large part of an exchange of knowledge and data, with the aim to give consumers what they want. Rob Bomhof, managing director of Univeg Flower Trade, explains why the cooperation with Royal FloraHolland is so successful. “Knowledge is what binds us.”

Univeg Flower Trade came forth from Bocchi, a trading company that was established in 1984 and dealt in flowers and plants. A few years later, there was Univeg Trade Benelux and with it came the fruit and vegetable trade. In 2015, Univeg became part of the Belgian wholesaler Greenyard and turned into a listed company. The trading company, that can be proud of its certified traceability and durability, is a strategic partner to retailers and supplies goods on demand. The fruit and vegetable business sources its produce from all over the world (northern and

southern hemisphere) so it can supply its clients throughout the year. It has 8,700 employees and is, by now, market leader. Univeg has always mainly focussed on the German market.

Win-win situation Ever since Royal FloraHolland officially launched the 2020 strategy, eighteen months ago now, Univeg has worked closely together with Royal FloraHolland.

Our cooperative has lots of consumer information and consumer data, but knows a thing or two about retail concepts and the market as well. To gain all this knowledge, Royal FloraHolland each year interviews many German consumers. This information can be linked to the profile of the average Univeg Flower Trade client. The trading company subsequently can use this insight to gain a stronger foothold in the German market and provide these consumers more adequately with what they need. Rob: “We can’t know everything there is to know, so it’s vital to team up.

This way, we have a win-win situation. Together, we really can create added value. Royal FloraHolland has that specific information we need.”

Knowing the consumer Another plus of the collaboration is that Univeg is learning what makes the end consumer tick. Rob: “This way, we can give the consumer what he wants.

Also, it enables us to improve the structure of our assortment. This leads to more people buying more flowers and plants.” The latter point is completely compatible with the 2020 strategy, states Fred van der Hoeven, business initiator of Royal FloraHolland.

“Our challenge is to use the information we have in an efficient way, by which we add value for our clients and the end consumers. By working together, we mutually reinforce our strong points.”

Learning Is there anything the floricultural sector can learn from the world of fruits and vegetables? Rob, who has 35 years of experience in horticulture, in several capacities: “We’re really ahead of floriculture when it comes to sustainability and transparency. This is partly due to the fact that NGOs have gained influence and succeed ever more in having the ear of the public. Besides, as wholesalers we have to take heed of the demands of the retailers, and those get more stringent all the time. The world is asking for more transparency. To fulfil this wish, we want to collaborate with Royal FloraHolland.” ← Points of view

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Cross-fertilization

Flowers and plants on the catwalk This summer, it was Fashion Week in Amsterdam. For the first time, flowers and plants decorated both the catwalk and the models themselves, thus creating a sense of unity. Floral stylist Sarah Dikker: “The atmosphere was open and friendly due to the flowers and plants.”

Open and friendly Directly after the Fashion Week, floral stylist Sarah Dikker was brimming with enthusiasm. “What a great event that was! Fantastic to get the chance to show my passion for my work like that. Many florists have had difficult times. This event was a huge boost. It was a heart-warming experience.”

Sarah is also very positive about the collaboration with Liselore Frowijn. “We work extremely well together. We’re both creative, so there’s a lot of common ground. When we examined the collection together we both came up, at the same time, with the theme ‘jungle’. That’s so cool!” And what do the visitors and the fashion people say to Sarah when they speak to her? “They say: you can make the corniest things look modern, so I want to buy them. That’s a compliment right there. I find flowers and plants really have had a unifying quality at this fashion event. They made the atmosphere open and friendly, which resulted in a feeling of togetherness.”

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kruisbestuiving

“Product comes alive” Gerbera grower Joyce Lansbergen was one of the growers that participated on behalf of the growers association Coloured by Gerbera. She is full of praise for this initiative that lets flowers and plants be an inspiration to consumers. “Great to see how the product comes alive. Especially in combination with other flowers and plants. This really is a joint effort of the floriculture sector, we do this together.” Joyce is also very content with floral stylist Sarah. “She has such awesome ideas. We have loads of confidence in her.” Does Joyce think the event reaches the intended audience, the millennials? “Certainly.

There are many more events where we can reach the millennials, but this one sure is a keeper as well.”

Magical dream Designer Liselore Frowijn came up with all the fashion creations for the show. Two days after the event she says: “It was like flying in a magical dream.

I’m still on cloud nine.” Liselore thought it was a huge success. “The hall decoration was awesome.”

Liselore took inspiration from colourful ceremonial West-African garments. To create the collection, she worked together with Vlisco, a textile company that designs wax fabrics. The models in the fashion show wore Liselores clothes while adorned by flowers and plants. “Really powerful and inspiring, the combination of fashion with plants and flowers.”

The collaboration with Sarah and Royal FloraHolland was excellent, according to Liselore. “In just three months we set this up together. And it turned out very nicely indeed.”

Cross-fertilization

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Trends

Every trend reflects a change in needs. But how to translate these changes in society into changes in our living rooms or our gardens? The Flower Council of Holland worked together with partners from the Dutch floriculture sector to come up with the trends for 2017.

An overview.

Dis-close: the search for truth People start looking for safety, certainty and truth due to changes in technology and the climate, and political conflicts. And they tend to find this truth ever more in nature and in themselves. The trend Harmonise reflects this by combining coarse natural materials, which has a contrasting effect. When you surround yourself with flowers and plants in various shades of green, and combine those with friendly, calm colours, you create unity. That way, flowers and plants fulfil a symbolic role. They give us harmony.

Want to know more about the trends for 2017?

Visit www.flowercouncil.co.uk/horticulture-sector-trends-2017

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Trends

Serious-less: the art of putting things in perspective In the trend Rebel, we present flowers and plants in a modern and totally different way. This trends features funny, silly products, unexpected use of colours and strange combinations of patterns and shapes.

Off-base: the search for balance In reaction to a society that seems to get harder and colder, there’s a growing need for softness and femininity.

The trend Equalise is a mixture of masculine and feminine styles. This trend combines living and dead materials; coarsely, roughly shaped flowers and plants together with dainty decorative shapes.

In and round the house all flowers and plants are literally put on pedestals. This gives them a status equal to all other objects.

Gain-change: the new rules of the game After the economic crisis it’s time for progress. People feel it’s status-enhancing to be fit, energetic and innovative. The trend Energise is connected with the green houseplants that give us energy and life force.

The trend combines strong, energetic colours with 3D designs and references to sport.

trends

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Service

On these service columns we share relevant publications from the floriculture sector with you. Also, there’s a horticultural calendar with upcoming important events.

Do you have questions? Or do you want to contribute something inspiring from the ornamental horticulture sector?

Email the editorial staff: GROW@royalfloraholland.com

See the future at the Trade Fair Aalsmeer The central theme of the Trade Fair Aalsmeer this year is ‘The Future is Now’. At the fair, the international floriculture community gathers for networking and gaining knowledge and inspiration. For three days, the trade fair is all about ‘The Future is Now’. The world around us is changing fast. How do we keep up? Or rather: how do we stay ahead of the game? How do we turn our knowledge into opportunities and how do we team up with the right partners? What is there to learn when we look at business models in other sectors? Answering these questions, while taking our 2020 strategy into account, can help us all to strengthen the ornamental horticulture sector.

Market trends and consumer trends The Royal FloraHolland House introduces you to the most prominent market and consumer trends for 2017. You can discuss them with experts from inside and outside floriculture, or attend a workshop. Also, you can come watch the Hana Ike Battle, the Japanese-style flower arranging competition. It’s all about speed, passion and creativity. Don’t miss the Trade Fair Aalsmeer on November 2, 3 and 4. Pre-register now at www. royalfloraholland.com/tradefair. On this website you’ll find all essential information about the trade fair as well as the schedule of the events in the Royal FloraHolland House.

← Read the blog by rose grower Daniël van den Nouweland Daniël van den Nouweland is a driven entrepreneur.

Together with other family members he runs Marjoland, one of the largest growers of roses in the Netherlands.

“I think it’s important to understand the workings of the plant. I fully understand just 10 per cent of the workings of a rose. That’s very little. It’s a great challenge to learn more about the process of growing. Marjoland strives to improve itself every day.” Daniël became the commercial director of Marjoland in 2006. Now, in 2016, Marjoland takes up 20 hectares of space in the Dutch town of Waddinxveen, in addition to 0.8 hectare with buildings for sorting and packaging.

To read more about Daniël and what drives him, visit www.royalfloraholland.com.

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Publishing details

Calendar

Agriflor 2016, Quito, Ecuador International trade fair for wholesalers, retailers and growers.

Wednesday 5 - Friday 7 October

GROW publishing details GROW is the magazine for members and buyers of Royal FloraHolland.

It is published six times a year and is also available to read on www.royalfloraholland.com.

Regional meetings Royal FloraHolland.

All meetings start at 16.00.

Editorial office GROW, Postbus 220 2670 AE Naaldwijk

Monday 7 Nov Huissen Aalsmeer/Flevoland - RFH Aalsmeer Monday 7 Nov Tuesday 8 Nov RFH Naaldwijk Tuesday 8 Nov ZH eilanden/Zeeland - Spijkenisse Zoetermeer Thursday 10 Nov Monday 14 Nov RFH Eelde Monday 14 Nov Heerhugowaard Tuesday 15 Nov Gameren Tuesday 15 Nov RFH Rijnsburg Tue 15 - Thu 17 Nov Israel - Tel Aviv Thursday 17 Nov Germany - Straelen

E-mail GROW@royalfloraholland.com

Meetings for Cooperative 2020 (see the interview at pages 6 and 7): Haren - 15.30 Zuidschermer - 15.30 Broek op Langedijk - 12.00 Delft - 15.30 Lisse - 15.30 Woubrugge - 15.30

Monday 3 Oct Thursday 6 Oct Friday 7 Oct Monday 17 Oct Monday 17 Oct Tuesday 18 Oct

Trade Fair Royal FloraHolland Aalsmeer Central theme: The Future is Now. See page 30 for more information

Wednesday 2 Friday 4 Nov

For more information on all events: check out www.royalfloraholland.com

More information about our new magazine can be found at www.royalfloraholland.com/grow.

This fourth edition of GROW has been made by: Katja Bouwmeester (editor-in-chief), Rianne Nieuwenhuize (senior editor), Nancy Bierman (editor), printing office Van Deventer bv, Marcel Bosma (graphic design), Nils van Houts (photographer), Erik van der Burgt (photographer), Elske Koopman (freelance writer), Thomas Gerkrath (proofreading and translation).

Photography p 18-19 Globetrotter Toulouse: the city of Toulouse p 18-19 Globetrotter Italian wedding: DomoAdami/Avalanche+ p 18-19 Globetrotter Chicago: Peter van den Bosch No advertising Since January 1, 2016 it is no longer possible to advertise in this publication.

Questions?

For information about or alterations to the receiving of this publication, please send an email to ledenadministratie@ royalfloraholland.com Printing process The printing process of this publication is met by strict demands concerning environment and health. The magazine is printed on FSC certified paper. The foil used for packaging GROW consists of polyethylene and polypropylene.

Calendar & Publishing details

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Together we are strong

Together with our clients and members, we make the world a more beautiful and healthier place.

Royal FloraHolland was founded in 1911 with the intention to improve cooperation in the floriculture sector. That’s what we still do today. By joining forces, we create the energy, the ideas and the knowledge to let floriculture flourish. Together we are strong!