Now that the carnival, which was immediately followed by International Women’s Day, is behind us, the year 2019 has really started in Brazil. January is a typical holiday month here and February is all about the approaching carnival celebrations. Once the carnival is over, there are no more excuses, and everyone goes back to work.
There’s a new feeling of optimism in Brazil. In moderation though, as there’s still a lot to be done to get the economy back on track. We desperately need certain investments, in the infrastructure for example, and there simply isn’t enough money available. Reforms are needed to get the required funds. The social security system in particular, needs to be reformed. Politicians will be making some important decisions about this during the next couple of months.
Veiling Holambra had a good start of the year 2019. We are still growing, and the forecasts for Mother’s Day are positive. Things are running smoothly on all fronts. Earlier investments in innovation are now paying off. We equipped all our logistics means with RFID tags during the past couple of years.
When it was time for our annual stocktaking last month, we found that no more than 6(!) of our 75,000 trolleys had gone missing and we didn’t lose a single trolley shelf or container! What’s more, we could do our stocktaking efficiently on quiet days, instead of during many long hours of overtime!
During the first week of April, we’re attending the AIPH conference in Noordwijk and Aalsmeer. International contacts are one of our top priorities. One of the conference days focuses on the joint platform that’s slowly taking shape now. It will be interesting to hear if the different parties involved have found concrete ways to collaborate. It’s important to look at what we have in common, and to see how we can learn from each other and how we can work together.
During the past couple of weeks, we welcomed representatives of several different Dutch companies. From Agritect, Florpartners, Erfgoed and Greencre8, for example. The floricultural industry is becoming more and more international.
In the meantime, we’re busy preparing for a new event! On the 13th and 14th of April, six nurseries in Holambra, as well as the local horticultural school FaaGrow, will be opening their doors to consumers. The open days are inspired by the ‘Kom in de Kas’ project in the Netherlands. It will be tightly organised, to make sure that places won’t get too crowded.
We’re curious to see if this kind of event will be successful in Brazil too. Our cooperative is responsible for the organisation this first year. The plan is that an independent party will take over for the following years.
André van Kruijssen,
General manager Veiling Holambra, Brazil
