Hillenraad100 and Vakblad voor de Bloemisterij created a top 10 of Dutch cutting flower companies. The profile of these 10 companies can be found below. The numbers 1, 2 and 3 are Van den Berg RoseS, Porta Nova and Arcadia Chrysanten. ’International entrepreneurship has done well for us, but it hasn’t lead us to fortune either’, says Arie van den Berg of Van den Berg RoseS.
1. Van den Berg RoseS
Crop: roses
Surface: 11 hectares in the Netherlands, 70 hectares in Kenya and 27 hectares in China
Turnover: € 45 million
’You can go international with a strong team or a reliable partner‘
Van den Berg RoseS has been active in Kenya since 2004. Without this experience, the rose company would never have entered the Chinese market. It also leads to optimisation of the management in the Netherlands. ‘All three pillars are profitable. International entrepreneurship has done well for us, but it hasn’t lead us to fortune either. A heavier and more professional organisation that operates in three continents makes it financially and strategically easier to make choices’, says Arie van den Berg.
Pride
‘International entrepreneurship can only lead to success when you have a strong team or reliable partners. And everything has to go well at home. An adventure abroad is never the saviour of the entire organisation’, states Van den Berg.
He still considers the Netherlands as the base of knowledge and expertise, but believes China is a gem with great powers. ‘We are realising a turnover of €10 million there, but this has to be doubled to become a strong and significant player there. When we’re able to achieve that, we will reap the fruits of our company decisions and realise a good back-up.’
He is quite proud of what the company has been able to achieve already from a crop that they believed was as good as dead in the Netherlands and in a period with quite some economical head wind. ‘It’s nice to see that the family business that my father Thijs and uncle Martin started 40 years ago is still as sure as eggs. My father is 73 years old and is still very active, and still gives us fresh ideas.’
2. Porta Nova
Crop: roses
Surface: 10.7 hectares
Turnover: € 21.0 million
’Chain partners are just as important to our success’
Porta Nova’s company philosophy purely focuses on quality. This focus can be found back in all aspects of the company management and leads to a continuous process of product and company improvement. This is also the reason only one crop type is chosen: Red Naomi. ‘Perfection is better attainable then. Because of perfection, the buyer always gets good flowers, so the buyer and the consumer are not disappointed’, as says Stefan van Vuuren.
Not a risky company strategy? Van Vuuren is convinced that a lot of factors cause the company success, and not just the chosen crop type. The good cooperation with chain partners, for example. ‘When we deliver something they cannot complain about and can sell more of, we also reap the fruits of that.’
3. Arcadia Chrysanten
Crop: chrysantemum
Surface: 21 hectares
Turnover: € 17 million
‘When you can’t share, you can also not multiply’
Arcadia is led by five entrepreneurs with cooperation in their blood. That’s not just proven by their cooperation, but also by their decision to enter Decorum. And they highly value their relations with multipliers and trade partners. ‘You then have a little extra time for the company aspects that take you time, such as attention for your staff, the (crop) technical focus and especially the marketing of products,’ indicates Bert van Ruijven.
The staff is not lead by a separate P&O manager. We still have a very transparent organisation at our five locations, where the managament and staff members are still at the same coffee table. A recent HPO investigation showed this is something our staff values. ‘Companies render better when the management is approachable. This link is proven in multiple company branches.’ Rendering is not the top priority of Arcadia though. ‘When we have to miss out some money to be able to produce more sustainable, we will.’
4. Holstein Flowers
Crop: gerberas
Surface: 11 hectares
Turnover: –
‘Trying to keep logistic pace with direct sales’
Holstein Flowers has grown from a purely crop cultivating company to a specialised company that largely derives its continuity from its own innovative strains that the market demands. The direct sales to florists still increases every year; last year from 5% to 65%. The company does not have a target rate and reviews the possible growth every year. ‘The eventual limit is determined by means of the logistic possibilities, both on the floor and regarding distribution’, says Leo Holstein. The company still notices this limit is quite flexible because of automated order picking, more efficient logistics and a wide and unique assortment. So customers can revert to Holstein for all strains and don’t have to go elsewhere.
5. Wesselman Flowers
Crop: tulips
Surface: 4.7 hectares
Turnover: € 21.0 million
’Together you’re stronger’
Wesselman Flowers grows large-scale, high-quality tulips for the retail groups in Europe and offers its customers extra services in the form of custom-made packaging possibilities.
In 2013, Wesselman Flowers started a cooperation with professional tulip growers to produce, pack and deliver a great volume of tulips together. The franchise organisation was baptised Tulpen.nl The cooperation is based on the quality and reliability of the bulb. The partners preserve their independence, but do commit to agreements on the area of cooperation, production, certification and quality. This way, the demand of the customers of Tulpen.nl can be fulfilled better.
6. Kreling Chrysant
Crop: chrysanthemums
Surface: 23 hectares
Turnover: about 100 million stems
’Remain large and interesting to retailers’
This year, Jan Kreling will expand with a mere 12 hectares in Zuilichem. He already was the largest chrysanthemum grower; and this expansion will not change that fact. Being the largest is something Kreling doesn’t value as important. ‘I admire how small companies can still earn their living in this sector. For the same living, we have to expand because of the market that we operate in. With the largest chains of shops as customers, we just have to expand. The large-scale operational management enables the company to offer large batches of products against sharp prices.’
Expanding was a decision that was not taken lightly. For Kreling, this was a 10-year process. ‘Expansion doesn’t depend on one good or bad year, it is based on plans for the next 20 years.’ The decision of his son Koen to become part of the company is also part of the decision to expand further.
7. Germaco
Crop: tulip
Surface: 2.4 hectares, of which 0.8 hectares double-layered
Turnover: € 9 million
‘Let the cobbler stick to his last’
Tulip bulbs and growing company Germaco leaves the purchase of all bulbs it grows to wholesaler’s L&M from Rijnsburg. ‘To that respect, we as a cobbler stick to our last and that is the cultivation of tulips’, says Gerard de Wit. Together with his brothers Cees and Marc, he forms the management of Germaco. It was a deliberate choice of the brothers to outsource the purchase of their entire production to a specialist via a contract price. De Wit experiences that retailers still appreciate it when there is a link between the producer and the outlet.
After some bad years a while ago, tulip growers have now had some good years. For Germaco and a lot of its colleagues, this was reason to expand with 0.75 hectares. ‘The market can withstand this as long as growers keep delivering good quality and keep barring bad quality from the market.’
8. LG Flowers
Crop: gerberas
Surface: 10.4 hectares
Turnover: 8 million
’Produce what the customer is waiting for’
Gerbera company LG Flowers let go of its tradition to just be occupied with production. Listening to the customer has become its ambition. The bouquets and concepts are and will be tuned to that. ‘Growing gerberas doesn’t stop at the company doors, but is lead until the product is sold. We have a genuine interest in what the consumers want and what makes them happier’, as says Joyce Lansbergen, CEO. Only 10% of the production is sold at the clock.
Anticipating to the customer’s demand is a daily challenge of the company, at which a lot of things go right, but some things go wrong too. The company management is changed to that in order to limit the mistakes. Mainly by means of more staff at the office and in middle management. Staff that is able to lead processes in a better way.
9. LMC Middelburg Chrysanten
Crop: chrysanthemums
Surface: 15 hectares
Turnover: € 13 million
’We really are a Zentoo company’
Almost ten years ago, LMC Middelburg Chrysanten was one of the first three chrysanthemum companies that established the Zentoo partnership. The counter is now on ten companies. Bart Middelburg: ‘I’m a real Zentoo entrepreneur. It’s hard to assess whether it was hard or not to let go the own company identity. I think it is, because we had a good company name. I think my father and uncle believed we would be able to achieve more together. And they were right.’
10. BredeFleur
Crop: lilies
Surface: 11.5 hectares at two locations
Turnover: € 9.5 million
’Preserve the exclusive character throughout the assortment’
BredeFleur has become a big partner in LA cutting lilies, but expanded in all types, so also in Longiflorums and OT types. Furthermore, Peter Evers believes it’s all about exclusivity nowadays, so you have to make good agreements with chain partners. About 70% of Bredefleur’s strains are exclusive, and half of it is grown at their own account and the other half with colleagues. In order to be customers of quicker service, the company purchased software to be able to deliver quicker and immediately, and that’s a direction that Bredefleur shifts to further and further. And now, 60% arrives at the clock.
‘A heavier and more professional organisation that operates in three continents makes it financially and strategically easier to make choices’, as says Arie van den Berg.
