‘We have a large customer base because our range is very diverse. We are real specialists in Campanula and especially the Isophylla is our ‘baby’ because the various varieties of this variety have been bred and propagated by us for years. This Campanula known as ‘Star of Behtlehem’, which you can place both indoors and outdoors, is not grown anywhere else in the Netherlands’. Speaking is Vincent ten Have, who is responsible for the sales of the Campanula and Cyclamen. ‘We know who our customers are and what products they want. That varies from large lots for retail to smaller items for florists. These days the sales are all done through Floriday, the digital system of the auction and trading houses’.
‘Surely sales have changed in recent years,’ Vincent states. ‘Clock trading has become less, because there is a lot of demand at the moment. Even with digital trading, contacts with customers remain important. There is regular consultation about the supply for the coming period. The trade wants to make sure they can buy enough for the coming period. And I myself also call our trading partners to coordinate how the market is and how our products fit into it. For this we also have contacts with Dolf van Heijningen, the sales manager of Royal FloraHolland. And through Decorum we work together on marketing activities. We want to stay in sight of (new) customers with our quality’.
Collaborate
Of course, we too want to bring something new on a regular basis. One way we do that is through the good cooperation with PURE Collection, they offer us nice added value without us having to take in too large stocks. They also sell their collection with our plants, which is a nice bonus. We also have a good cooperation with Chrysal. They make special pads for us for in the pot which keeps the plants moist in the trade channel. These collaborations are valuable to us, Vincent concludes.
