Dutch grower Peter ten Have:
"Good market position for begonia in Europe"
The Westland company J&P Ten Have has branches in De Lier and Maasland. They supply begonias and gloxinias to supermarkets and garden centres throughout Europe all year round. Peter is also the director of Decorum, his own label that was established for selling quality products.
Gloxinia
Peter has the final responsibility for purchasing, marketing and packaging. "Our goal is to market the quality of our product as best as possible. In 2005 I started with gloxinia together with my brother. In the first year the company produced 100,000 plants. Now, ten years later, we have over one million plants.
"In terms of price-setting the product does well. We have enjoyed a stable price for years." J&P Ten Have supplies the Sonata Gloxinia. This is a separate variety. In addition, Ten Have also cultivates begonias almost all year round.
Decorum
Peter is very active in Decorum. Decorum was established to make high-quality horticultural products distinctive in the market. The company of Peter ten Have markets some products under J&P Ten Have and some under Decorum. "The advantage of Decorum is that everything from the affiliated growers is sold at the same level of quality. The buyers are aware of this and consciously choose it. The image of Decorum is a high-quality product."
There are already 70 growers affiliated with Decorum. "And the applications keep arriving. That is a sign that business is good in the horticultural sector. We all want to achieve the same quality." How do you ensure this quality? "We have special camera systems monitoring the plants' maturity and thickness. The camera doesn't lie."
Market position
What is Peter's passion? "I really like transforming trade into quality. It is important that the product arrives correctly at the consumer's home. I like to talk to my buyers to ensure that we market our product to the best of our ability. In Europe we have a good market position for begonia, and we'd like to keep it that way. Our company must not become uniform. Our drive is to deliver quality all year round. And that is much easier said than done in practice."
Source: Royal FloraHolland