Dutch sector to unite?
"Calla growers cannot succeed in isolation"
The idea was to combine the power of the growers, traders and the marketing specialists. The evening completed the calla show, which was organized from May 5th to 10th in the Oranje-Nassau Pavilion at the Keukenhof.
Consumer interest
"We shouldn't focus the discussion on the price of calla," Cock de Vries, procurement agent for ASDA UK, told the audience. “When the consumers are interested, when we make them interested, the price will make no difference." The retailer sets some terms for the producers though. The products have to be available continuously, in large volumes and in uniform quality. "So what you need to do is get together and make a good quotation."
This desired unity seems to be lacking at the moment, confirms Will Zuiderwijk, product coordinator at FloraHolland and busy promoting the flower. Growers are often stubborn and isolated. "They're only slowly opening up to new cooperatives." Other product groups take a leading position in this. “Learn from an example like the Unicum of Zentoo,” says Cock. “These growers realized that they cannot succeed in isolation. Thanks to the unity, they are sometimes able to put a product on the shelves – and sometimes this product is even pretty exclusive.” With Simply Calla, a promotion collective in which growers and product are increasingly put in the spotlight, the Calla product group has already taken a step toward a similar cooperation.
Cock de Vries and Will Zuiderwijk
Marcel Jansen of Simply Calla
Two florists, Joan Stam and Pascal Bakker were given a couple of hours to explain, while arranging flowers, which trends, pastel shades and color combinations the consumer loves to see. According to Pascal, the majority of his customers spend on average between 28.5 and 57 euros for a mixed bouquet.
The presentation in the Oranje-Nassau Pavilion. During the closing drinks a lottery was held to present the creations of Joan and Pascal amongst all those present. Furthermore, consideration was given to Hein Huijg, a well-known and valued calla grower, who passed away last week.
