Green Collect Sales from De Kwakel has a wide range of herbs and Mediterranean plants available, but will from now on be expanding this with green houseplants. The company is adding a collection of exclusive varieties in large pot sizes, which are produced by Spanish grower Palco plant - a grower that also buys part of their range from local growers.
"In the spring, from February to about the end of June, we are traditionally very busy," says company owner Gerard Boerlage. "In the autumn, the market naturally demands other products, and we are happy to step in with exclusive houseplants. Especially because the growers from the Mediterranean region can deliver very good quality."
In the past, Gerard worked as a personal seller for a number of customers in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. These growers were looking for a day trading location at the auction, and at a good moment, he picked up the gauntlet. After renting a greenhouse in Nieuwveen for a year or two, the company has now been established in a 5000m2 greenhouse on the Hoofdweg in De Kwakel for about three years.
First plants arrived
Palco Plant is a grower with several nurseries, which mainly focuses on palms and olives. A few weeks ago, Gerard came to visit, and the parties agreed to work together. It is pretty simple: "I buy from them, especially the larger pot sizes (25 cm or more), and especially the species that are not or hardly cultivated here. Last week, the first shipment of plants arrived (e.g., alocasias, monsteras, ficus robusta, kentias, chamaedoreas, pachiras), and on Friday, the second shipment will follow."
Win-win
The location in De Kwakel is top-notch, according to them. "We have a lot of buyers in the neighborhood, my carrier (Dobbe) drives by every day, and sending a cart is easy. For my customers, mainly exporters, I am a godsend: ordered before 9:30 am, in the box the same day, which is of course not possible if they have to order the trade in Spain or Italy.
"We also offer our buyers a number of services: practically no risk, we have the stock, we deliver quickly, we have a wide range of exclusive species, and we guarantee quality. Everything that comes in we take out of the sleeve, put on the floor and water so that a plant can always acclimatize for a while."
Green Collect Sales has just completed its fourth season, and the Boerlage family has acquired a taste for it. Together with two staff members, the company is not big, but it is growing fast. "The last two years have been particularly good. After a brief dip of about a week in March last year, things really took off. With the expansion of our range with green houseplants, I believe that we can offer our customers an even more beautiful and wider range that will allow us to continue this growth."
For more information:
Green Collect Sales 
Hoofdweg 131
1424 PE De Kwakel
info@greencollectsales.com
greencollectsales.com