With the addition of several new customers, the offer on the marketplace of Starflor has increased significantly lately. The company facilitates growers in terms of sales, fulfillment, and promotion, and at the same time, it is also becoming increasingly more used as a purchasing platform for buyers. At last week's open days, both customers and buyers were invited.
It has been busy, says the account manager at Starflor Hugo van de Koppel, especially on Thursday when also the growers were present. New in the platform - where flowers are offered in pre-sale before harvest or from daily deliveries at Starflor in Aalsmeer - are EQR Roses, Bibo Flowers and Steejo Flowers, Van Rijn Roses, and Rutgrink Holland. "EQR Roses has more than 100 hectares of (premium) roses in Ecuador and is actively seeking new markets. With the hydrangeas of Bibo and Steejo, which together account for about 13 ha of production of more than 30 varieties, we have a nice complement to the flowers that come from Kenya in winter. And with Rutgrink, we have secured a year-round supply of first-class astilbes, which he grows both in Spain and here in the Bulb Region."
Starflor has grown significantly over the last years. They support growers with unpacking, while other customers (particularly the Dutch ones) only use the logistics and the links to numerous web shops with which the platform is connected. They also offer sales guidance, both in day-to-day trade and for the longer term.
"Growers appreciate these services and can often use some extra support in terms of visibility and promotion. Why they like doing business with us is because we are not a commissionary agent: the sale is made entirely under the identity of the customer, and every penny paid for their stems is for them. So we don't make a profit on his sales; we get paid based on our service."
In addition to the three growers mentioned above, Starflor hopes to connect two more customers in the coming days. In any case, Hugo looks back on a great week: "We're going to do this more often. It's a nice way to bring buyers and customers together and network."
For more information:
Hugo van de Koppel 
Starflor
hugo@starflor.nl
www.starflor.nl