At Fresco Flowers in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands, there's a constant flow of roses in and out. With an average of one million roses processed each day—and that's not even their full capacity—maintaining oversight is no small task. "We handle around 450 million stems per year," says Jos Ravensbergen, who co-leads the quality team at Fresco together with Koos Caspers. "It's a continuous process, with flowers being in different places at the same time. For us, the big challenge was: how do you get all that information in one central place?"
Leo Swart (PlantScout), Koos Caspers and Jos Ravensbergen (Fresco Flowers)
Structure and clarity
The answer came a few years ago in the form of an app: PlantScout. "Before that, we did everything with little Excel sheets," Koos explains. "Each team had its own overview, but there was no joint overview. Now we use PlantScout, and there is much more structure and clarity."
The app assists with the arrival of the flowers: the boxes are assessed, any deviations are noted, and it is immediately checked if it can be done more efficiently, for example, by fitting more bunches in one box. "During the process, we assess the flowers and give a rating with stars or comments," Koos explains. "If something stands out, we report it in the app. This way, our Kenyan growers know what to pay attention to."
Where photos, calls, or messages once were the norm, a weekly report now goes directly to the grower. "The report is straightforward, and everyone is on the same page," says Jos. "This reduces confusion and minimizes miscommunication. After all, no one benefits from rejection. The goal is to work and improve together."
Improved collaboration
According to him, that collaboration has visibly improved since the introduction of PlantScout. "For our growers, the report has become a fixed part of meetings. They take it seriously. They know: this is what Fresco sees, this is what we can work on."
The report is sent on behalf of the Fresco quality team, without personal names. "It's not about who said something, but about what has been observed," says Jos. "That prevents discussion. You look at the data together, at the flowers, and you move forward."
"This is a relief"
The system has been running for almost six years now and is fully part of daily work. Each team has a member who works with the app, which also functions in the cold storage. Adjustments can even be made while drafting a report.
Koos was a bit skeptical at first. "You think: another app, something new again. But once it was up and running, I thought: this is really a relief. Instead of loose emails or messages, everything is now neatly organized."
Jos Ravensbergen (Fresco Flowers), Leo Swart (PlantScout) and Koos Caspers (Fresco Flowers)
Data without insight is ballast
"Data without insight is just ballast," says PlantScout co-founder Leo Swart. "It's not just about collecting information—it's about understanding what you're looking at and being able to act on it." For Swart, that's the core principle behind PlantScout's approach. Users retain full control over how and with whom they share their data. While Fresco primarily uses the reports to communicate with suppliers, the technology is versatile and can easily be adapted for other purposes.
And that, Jos believes, is exactly where the strength lies: "It's simple, clear, and it brings people together. The grower in Kenya is fully committed—and that commitment drives improvement. We benefit, the grower benefits, and so does the entire trade. It really is that simple."
For more information:
Leo Swart
PlantScout
Tel.: +31 (0)6 53 82 38 65
[email protected]
www.plantscout.eu
Aart Buizer
Fresco Flowers
Tel.: +31 (0)6 13 13 02 31
[email protected]
www.frescoflowers.nl