Twenty-year-old Fleur van den Berg works at her parents' farm. Her younger brother, sister, grandfather and grandmother also lend a hand at the family business in Est, Gelderland, which mainly grows indoor and garden hydrangeas. "My parents passed on their passion to me without even realising it."
"Working at home – yes, actually, I've always wanted to do that. I first worked at the flower auction in Ede for a year and a half. Although I learnt a lot there, I knew for sure afterwards: I want to work at home. My parents have had the farm for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I was always in the shed or the greenhouse. Or I'd go out into the fields with them. Later, I did odd jobs. From an early age, I saw how much time and energy my parents put into the business. I also saw their passion, which they unconsciously passed on to me."
"My little brother now works in our business too. He's very handy and mainly does technical jobs, including work related to all our automated processes. My grandmother works in the little shop we run for private customers. My little sister, who's still at school, helps her out sometimes and also enjoys helping in the greenhouse. My grandfather does all sorts of things, wherever we need him. So at home, we often talk about the business. Lunch with my dad, mum and little brother is now a variety of work meeting. But nobody minds; in fact, it's quite handy. And although work plays a big part in our lives, none of us feels we've missed out on anything during our childhood."
© Royal FloraHolland
Peak season for Mother's Day
"What makes hydrangeas so beautiful? It's mainly the large flowers. You really feel like you're holding something special when you're given a potted hydrangea as a gift. Personally, I think the blue ones are the prettiest, but in the weeks leading up to Mother's Day, we mainly sell lots of pink and red hydrangeas. What I hope is that people who receive our hydrangeas see them as a little bit of cheer in their home. The great thing is that you can plant hydrangeas in the garden later on; that also makes it a sustainable gift that someone can enjoy for a long time."
"Mother's Day is a peak period for us. We know in advance that it's busier at this time of year, so we plan accordingly. During busy periods, we all work a little harder together. The whole family steps up a gear, and we make sure other staff can get straight to work in the morning."
"My own mum won't be getting any hydrangeas from me for Mother's Day – that would be a bit of a cliché, haha. I give her other flowers. What I admire about my mum is that she always goes full steam ahead. She has tremendous perseverance. Because of that, we know you have to work hard if you want to achieve something. That's a valuable life lesson."
Labour-intensive cultivation
"What I love about this business is that the small cutting you buy grows into a fully-fledged plant. And that you can influence that process yourself. I also enjoy experimenting. If we do this, how will it grow? And if we do it that way, what effect will it have? What few people realise is that it's a very labour-intensive crop. It takes up to three years before a hydrangea reaches the consumer. So a lot of time, love and energy goes into it, especially as we do everything ourselves. Sustainability is a key aspect. We use as few crop protection products as possible. And whatever we do use is organic wherever possible. We also want to grow our plants in our greenhouse as sustainably and energy-efficiently as possible; we're keeping a close eye on that."
