• Exporting new flower varieties: How to acquire a VBN product code?

    27Feb
    Categories: Marketing, Requirements Comments: 0

    Almost 20,000 different plants and flowers are traded by name at the Dutch flower auctions, each identified with their own product code. On average, 20,000 new products enter the market each year. The codes are used in every transaction concluded at the auction. Financial and logistical handling by the auctions is based on the product code system.

    The product codes are initially used by the parties involved in trading through the auctions: growers, purchasing traders and the auctions themselves. Product codes can also be used to identify or communicate about a product throughout the chain, from processor to retailer. The current product code database for cut flowers, house plants and garden plants can be found on the FlorEcom site.

    Would you like to receive assistance in acquiring a product code? ProVerde has experience in all aspects of introducing new floricultural products on the European market: registration, market introduction, promotion. Read more »

  • New logo selected for all EU organic products

    21Feb
    Categories: CSR, Fruit & vegetables, Marketing, Requirements Comments: 0

    The European Commission has officially announced the winner of the EU organic logo competition. Over the past two months, some 130,000 people have voted online to choose the new organic symbol from three finalists. The winning design is by Dusan Milenkovic, a student from Germany, who gained 63 % of the overall vote for his “Euro-leaf” logo. From July 1, 2010, the organic logo of the EU will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic products that have been produced in any of the EU Member States and meet the necessary standards. It will be optional for imported products. Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. The organic farming regulation will be amended in the coming weeks to introduce the new logo into one of the annexes. Read more »

  • Virtualisation at the main Dutch flower auctions

    23Nov
    Categories: Market research, Marketing Comments: 0

    First, there was the Dutch auction method, then the auction clock made its appearance, and now it is time for the next phase: clock projection, image auctioning and distant buying (KOA).

    At FloraHolland Aalsmeer, the auction has worked in recent years towards the creation of a modern and flexible auction system. Five of the fourteen auction clocks use image auctioning and one clock uses virtual auctioning. Two more clocks will probably change to image auctioning in 2010. Read more »

  • Virtualisation in the flower trade: remote buying

    02Oct
    Categories: Market research, Marketing Comments: 0

    A strong development in the European flower business is the increasing importance of virtualisation. Virtualisation plays a major role in the reduction of transaction costs. Until a few years ago, the development of virtual flower trade was hampered by the perceived importance of visual appearance to determine product quality. Improvements in the provision of accurate supply information and reliability, however, have made virtualisation a major success. Read more »

  • Looking for a reliable flower supplier in a developing country?

    23Jun
    Categories: Marketing Comments: 0

    Avoid risks and save time and costs by using CBI’s company database. All companies were audited by CBI’s European experts and extensively coached for doing business in Europe. Use the online search facility to look for partners in the countries of your interest.

    Feel free to contact ProVerde for assistance in case you are not able to find the supplier you are looking.

  • Market study “Export opportunities for the Surinam flower sector”

    05Jun
    Categories: Market research, Marketing, ProVerde projects, Surinam Comments: 0

    Ornamental Bixa branches in SurinamThe main objective of the market study was to identify those tropical ornamentals that offer good export opportunities in the European markets and which can be produced under Surinam conditions. The study covered particularly the markets for tropical flowers, plants, foliage and young plant material (cuttings).

    As part of the project, five product brochures have been written describing cultivation techniques under tropical conditions for selected products: palms, Anthurium foliage, Bromeliads, Dracaena cuttings, and ornamental grasses.

    The project was carried out within the framework of the national Agricultural Sector Plan (ASP) and on behalf of the Surinam Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fishery.

  • New series of Master Classes “Flower Export” in Ethiopia

    24Mar
    Categories: Ethiopia, Marketing, ProVerde projects Comments: 0

    As a key activity of CBI’s 2009 floricultural training activities in Ethiopia, ProVerde is currently preparing a series of Horticulture Master Classes. The training series is developed in close cooperation with the Ethiopian Horticultural Producers and Exporters Association (EHPEA) and will focus on flower export marketing.

    In the course of training series, participants will write a concise export marketing plan. The structure of the export marketing plan will be used as the framework for the special topics covered in the trainings: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), post-harvest and logistical requirements, market research in the flower business, getting the best price on the auction, and internal and external communication.

    The four Master Class trainings are scheduled for early May, mid June, mid September and early December of this year. CBI trainers will include Milco Rikken (ProVerde), Dana van Hes (E4 Consulting), Jeroen van der Hulst (Flowerwatch), Maarten van Schie (OTV Wageningen) and Maarten van Woerden (Helicon).

  • Why keep records and calculate a cost price?

    16Jan
    Categories: Marketing Comments: 0

    Young, newly started companies usually are production oriented; do have no management information and no or little market information. During the development process of companies into a mature stage, the focus is directed more and more towards the market.
    In the first, production oriented stage, knowing cost prices doesn’t have priority and even is hardly possible. In the market oriented stage of a company, knowing the cost price is a prerequisite to survive! In this stage you need to have records and insight in the performance and results of all departments, insight in the market and its trends, insight in your competitors, etc.

    Calculating and actually knowing your cost price:
    • gives you insight in your (labor) productivity;
    • informs you WHAT to improve in your organisation;
    • will prepare you better in negotiations;
    • gives you better inputs in your strategy decisions;
    • increases your competitiveness (as an individual company and as a group or association);
    • will bring you profit more easily.

  • Fair trade flowers at Valentine Growers in Kenya

    06Jan
    Categories: Kenya, Marketing Comments: 1

    Paul Mwaniki and Milco Rikken at Valentine GrowersSubsequent to the training in Ethiopia, we continued to Kenya and Tanzania to meet and discuss new training activities with the local trade associations (Kenya Flower Council and TAHA). In Kenya, I still had some time to pay a short visit to Valentine Growers, one of the farms that regularly participated in the previous training programmes.

    It was good to see that Valentine Growers is doing well. Direct trade is developing strongly thanks to their attention to sustainable rose production and their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.

    Valentine Growers Co. Ltd is a flower farm located in Kiambu District approximately 15km from the city of Nairobi, Kenya. The farm started in 1996 and has since expanded to two sites with a total acreage of 27 hectares. The total annual production stands at 55 million stems per year. The main destinations for the roses are Holland, Germany, UK, France, Switzerland and Scandinavian Countries. Other regions include USA, Middle East, & the Far East.

    In the cold store, we used the opportunity to take a few photos with the Fairtrade flowers that were ready to be shipped to the European supermarkets.

  • Hortitube: horticultural video’s

    19Nov
    Categories: Marketing Comments: 0

    HortitubeI just dropped by this Hortitube-website: It’s a Dutch website with video’s related to the horticultural sector. I guess they are still building their stock of video’s because the lion’s share of the clips are promotional clips. Check out for instance the “Internationaal” section with a video about OZ-import’s King Quality.
    Video’s that are uploaded are automatically put on Youtube by the way. So, why bother to put it on Hortitube first? Nevertheless, maybe you find some interesting stuff.

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