Nursery of Tomorrow

Creating added value

Six growers of flowering houseplants, one vision. Namely: joining forces commercially. The underlying nurseries remain stand-alone businesses, focusing entirely on growing high-quality products. Henk: "At the moment, we do the commercial activities from Riza Growers together and cultivation and production remain in-house. Through knowledge sharing, the nurseries strengthen each other, for example in terms of cultivation or sustainability. In the future, we may want to centralise support services such as HR, finance and data. We are doing it step by step."

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The collaboration is not entirely new. A number of orchid growers had been working together for some time, then under the banner of The Orchid Growers. "Instead of seeing each other as competitors, we actually saw opportunities. Some have a narrow and deep range, while others are much more niche. By working together, we have much more to offer the customer. You are then a one-stop shop, have larger volumes and can therefore give data-driven advice – that is a great strength." For Riza Growers, it's the same story. The account managers have short lines of communication with exporters. Together, they visit end customers and offer a wide range of bromeliads, orchids, anthuriums and spathiphyllum in many varieties. "The conversations are no longer just about price and product. Right now it is also about sustainability, content creation and creating added value in the chain and on the shelf."

Stronger supply, more attractive markets

More and more such collaborations are emerging in the market, Henk observes, although the focus with which Riza Growers tackles it is unique. In fact, all account managers who once worked at the six nurseries are now employed by Riza. "I warmly welcome more growers joining forces this way. Ultimately, it makes our products and our market more attractive. And we all benefit from that." Of course, one might also ask why such a collaboration is necessary. Surely growers' interests are already represented in the cooperative? Henk: "That's true, and we also benefit greatly from the support and expertise of Royal FloraHolland, among other things in terms of digitalisation. We really sat at the drawing board with the cooperative. They can see that larger picture better and represent the interests of the whole sector. The collaboration at Riza Growers is very specifically focused on flowering houseplants. So in that sense, we actually complement each other nicely."

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New interpretation of entrepreneurship

Henk thinks it's a good thing that there are more and more similar collaborations. It ensures that the sector becomes more professional and future-proof. "There is a huge level of knowledge in floriculture. Everyone has a puzzle piece. By working together, more and more pieces are joined. And so we can ultimately put the whole puzzle together." He expects companies to keep getting bigger and for the consolidation process to continue. Similar to vegetable growing. Then you cannot do without each other. "Working together in this way is a big change. The same applies to us. You have to step over your own shadow and keep looking at the common dot on the horizon. And in doing so, taking the people who work at the company – and their concerns – seriously. That way, you are able to really help each other move forward. You give up something, but you get a lot more in return."

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