"In Portugal, we can benefit more from nature"

Roel van Schie is operations director of the company founded in 1980 by his father Sjaak. He lives and works in the interior of Portugal, an hour's drive from Lisbon. "The focus of our activities is here in Portugal," Roel says. "Here we do most of the propagation and rooting. We also partly do the same thing in Uganda at Xclusive Youngplants. So in Portugal we make the starting material for our hydrangeas, which are then further grown partly in the Netherlands and partly in Portugal."

Quality, cost and sustainability

Sjaak van Schie moved part of the company's operations to Portugal in the early 2000s. "Especially from a quality point of view, the climate there allows us to deliver top quality year-round," says Roel, who is also involved in the FPC for indoor and garden hydrangeas and for whom sustainability is part of his portfolio.

Cost and sustainability considerations became increasingly important over the years. "The two things often go hand in hand. Here in Portugal, labour is cheaper ánd we benefit more from nature. We have 30 per cent more natural light in spring and it is a lot warmer. As a result, we do not need to expose, whereas in the Netherlands we need to. This saves a lot of energy costs. Our product has a long maturity period between start and delivery, sometimes lasting up to two years. This means it is a lot more expensive in the Netherlands, both in terms of labour and energy."

Roel continues: "The emissions from our transport to the Netherlands do not outweigh the energy emissions we would have in the Netherlands. We can pack a lot into containers that travel to the Netherlands by truck or ship."

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