Lisa and I took some time to travel to Holland this winter, tracing our connection for world famous Dutch flowers to back its source. Many thanks to Tony Cummins, our sales rep at Tuning Bloemenexport BV, for taking time out of his very busy schedule to walk us through the Aalsmeer Flower Auction.
The endless arrays of flower carts and the extreme efficiency in which they were rapidly shuttled around was truly impressive. Equally impressive was the incredibly high quality of product that we saw on every cart. Tony explained that several of the floral varieties that immediately caught our eye could not be shipped to the United States due to customs regulations. Also, any flowers that are not sold at auction are immediately destroyed by a shredder, regardless of quantity.
As the tour progressed, we learned that Holland produces relatively few greens and that flowers sold at the Dutch flower auction are imported from all over the world.
Although we are generally not fans of dyed flowers, these blue Vandelas were incredible.
We were fascinated to watch the actual bidding process as a non-stop procession of floral carts displaying product moved by on the floor below. Meanwhile, huge computer screens tracked and displayed competing bids from hundreds of buyers, each lot selling in a matter of seconds! We began to appreciate that sucuring orders for large quantities of a single variety/color of flower is difficult due to this rapid bidding process. We were told later that buying in bulk does not necessarily translate into savings. Also, the buyers promise a set price to their clients
before the auction takes place, and must do their best to fulfill their orders amongst competing buyers.
In spite of furious activity, the floor was quiet and civilized; nothing like the Wall Street stock exchange. Afterward, we left inspired to acquire new varieties of product for the spring season, and to find unique and exciting ways to express our design aesthetic.
