For this interview, Floriday spoke with Jaap de Jong, sales manager at A. Noort BV and David Lam, Business Development Manager Native Blooms. A. Noort BV, operating originally as a haulier to Germany, has shifted its focus to orders through its webshop since 2015. Native Blooms is a rose nursery in Ecuador, with several high-end rose varieties. They produce 30 million stems a year.

The services provided by Royal FloraHolland through Floriday allow Native Blooms to enter the Dutch and European markets. Floriday is deployed by them on a daily basis to launch market offers. In addition, the account manager's advice in South America helps at a strategic level, David points out: "Royal FloraHolland's recommendations also help us choose the right products at the right price, at the right time."

A. Noort imports roses from Native Blooms on a weekly basis. Prices are agreed for fixed periods. “This allows Native Blooms to supply us year-round, and they get a steady outlet,” explains Jaap. The total supply that A. Noort procures from Native Blooms is held by Floriday and then appears directly in the Floriday webshop, via Easyflor. The moment a last particular item is sold, it disappears from the webshop, and Jaap ensures new supply is once again sourced. Jaap: "We have come on leaps and bounds since we started working with Floriday and the link with our package and the webshop. Any residual mistakes are in processing."

“We are very excited to be part of this ecosystem. We can now reach a wider range of customers. This helps our business to grow. Combining technological and commercial clout is a joint effort. This clout is the combination of buyer, grower, Floriday and Royal FloraHolland."
- David Lam, Business Development Manager Native Blooms

Daily flights from Ecuador to Schiphol enable Native Blooms to deliver flowers to A. Noort up to three times a week. David: “We organise the logistics from A to B, take care of customs clearance and choose and reserve the appropriate airline companies with our freight partners. Although the flights themselves take about 10 hours, we have to set aside roughly double that time due to airport and customs procedures at both ends. Everything takes place in line with stringent safety and refrigeration parameters." Once the flowers end up at A. Noort, they have already been checked on location before they enter the webshop and are soon sold from the webshop. The flowers then go to European customers.

Initial contact was made by an Account Manager from the Royal FloraHolland Local Office in South America. She put the two in touch during the Trade Fair in Aalsmeer and from then on the first purchases were made. They were both recently in Rijnsburg to strengthen trade relations and make long-term arrangements. “Personal contact is crucial, particularly when dealing with international growers. Compared to Dutch growers, they are less direct, with an emphasis more on trust and respect,” says Jaap.