Holland

Country of flowers

Every year Holland exports flowers and plants for 4 billion euros.

FloraHolland is the largest auction of flowers and plants in the world and handles over 90% of Dutch trade in those products. FloraHolland has six branches, 39 clocks, a national agency and 4700 employees. The organization operates national and international.

History

FloraHolland has six offices in the Netherlands. Each office has its own history.

Aalsmeer

The first auction in Aalsmeer was in 1911. This happened many years in two different auctions: C.A.V. in Aalsmeer-Dorp en Bloemenlust in the east of Aalsmeer. In 1972 the two auctions decided to work together. Since then the two auctions formed the United Flower Auction Aalsmeer.

Over time, more and more flowers and plants were sold and the building had to be bigger. Meanwhile, the building is 10 times bigger as in 1972. With a size equivalent of 200 soccer fields is the Flower Auction Aalsmeer the largest building in the world. This is included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Naaldwijk

On March 2, 1923 the Central Westland Flowers Association (CWS) was established. The revenue of the first auction was fl. 304,59. The C.W.S. hired a building in Poeldijk. In 1923 there were approximately 75 growers member of the auction. There was one clock auction.

On March 30, 1931 was decided to turn the auction association into a cooperative. From that moment the auction was called 'Cooperative Centrale Westlandsche Snijbloemenvereniging' (CCWS). There was decided to establish the auction at the Dijkweg in Honselersdijk, where the auction in Naaldwijk is still located.

In 1971, a small amount of foreign flowers is sold for the first time on the clock. In 1976 two bells were brought for the auctioning of potted plants. This was the end of the auctioning of flowers and plants on the same clock.

Rijnsburg

In 1914, seventeen growers have founded the auction 'Flora' in Rijnsberg. In the beginning, the auction was held in the local pub. In 1917 the auction moves to a a real building in Rijnsburg. Bulb flowers and especially tulips were important products since its inception of auction 'Flora'. From about 1927, other flowers are auctioned.

Early '70s auction 'Flora' had grown so much that they needed additional land for new buildings. It was not possible at the spot where the old building stood, so there need to be moved. In 1980, the auction moves to the new building. It is just outside Rijnsburg on the border with Oegstgeest, where the auction in Rijnsburg is still located.

Venlo

In 1915 the Cooperative Auction Association (CVV) was founded in Blerick. At that time, the auction sold only fruits and vegetables and from 1916 the sold even eggs! The selling of flowers through the CVV began in 1962 when a grower of Chrysanthemums are reported to the auction. His flowers were auctioned at the clock of vegetables, because there was no clock for flowers. Later, many growers started to focus on flowers instead of vegetables. This created a real auction of flowers.

After one year, so many flowers were auctioned on CVV, that a separate hall for flowers was built in Grubbenvorst. This is the place where the auction of Venlo still is located. The new auction was opened in 1965. On April 30 1969, the building burned down, but fortunately the auction CCWS of Honselersdijk (currently this is Naaldwijk) came to help quickly and the next day the auctioning was on the clock of vegetables. A few years later, another private hall of flowers was built.

After a several mergers, the auction CVV was in 1991 ultimately related to the auction of Cooperative Fruit in Venlo. They continued under the name 'Cooperative Auction Southeast Netherlands'. On July 1 2002, this auction joined the auction of FloraHolland.

Bleiswijk

Since 1928, the auction of vegetabels in Rotterdam sold, except to vegetables, also flowers. A year later, Berkel built a separate auction for flowers and the name was changed to 'Cooperative Auction of Fruit and Flowers' in Berkel and Rodenrijs. In 1973 the department of vegetables merged with the department of horticulture in Rotterdam. Auctioning of flowers continued under the name 'Auction Berkel District'. In 1982 the building of the auction moved to the Klappolder in Bleiswijk, where the location still is located.

Eelde

In 1927, there is an auctioning of flowers in Groningen. In that time, the auction was called 'Auction North'. In 1936 and 1948 the auction was moved from places in Groningen for two times. In 1978 the auction moved to Eelde, the location where the auction is still located.

Boskoop

On November 1 2006, FloraHolland took over the Cooperative Auction of Boskoop. Under the name 'FloraHolland Boskoop BV' the activities Cash & Carry and mediation continued. Now the office is located at the industrial area of Hazerswoude, just outside the boundary of Boskoop.