Today we had the opportunity to dive beneath the soil and into the history of floriculture in the Netherlands. Our day began earlier than most with a 6:15 am departure. We added another form of transportation to the fleet and hopped on a bus to Aalsmeer where we visited the Royal FloraHolland flower supply warehouse. I think the whole group would agree that we were immediately struck by the massive size of the distribution center. The brochure which we received at the start of the self-guided tour compared the size to that of 250 football (soccer) fields, but it was not until we entered that I was able to truly conceptualize this size. 

The company’s physical vastness comes as a result of their wide-reaching market which spans much of the world and focuses primarily on exports to Germany, the UK, and France as well as Italy and Poland. They function off of an auction system which allows prospective buyers to bid with the press of a button. Unlike the traditional American bidding system with which I am familiar, those in the Netherlands start their bidding at a capped price and the price continues dropping in increments until someone puts in a bid. Naturally, those who are willing to bid early on and ultimately pay a higher price are more likely to walk away with the product, while those who wait for a chance at a lower cost risk greater volumes of competition. According to an informational sign in the warehouse, this system has been used by Royal FloraHolland for more than a century. Seemingly, this system would be outdated by now given all of the other advancements in technology that have sprung up around it. However, Royal FloraHolland has managed to keep their original methods relevant by implementing subtle changes, such as making the auction clocks that previously hung on the wall into projections on screens. Additionally, they have expanded their market to reach a global audience, rather than just the local traders they originally relied upon. 

We continued on our agricultural adventure from there in a somewhat reverse order, traveling from the location at which the flowers are auctioned and distributed to a farm where they are actually grown. Our tour guide, a third generation tulip farmer, shared with us a bit of the science and time requirement that goes into maintaining and discovering new species, as well as the advancements that have been made over time to keep the business thriving. Interestingly, the farm does not rely upon an irrigation system. The sandy soil and high ground water allow the tulips to be self-sustaining in that way. This undoubtedly cuts down on the water usage typically required for crops, making this particular farm’s practices more sustainable than those who do not have access to naturally irrigated fields. 

This visit was particularly interesting to me because, besides it being breathtakingly beautiful, I come from a family which has farmed for generations. As a result, I enjoy gardening with my dad every summer and appreciated seeing the behind the scenes of a much more massive version of one of our favorite hobbies. Although the practices are obviously quite different, I can appreciate the familial history that is passed down in farming as well as the impressive technological advancements that continue to occur in such a historical profession. I am sure that if these tulips could talk, they too would have much to say about their history.