Hallo! Welcome to day 3 of my perspectives of Amsterdam: starting bright and early at 6AM. Why so early you ask? We were headed to Royal Flora Holland in Aalsmeer, the world’s largest international trade platform for flowers, which operates at early hours in the day. Upon entering the 250 football field size warehouse, the first thing I noticed was the bustling yet productive nature of the workers. We stood above them on a platform, and could see hundreds of them using tractors and advanced hand signals to safely and effectively communicate and transport large shelves of flowers. This environment seemed fun to work in, and the impressive level of productivity reminded me of the opening scene of “The Bee Movie,” where they show all the bees doing their specific jobs to keep the hive moving. 

They also had tracks in the floors for different buffer zones where the large shelves of flowers could be organized, and they had large machines that seemed like the door movers from “Monsters Inc” that picked up shelves and moved them automatically (shoutout Frank for this reference). This work environment seemed more enjoyable and also more productive than most work environments I have observed in the United States, probably due to a certain national pride around flower business, as well as the innovative nature of the tractor system to create ease of work.

To offer some back story on Royal FloraHolland, it is a co-operative, meaning it was formed by a coalition of flower farmers in order to more easily sell product to customers from all areas. They have flowers of all varieties, going to over 60 countries, including the most popular tulips, hyacinths, chrysanthemums, and more! They used to run popular in-person flower auctions, running from 4AM-6AM. During our walk-through tour, we saw an old auction hall, which looked just like a university lecture hall. They also have large auction clocks which are very fascinating to look at. There are different indicators on each type of flower, such as quality, packaging, supply times, delivery times, and growth instruction. Today, their auctions are entirely online, an example of how companies have to adapt and be a step ahead of developing technologies in order to cater to consumers, as well as partners, to continue making profit. 

After this hustling and bustling environment, we ventured to De Tulperij farms, which is a family-owned business that sells mainly tulip and dahlia bulbs. The owner gave us a personal tour of the fields, and we got beautiful pictures in the remaining tulip field (it is nearing the end of the season). We learned that large machines cut off the heads of the tulips, so that the energy of growing is focused on the bulbs, producing larger bulbs and more profit. Additionally, we learned about the geology of the region, which is below sea level and has soil of dune sand. This is good condition for tulip growing because groundwater is easily extracted due to its proximity of 60cm below the surface, as well as the composition of the soil, which makes it easy to remove tulips from the ground. One difference to the States I immediately noticed at the farm was this dune sand, which looked like farmland dirt in Pennsylvania, but immediately felt and sounded like wet sand. All of the tulips grown were in perfect condition, because they are consistently swept for disease, as well as rotated every year to keep the soil stable. They can be genetically modified to attain an array of colors, except for black. De Tulperij also offers a show garden experience which can show buyers examples of how different bulbs look, which makes the product look more tangible to the consumer, in a market that is largely online and hard to market. De Tulperij is also a year-long operation, despite the short spring growing season. They grow in climate controlled rooms and greenhouses in the fall and winter, and focus on dahlias in the summer seasons where tulips do not grow. This allows them to bring in profit no matter the month. De Tulperij had many sustainable practices, including solar panels powering the entire farm and flowers which promoted biodiversity by giving insects a home. 

De Tulperij was a very relaxing experience, offering a calm cafe and gift shop area, encouraging customers to stay a while, buy a coffee or treat and stop to smell the tulips. This was a refreshing break from the bustling nature of Amsterdam (although only 40 mins outside of the city). This experience also encourages customers to look at the products more, which further encourages them to purchase it. I enjoyed sitting with a cup of coffee and taking in the beautiful weather while looking at the flowers, and it was the highlight of my day. 

Both companies exhibited aspects of the Concept to Consumer process, but in different ways. Royal FloraHolland was a larger co-operative, which is a middle-man in the supply chain of flowers, making money through the effective sale of flowers, but also giving farmers a steady market with productive work. De Tulperij is a smaller business, family-owned and operated, and is involved in both the production and sale of the supply chain. They grow their bulbs and sell them on their own website. This shows how smaller businesses are often more involved in all aspects of the chain of a product.  

While I am more interested in the science of farming and sustainability relating to it, it was very interesting to hear the business perspective of both businesses and how many factors influence marketing, production, and design decisions, including (usually) money, as well as sustainability and customer satisfaction. 

After the day of tulips, a few of us ventured to Waterlooplein neighborhood to check out the famous flea market. They had so many clothes, jewelry, and home decor. An American would be surprised to find hundreds of leather jackets and Levi’s jeans for very cheap prices. This market used to be a large Jewish flea market and has been around for decades, sometimes credited for birthing the hippie clothing movement in the 60s. After this extravaganza, we ended the day with a traditional Dutch dinner, which has been my favorite meal so far on the trip. I had vegan schnitzel and chicory stamppot, which is similar to mashed potatoes and spinach. I also tried a delicious stroopwafel cafe for dessert, rounding off a day of dutch staples. One thing I have noticed about food service in the Netherlands is the time frame, everyone seems more relaxed and there is not such a rush to leave the restaurant, from both the customer and waiter’s perspectives. I like this mindset around eating, just enjoying your meal and your conversation, rather than worrying about the next activity on your list, which really reminded me to “stop and smell the tulips.”

Tomorrow, we will be touring the chemical manufacturers Nouryon and visiting some Pitt alumni. But until the next blog, remind yourself to be more like Dutch and stop and smell the tulips! 

Doei!