"At the moment I am busy with a very big wedding in Switzerland," says Roelof Stijnman of EZ Flower. Now that the trade is a little quieter in the summer, he has time for the big weddings, where he gets to supply a lot of flowers. "With this wedding planner, I have done mega weddings before, and so next week we have another one in Montreux." The bridal season also got off to a somewhat late start for Roelof this year, and it is not as busy as other years, which growers also let on.
Dahlias
Besides weddings, he is also just busy with his sales in America and the Middle East. Dahlias are still sent daily to New York, among others, but also to Lithuania where a designer used them for a master class, Roelof says. "We get our dahlias directly from the growers, so we basically always have a good supply and fine price that we have agreed on. At the beginning of the season they were quite expensive, but now they are cheaper. We collect our dahlias per order from the grower, that way we can guarantee freshness and that is very important for dahlias."
Year-round peonies and tulips
"I don't know how he manages it either," laughs Roelof, "but we still have peonies from a Dutch grower with whom we have an exclusive contract. The peonies are still from May and are stored in such a way that the quality is still good, and we can offer them to customers." He also supplies tulips year-round, but those prices are skyrocketing. "Last week, tulips were selling for €1.10 to €1.20 per stem on the clock, which of course are bizarre prices. It is a logical consequence of high demand for the product and low availability, though. Fortunately, we have a standard standing order with the growers so we get them at the agreed price," he says. Besides peonies and tulips, hydrangeas, which are in full bloom, and a variety of summer flowers are also in demand by EZ Flower's customers.
Quiet in the Middle East
"Our customers in the Middle East, who spend a lot of money on flowers, have fled the gigantic heat there. Because they are not at home where they normally always have flowers, we have slightly less trade. It's nice to do the events and weddings now, and have time for that. We always go on and never stand still," Roelof concludes.
For more information:
Roelof Stijnman
EZ Flower
Tel: +31 6 20700207
[email protected]
www.ezflower.nl