In January 2024, Professors Willy Shih and Mike Toffel led 45 HBS MBA students on-site visits to witness the energy transition and innovative sustainable production activities throughout Denmark and the Netherlands, in the second year of their Immersive Field Course (IFC). This is one of nine student essays that highlight their reflections.
"After spending the morning at the Royal Flora Holland auction house, we traveled from Amsterdam to Monster where we were welcomed to Van den Ende Rozen by two of the three brothers who run the company, Tim and Bob Van den Ende. It was clear from the start that the family dynamic of the brothers creates a playful, supportive, and competitive work environment as each brother is responsible for a different area of the business.
"We started our tour of the facility by walking into the warm, brightly lit 4.5-hectare greenhouse where the company grows its Red Naomi roses. In the mornings, the greenhouse's production team works on cutting and pruning the roses, while the afternoons are focused on processing and packaging. During the growing stage, the rose plants need to be pruned or cut very often.
After a rose is cut, it takes six to seven weeks for a plant to grow a new flower. The total capacity of the 4.5-hectare greenhouse is 400 roses/m² per year. The growers use a mix of extensive experience and technology to efficiently grow a high-quality product. Throughout the greenhouse, there are 17 different environmental sensors that track everything from temperature to light intensity and humidity."
Read more at Harvard Business School.