"As a company, we can worry about how the world sees flowers and wait for someone else to take steps, or we can take the first step ourselves," says Wouter Duijvesteijn of Beyond Chrysant. On November 28, the Beyond Experience opens, a project he has been busy working on, with the help of many, since last summer.
Martijn, Sanne and Wouter Duijvesteijn
"As growers, we have to tell our story. In recent years, I have often wondered: can I still be a grower? Sometimes it seems like everyone is against you. I wrote a column about that about three years ago for a Dutch magazine ((Tuinbouw Jongeren Nederland) and it has stayed in my mind ever since" Besides his work as a chrysanthemum grower, Wouter is also active on the board of SIGN (Dutch Foundation for Innovation in Greenhouse Horticulture). There, a few years ago, he developed the Horticultural Experience playbook, which offers inspiration and practical tips to growers hosting visitors at their nurseries. This includes five storylines that show, in a simple way, what happens in and around the greenhouse.
The real story
"To show the growers' story, I thought of building an Experience last summer. The whole, real, and honest story of greenhouse growing will be told here." Wouter does not have to do it alone, because by pitching his story to suppliers and other parties such as Glastuinbouw Nederland and SIGN, he has found many partners for the Beyond Experience. "I work with suppliers who help me make sustainability steps, and to them, I then made a presentation and pitched the idea. My question was: shall we do this together? Everyone said 'yes'. I made the area available, and with all parties, we set to work to set up the Experience."
From A to Z
Wouter continues: "It does take a lot of doing because this project takes a lot of time. Fortunately, we are doing it together and even my sister Sanne gave up her job at the hospital to collaborate on this project. She thought this was so cool that she got into this, and so you see how attractive horticulture is too."
"One party handles communication, and the other has access. Each supplier has written a part of the story, from breeding and cultivation to pots and waste disposal. With the help of Meta Menkveld, communications consultant, the story was eventually written from A to Z. Each section is supported by practical examples, e.g. the cooling section features a cooling device. And how does breeding work? We made everything tangible, making the Experience also very suitable for school children. The tours are provided by a professional in communication with more than 30 years of experience."
"We hope our story will encourage growers to do something too. Don't wait for someone else to do something, but take steps yourself. This doesn't have to be a big project, but everyone can do something in their own way. Talk about your work on a birthday, invite someone to your company, or post a message on LinkedIn," Wouter concludes. "For us, in the end, the choice was: either we do something, or we stop whining. Now we area about to open our doors and the whole country can see it."
For more information:
Wouter Duijvesteijn
Beyond Chrysant
Tel: +31 (0) 648 088 440
[email protected]
www.beyondchrysant.nl