Plenty of inspiration between lily grower and florists

With florists I really feel a click. They regularly visit the garden and then you notice that we share the same passion. We are both full of enthusiasm: we are busy producing beautiful lilies and they are inspired by our flowers and create their bouquets. That creates a mutual connection and that gives a thrill. For us it confirms that we are more than just a flower producer. Of course, lilies are also a very rewarding product to work with: the flower is long in the vase, has length and is very flowery: one branch gives a lot of substance to a floral arrangement. I can understand why florists love working with them.

To connect the whole chain, you have to look beyond the flower trade and our suppliers. The florist ultimately has to work with our product. We are happy to work with them, without skipping anyone in the chain. This way we don't sit in the chair of the flower exporters, who sell our flowers to foreign countries.

To strengthen contact with florists, we like to give them a stage. Did you know that every month we pick a Bredefleur Friend (BFF)? Someone who shows to be creative with our flowers? All a florist has to do is indicate they want to participate and we deliver the newest and most innovative lilies. For example, we recently organized a contest in cooperation with our customer, exporter Heemskerk Flowers, who could make the most beautiful headdress, using our flowers. The end result was amazing. Then you see what a beautiful profession a florist has and how innovative and surprisingly creative they work. In the end, three florists won. We could not choose, so beautiful were the creations. See their headdresses with lilies here:

https://bredefleur.nl/bff/chifor-simona-camelia-camidecor/

https://bredefleur.nl/bff/city-flowers-by-ioana/

https://bredefleur.nl/bff/ruxandra-molin-bloemiste-uit-roemenie/

Through our BFF network, we give florists the opportunity to work with new varieties, different colors and innovations. For example, we have the new Apricot Fudge; a lily that almost doesn't look like a lily anymore. The salmon-colored flower has a very special crown flower. Or the Viva la vida, which is a bicolored flamed lily. And the Yasmine, another beautiful flower: dark red with a white edge. With these products, florists can make the most beautiful creations. Flower sellers can thus lead the way and distinguish themselves. Through our platform they get a stage and at the same time they can show through their own social media what they do with our flowers. For us that is so cool to see, all over Europe lily lovers are working with our Dutch lilies!

The connection we have with florists keeps us on a good course. You hear what inspires them and what their wishes are. For them, it's important that the flowers have the right ripeness during cutting. And they like to know what we do to get the new varieties, what gadgets and techniques we use. When you consider that it sometimes takes us five years to grow a new lily variety, it is useful to know what is going on among florists. We can respond to that. That's how we come full circle.

My dream? To someday organize a Bredefleur event where we can bring florists together. To inspire each other. For example, by organizing a competition with an official jury, where we provide our products and they then work with them. That would be very cool.

Levi Evers (26), after graduating from Horti Technics & Management, is co-owner of Bredefleur.