Final International Grower of the Year: exciting times for three of our suppliers!

On 23 January is the exciting final of the International Grower of the Year election. AIPH will announce the winners during IPM Essen. The contenders all excel in excellent performance. In this article, we highlight our suppliers who are competing in the finals.

The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) organises the IGOTY-2024 awards together with FloraCulture International. AIPH presents awards in four categories:

• finished plants and trees
• young plants
• cut flowers and bulbs
• sustainability

Meet the nominated Royal FloraHolland suppliers!
The nominated Royal FloraHolland suppliers are all outstanding in their expertise. Their nomination is a great showcase for the global floriculture sector.

• Kwekerij Dirk Mermans is market leader with Monstera Variegata and other hydroponic plants. With a dedicated team, loyal customers and valued partners, the company strives to build long-term relationships. The nursery is a family business with now the fifth generation at the helm. Dirk's great-grandfather started the company during World War II with a modest 250 m2 of greenhouses. That grew to 35,000 m2 of greenhouses today at one location in Wommelgem, Belgium. The nursery cultivates a wide range of high-quality indoor plants in a sustainable manner and continues to innovate. Kwekerij Dirk Mermans is a member-supplier at Royal FloraHolland.
  
• Sjaak van Schie BV specialises in supplying high quality Hydrangeas. They supply this pot plant in various stages: from cutting to final product. With branches in the Netherlands and a branch in Portugal, Sjaak van Schie BV can deliver year-round. In 2022, the company became the proud winner of the Prémio Nacional Agricultura 2022 (Portuguese National Agricultural Award), due to their sustainable innovations and their digital impact on the agricultural sector. Sjaak van Schie raises plants sustainably, recycles a lot of water and uses a minimum of plant protection products in production. Their environmental vision is reflected in their MPS certifications. Sjaak van Schie B.V./Jacobus van Schie, Unip. Lda. is a member-supplier at Royal FloraHolland.
  
• Artisanal and using innovative techniques; Beyond Chrysant has all the elements for the perfect formula for chrysanthemums: passion for the trade, a perfect cultivation process, sturdy varieties, a location with fertile clay soil in Hoek van Holland, close to the port of Rotterdam and to various international airports, enabling optimum transport. Since 1938, Beyond has been working on the development of sturdy varieties of Chrysanthemums. The company makes its own cuttings and potting soil and works exclusively with varieties you can rely on (Baltica, Baltica Yellow and Zembla). Beyond Chrysanthemum is a supplier at Royal FloraHolland.
  

Royal FloraHolland is a great supporter of making the sector more sustainable and wishes all the finalists good luck in the final sprint. But we are secretly keeping our fingers crossed for our Royal FloraHolland suppliers!


More information about International Grower of the Year

• Check out the entire programme here.
• For more information about the event, tickets for the evening reception and award ceremony, please visit the AIPH website.