PJ Dave Flora Ltd and Floriday's growing international role
July 22, 2025
High-quality roses. That is what PJ Dave Flora Ltd is known for worldwide. And in particular: the Rhodos variety, with its gracefully wavy and green leaves. For four years now, this Kenyan flower farm has been using Floriday from Royal FloraHolland (RFH). Managing Director Santosh Kulkarni: ‘It's a good international platform: it allows us to present our wide range of rose varieties clearly and attract new customers.’
Greenhouses filled with roses as far as the eye can see. Just outside the capital Nairobi, PJ Dave Flora Ltd has been growing a variety of rose varieties since 2007. This is done on 63 hectares, 35 of which are dedicated to the exclusive Rhodos roses. The roots of the family business go back further, to 1997, when PJ Dave and his wife Elizabeth started growing roses on this site. Santosh: ‘It was a trial. Everyone said that roses could never grow here because of the dry area. But they did it anyway. With in 25 years grew to a total of
250 hectares in the Dave Family.’ PJ Dave Flora Ltd, is one of the farm among other farms in the family.
From clock sales to direct trade
‘In 2007, when PJ Dave Flora Ltd was founded, we traded entirely through the clock,’ explains Santosh. "That changed around 2014, when our farm had built up a name for itself. Buyers knew where to find us and wanted to do business with us directly." PJ Dave Flora Ltd currently works with roughly four types of orders: ongoing orders, which are fixed for a longer period of time. In addition, there are weekly orders and orders based on availability: the farm uses Floriday to inform its buyers which flowers are available for order. Approximately 30% of the flowers still go to the auction (30%).
He welcomes the arrival of Floriday. It makes the market more transparent and takes the pressure off buyers and growers. ‘It also helps us to monitor what is happening in the Netherlands, for example when our roses are being auctioned. We work with a local agent through Dock Services, who unpacks our flowers. Through Floriday, I can immediately see how many and which flowers he has taken to the auction and what price they have fetched.’
Good contact with RFH
Santosh has good contact with the local RFH office in Kenya and regularly consults with the auctioneers to gain insight into the current market situation and make forecasts.‘Thanks to their history and experience, they can paint an accurate picture and advise us on what to put on the market and when.’ Floriday Insights is a valuable addition to this, supporting them in the pre-sale of their flowers, among other things.
‘At peak times – such as Valentine's Day, Women’s Day, Mother's Day and Christmas – we sell lot of flowers through Klok pre-sales. This way, our loyal buyers are sure of their order, which they naturally pay for,’ explains Santosh. The farm determines the prices for pre-sales partly on the basis of experience and partly on the basis of input from Floriday Insights. ‘This way, we know that we have a realistic price that is also attractive to us.’
FCA orders via Floriday
At the moment, smaller direct orders are mainly placed via Floriday. ‘The larger customers we have been doing business with for some time approach us directly, usually by email. They arrange their orders, logistics and all export documents for FCA/FOB trade themselves.’ However, this can also be done via Floriday or with the help of the local RFH team. This applies to both larger and smaller customers. I am We arer currently working with RFH to process more direct orders via Floriday where possible.
Via Floriday, buyers can see a complete overview of, for example, all red roses currently available in just a few clicks. RFH supports order management with Floriday and, via Global Sourcing Service (GSS), also provides logistics and quality control. This makes it easier to place smaller orders with different Kenyan growers. GSS combines the various orders and takes care of the documentation and transport. There is also an important advantage for growers in being a member of RFH, says Santosh: ‘You have the guarantee that you will receive your money within fifteen working days.’
Pressure on air freight
However, he also notes that there is a downside to Floriday. The transparency of the platform is great, but too much transparency can also be counterproductive. "I notice this, for example, when we offer our surplus roses at a discount on the platform during slow periods. Our regular customers with ongoing orders find this strange: 'Why are we paying more per stem than you are offering them for now? “ I then have to explain it to them,” laughs Santosh."
One point of concern is the high pressure on air freight. ‘We may have everything sorted out for buyers via GSS, but at the last minute there is no space in the airspace. This is happening more and more often. And unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it. It's very frustrating. The local RFH team is fully committed to lobbying on behalf of our growers to change this.’
International growth of Floriday
Overall, Santosh is optimistic about GSS and the use of Floriday. As far as he is concerned, his regular customers can all switch to the platform with confidence. The first signs of this are already visible: a delegation from the Dutch exporter FM group and RFH recently visited the farm to discuss Floriday, among other things. ‘Trade has always been done differently. I believe that Floriday will now play an important role internationally, both for exports to the Netherlands and Europe and to other parts of the world. That has to grow.’
Greenhouses filled with roses as far as the eye can see. Just outside the capital Nairobi, PJ Dave Flora Ltd has been growing a variety of rose varieties since 2007. This is done on 63 hectares, 35 of which are dedicated to the exclusive Rhodos roses. The roots of the family business go back further, to 1997, when PJ Dave and his wife Elizabeth started growing roses on this site. Santosh: ‘It was a trial. Everyone said that roses could never grow here because of the dry area. But they did it anyway. With in 25 years grew to a total of
250 hectares in the Dave Family.’ PJ Dave Flora Ltd, is one of the farm among other farms in the family.
From clock sales to direct trade
‘In 2007, when PJ Dave Flora Ltd was founded, we traded entirely through the clock,’ explains Santosh. "That changed around 2014, when our farm had built up a name for itself. Buyers knew where to find us and wanted to do business with us directly." PJ Dave Flora Ltd currently works with roughly four types of orders: ongoing orders, which are fixed for a longer period of time. In addition, there are weekly orders and orders based on availability: the farm uses Floriday to inform its buyers which flowers are available for order. Approximately 30% of the flowers still go to the auction (30%).
He welcomes the arrival of Floriday. It makes the market more transparent and takes the pressure off buyers and growers. ‘It also helps us to monitor what is happening in the Netherlands, for example when our roses are being auctioned. We work with a local agent through Dock Services, who unpacks our flowers. Through Floriday, I can immediately see how many and which flowers he has taken to the auction and what price they have fetched.’
Good contact with RFH
Santosh has good contact with the local RFH office in Kenya and regularly consults with the auctioneers to gain insight into the current market situation and make forecasts.‘Thanks to their history and experience, they can paint an accurate picture and advise us on what to put on the market and when.’ Floriday Insights is a valuable addition to this, supporting them in the pre-sale of their flowers, among other things.
‘At peak times – such as Valentine's Day, Women’s Day, Mother's Day and Christmas – we sell lot of flowers through Klok pre-sales. This way, our loyal buyers are sure of their order, which they naturally pay for,’ explains Santosh. The farm determines the prices for pre-sales partly on the basis of experience and partly on the basis of input from Floriday Insights. ‘This way, we know that we have a realistic price that is also attractive to us.’
FCA orders via Floriday
At the moment, smaller direct orders are mainly placed via Floriday. ‘The larger customers we have been doing business with for some time approach us directly, usually by email. They arrange their orders, logistics and all export documents for FCA/FOB trade themselves.’ However, this can also be done via Floriday or with the help of the local RFH team. This applies to both larger and smaller customers. I am We arer currently working with RFH to process more direct orders via Floriday where possible.
Via Floriday, buyers can see a complete overview of, for example, all red roses currently available in just a few clicks. RFH supports order management with Floriday and, via Global Sourcing Service (GSS), also provides logistics and quality control. This makes it easier to place smaller orders with different Kenyan growers. GSS combines the various orders and takes care of the documentation and transport. There is also an important advantage for growers in being a member of RFH, says Santosh: ‘You have the guarantee that you will receive your money within fifteen working days.’
Pressure on air freight
However, he also notes that there is a downside to Floriday. The transparency of the platform is great, but too much transparency can also be counterproductive. "I notice this, for example, when we offer our surplus roses at a discount on the platform during slow periods. Our regular customers with ongoing orders find this strange: 'Why are we paying more per stem than you are offering them for now? “ I then have to explain it to them,” laughs Santosh."
One point of concern is the high pressure on air freight. ‘We may have everything sorted out for buyers via GSS, but at the last minute there is no space in the airspace. This is happening more and more often. And unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it. It's very frustrating. The local RFH team is fully committed to lobbying on behalf of our growers to change this.’
International growth of Floriday
Overall, Santosh is optimistic about GSS and the use of Floriday. As far as he is concerned, his regular customers can all switch to the platform with confidence. The first signs of this are already visible: a delegation from the Dutch exporter FM group and RFH recently visited the farm to discuss Floriday, among other things. ‘Trade has always been done differently. I believe that Floriday will now play an important role internationally, both for exports to the Netherlands and Europe and to other parts of the world. That has to grow.’
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