Digitalisation helps us move forward, especially in busy periods

Carolien de Ridder runs De Ridder Flower and Bulb Nursery in Noordwijkerhout together with her husband Léon and brother-in-law Jacques. With 33 hectares of tulip cultivation and 9 hectares of gladioli, the family business is a well-known player in the sector. Although Carolien worked solely in the financial sector for many years, she decided to support the family business after the birth of her middle daughter in 1997. She is now responsible for the annual accounts as well as the sale of tulips and gladioli. The company uses Floriday for this purpose.

"Our crops overlap," Carolien explains. "From January, we harvest tulips from the greenhouse, in April this overlaps with the outdoor cultivation of peony tulips and from June we start lifting bulbs and harvesting gladioli. That requires having an overview and flexibility."

A stable factor in a dynamic season

The busy season brings challenges. "The weather is unpredictable, peak times call for extra hands and then the administration also needs to be in order. Digitalisation helps us do this. For example, where errors in the Electronic Delivery Note used to take a lot of time, we can now easily correct them ourselves in Floriday. That makes a huge difference."

Contract sales and direct trade via Floriday

The forcing tulips are largely sold through the contract function in Floriday, the rest through direct day trading. Gladioli find their way through direct sales, auction and clock presales. "We have built a nice network. Our name helps with that, but also the fact that we work professionally, reliably and efficiently."

Daily overview and customer-oriented work

During the gladiolus season, Carolien starts by drawing up a stock and forecast list based on information from the nursery and the field. Based on this, she determines her supply and posts it in Floriday. "I check clock prices and match my supply to the market. Some customers are not quite used to working digitally yet, so I help them get started. For example, by sending a link to our shop in Floriday via WhatsApp. That works well."

Hopes for the future

Although the system works well, Carolien sees room for improvement. "Within Floriday, I would like to be able to print a total list of the unsold daily supply, sorted by item name. Then, before we start picking orders, we can already notify Klok and KVV, so that transport can leave more quickly. This would improve efficiency and provide a better overview.’"

Keep developing

In October, Carolien took part in a Floriday workshop for tulip growers. "During this, we were updated on new developments. I'll be using that again this season. It's important to keep up. The platform is becoming more user-friendly and I find that I am increasingly comfortable working with it."

Advice to fellow growers

"Just start," says Carolien. "Follow the tips you get, try things out. The system grows with you. Thanks to our shop in Floriday, we have a better overview. We have been able to expand our product range and can now present it more attractively to customers. You wouldn't want to still be relying on Excel, would you?"