48 million flowers are traded daily on the Dutch stock exchange. They travel to the Dutch town of Aalsmeer from various corners of the world and in a few hours they are already heading elsewhere. However, no one has time to admire the flowers on site. Minutes decide who buys the flowers.
The Dutch stock exchange is very specific and most of the cut flowers sold by Czech florists come from it. However, this does not mean that all flowers are from Holland. The stock market is just a place where all production, even from the most distant corners of the world, gathers. And from there they continue.
Thanks to the flower exchange, we are able to supply our customers with fresh plants - even if they are from the other side of the world. So how does such an exchange work? We have put together some basic facts that will surely surprise you.
- When we talk about the Dutch stock exchange, we are talking about a place located in the small Dutch town of Aalsmeer, about 15 kilometers from Amsterdam. The building in which the stock exchange is located is, with its 990 m², the second largest commercial building in the world.
- Hundreds of thousands of cut flowers from all over the world are rotated here every day. For a closer idea - over 60,000 flowers are sold on the stock exchange in one minute. At the end of the day, there are up to 48 million flowers and 5 million other plants. The opening hours are from 6 in the morning, and although it closes at 11 in the morning, by 10 o'clock most of the flowers are already sold and travel to their destination to be delivered the same day or the next morning.
- However, it is not individual sellers who bid on the exchange. In most cases, these are experienced Dutch businessmen who then sell the flowers to their partners/customers -for example also us.
We recently received a question on social media. One of our followers asked us why our flowers are Dutch and not Czech. It would be nice if we had production in the Czech Republic, but also incredibly expensive, which would be reflected in the prices for you, our end customers. Most flowers need enough light and higher temperatures, which the Czech climate cannot offer, and heating and lighting greenhouses would be very expensive. Who would then buy one rose for 500 crowns?
- Roses, tulips and chrysanthemums are sold the most on the exchange. However, the entire assortment consists of roughly 30,000 species of other plants.
- Stocks of flowers flow here in air-conditioned trucks or airplanes. When buying and selling flowers, it's all about time, everything has to be done so that the end customer gets the flowers on time. Logistics and transportation is therefore very important. In addition, merchants here can purchase the entire assortment in a moment, which is much easier for them than importing most of the flowers individually by type from different corners of the world.
- As it happens in the stock market, the price for flowers is not fixed. However, the Dutch stock exchange is different from the classic auction that you are probably familiar with. The grower comes up with a relatively high price at the beginning, and it gradually decreases until one of the buyers accepts. Of course, the lower it goes, the more interest there is in the flowers, and so the race against time begins.
- Good news for flower lovers - the stock exchange is also accessible to visitors and it is a very interesting spectacle. :-)
We supply our stores every day from the Dutch stock exchange - especially those in Prague, where there is the greatest demand. We get most of our assortment from the Dutch stock exchange. Except for the roses. Because of the unique quality, we only buy them from Ecuador. You will recognize them at first glance. They have really big flowers and long stems. It will keep fresh in your home for several weeks. By the way, have you read our7 tips on how to care for roses so they last a long time?
