Where did all those pretty flowers come from?


Wondering where all the pretty spring flowers come from?  Most of them come from the Dutch Flower Auctions and are shipped all over the world. Here’s a little bit about the Dutch Flower Auctions:

"Where did all those pretty flowers come from"The Dutch cut flower auctions form the distribution base for flowers and plants throughout the world. Their magnitude appeals to one’s imagination. The auctions have even become a major tourist attraction in Holland.

There is an endless stream of figures and facts designed to capture the magnitude of auctions. Here are interesting factual tidbits regarding the Dutch cut flower auctions in the world:

  • According to the Guinness Book of Records, the auction in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands is the largest commercial building in the world, comprising one million square meters. For that matter, the total floor space of the Flora Holland outlets equals 1,500,000 square meters or 16,145,865 square feet.
  • The Dutch auction at Naaldwijk has the largest floral cooling space in the world, measuring 43,000 square meters or 462,848 square feet – larger than 10 soccer fields combined. 
  • Over three-quarters of flowers and plants supplied to Dutch auctions are exported.
  • The auction clock was invented in Holland in 1902. The auction takes place by counting down from highest price to lowest price. The buyer stops the clock by pressing a button. If he is the first to press his button, he then purchases the flowers or plants being auctioned.
  • The auction in Aalsmeer draws more than 100,000 visitors annually.
  • At the auctions, the price of cut flowers is always a per stem price.
  • In 2006, Dutch auctions had combined sales of 3,975,400,000 euro – of which 2,500,400,000 euro for cut flowers.
  • Most Dutch cut flowers are exported to Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Belgium.
  • At Dutch auctions, the most popular cut flowers sold are roses, chrysanthemums and tulips (in that order).
  • The export of cut flowers to Russia is the fastest growing (up 26% in 2006) export market for Dutch grown cut flowers.
  • Each year, the Dutch ornamental flower sector develops between 1,200 and 1,500 new flowers and plants.
  • Not all sales take place by the auction clock. The auctions also act as intermediary brokers between flower growers and buyers, without using the clock. This service started in 1972, and now makes up around one-fourth of total sales.
  • Dutch flower auctions use 12 million flower buckets and 800,000 flower boxes annually to get its flowers safely from the grower to the wholesaler.
  • Some 12,300 companies are involved in making deliveries to the Dutch auctions.

So next time you order spring flowers from your local florist, you have a little more insight into what goes into getting them from the earth to you!

Heidi

Be sure and order your next floral bouquet from Eden Florist.

One thought on “Where did all those pretty flowers come from?

  1. I just saw a show on TV about this place and it was amazing. The auctions have 30,000 different kinds of flowers per day. All the flowers get there within 24 hours and leave within 24 hours to all over the world. Bids on flowers are every 5 seconds!

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