Every day, Bloemenkwekerij Daling from Smilde sends out lorries to distribute flowers that are to be auctioned. As soon as the lorries leave the grower’s premises, Martijn Daling starts preparing for the next day. ‘This company is my life.’
As a young child, he was always glued to his tractor. His mother had to go to great lengths to get him in for dinner. He finished school as soon as possible so he could join the company. Nowadays, Martijn Daling (29) is in charge. His father spotted Martijn’s talent. ‘But I’m aware that I can’t achieve anything on my own. I am very happy with our team and my wife’s dedication. We are truly in it together. I employ many Poles, Ukrainians and Romanians. For many of them, I have organised housing in the village. I want to take good care of my team.’ Daling senior is still active within the company. Martijn: ‘My father owns 50 per cent of our nursery in Spain. He also works with a breeder to improve flower varieties. We are constantly working on species enhancement so we only need to use a minimum amount of chemicals. We have already developed two super-strong Phloxes.
Agriculture
In addition to Phloxes, Martijn uses some 100 hectares to grow peonies, delphiniums, ornamental grasses and Sanguisorba. On another similar sized plot, he grows onions, beets and grain. ‘I love being a farmer. In the evening, when all the other work is done, I like to go out on the tractor. I always say, “I am a farmer who grows flowers”.’ We have a barn full of tractors. Among all that shiny green metal, there is a seed drill that’s decades old. ‘That’s the first tractor my uncle ever used. It was sold years ago but later offered back to us again. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Many residents of Smilde know Daling’s company. A few years ago, Martijn was approached by the organisers of the regional Boerderijen Fiets Puzzeltocht (Farms Cycling Puzzle Tour), who asked whether they could plan the route across his farm. Hundreds of cyclists whizzed through his barn as spectators explored the premises. ‘We love these types of initiatives.’
Plantion is honest
When possible, Martijn visits Plantion’s regional meetings to exchange knowledge with his colleagues. But he doesn’t have time often. He is therefore happy that an auctioneer from Ede visits him regularly. This is how Martijn stays updated on everything that’s going on. ‘Plantion’s people are always honest about what they are looking for. If there are sufficient summer flowers already, they will tell me not to supply them as that would only lower the price. On the other hand, Plantion accepts all my delphinium. The auctioneers make sure my offer matches market demand. For example, they will point out that it is better for me to supply 100 centimetre tall delphiniums rather than 80 centimetres.’
Top quality
After taking over the business, Daling switched from retail flowers to growing top quality. He saw more of a future in the florist industry. ‘It was a big step but with a lot of care, patience and hard work, we did it. I want to be able to supply my flowers every day. Being reliable is very important to me.’ That’s why not a day goes by without full lorries hitting the road. For Darling, these are prosperous times. ‘The picking flowers we grow are very popular at the moment. You can’t predict something like that, though of course we keep an eye on developments. We do so together with Plantion.’
Producing sustainably
Daling does not grow fully organic, but is MPS certified. ‘We want to work with as few chemicals as possible. That is why we are always cross breeding for stronger varieties. I like to think about sustainability and seizing opportunities, but we must also remain realistic. The traditional market is still bigger than the organic market, and whoever pays gets to decide. That is why switching to 100 per cent organic is a future goal, but it will take some time to get there.’