Interview with Mr. Bas van der Heijden, rose buyer at Eddy's Flower Ex

Interview with Mr. Bas van der Heijden, rose buyer at Eddy's Flower Ex

Interview with Mr. Bas van der Heijden, rose buyer at Eddy's Flower Export, Aalsmeer, The Netherlands.

Eddy's Flower Export is founded 8 years ago and is specialised in exporting a broad range of very exclusive and superior quality flowers to France and Switzerland.

Eddy's clients are for example the very exclusive flower shops/designers/event planners in Monaco and St. Tropez, but also wholesalers in Paris and in the whole of Switzerland.

They offer their clients tailor made solutions and advises, therefore no order is too small or too difficult. For their clients the price is important but not decisively. Their clients want the highest possible quality, exclusivity, novelties and service. At Eddy's they know all the specific flower needs and preferences of every single client.

Bas van der Heijden is the rose buyer at Eddy's Flower Export and he is, possibly the most regular buyer of Batian Flowers' Marie-Claire!® at the Aalsmeer auction.

Bas about the variety Marie-Claire!®:

"In my opinion, there are two completely different Marie-Claire!® products: The Batian Flowers product, grown at a high altitude and the 'normal' Kenyan product. The roses from Batian Flowers are much larger headed, even up to 6 cm, and more intensely coloured than the other Kenyan Marie-Claire!®."

In Europe many wholesalers and retailers are very enthusiastic about Marie-Claire!®. Can you explain what it is they like so much about it?

There is not much choice in the orange segment and Marie-Claire!® is a very good and striking variety.
Some of our clients ask especially for Marie-Claire!® from Batian Flowers, as this is really a fantastic bunch of flowers with sturdy stems and beautiful large buds. Marie-Claire!® is pure expression. They love the colours! Some buy it as bi-colour, some as orange and others as yellow.
Our clients are also fond of the 'normal' Kenyan Marie-Claire!®. This is a sound intermediate rose with beautiful colours and a solid stem. The availability of this product is good in every desired stem length and considering the price and quality, it is a very attractive choice!

Can you compare it to other orange or bi-colour varieties in the market?

Maybe you can slightly compare it to a new Dutch Schreurs variety; Orange Juice!® as this flower is also orange/flamed and large headed. But a real comparison, no, not that I can think of.

Where do you sell? Is there a specific geographical market for orange or bi-colour roses?

We are specialised in France and Switzerland and we focus on the very exclusive segment in these countries. And our clients love Marie-Claire!®.

Besides Marie-Claire!® we also buy other orange varieties, mostly Dutch product. Our clients are demanding and willing to pay high prices, so when we need a superb orange, we definitely buy Marie-Claire!® from Batian Flowers.

In your experience how is the vase life and the transportability of Marie-Claire!®?

In my experience Marie-Claire!® has no inferior characteristics.
She opens well, has good stems, beautiful buds, extreme good and expressive presentation and above this, she is also a good traveller.
Once in a while we 'are missing a bud' in a bunch so there is only the stem, but that happens with all varieties.
I have never heard anyone complaining about the longevity.

What is the minimum head size in cm you expect from an orange or bi-colour rose. Does Marie-Claire!® meet these expectations?

The required head size differs. But the Batian Flowers' Marie-Claire!® as well as the normal Kenyan Marie-Claire!® meet our expectations.
Batian in the large flowered with long stems segment and the others in the intermediate segment.

What is the stem size you need in bi-colour or orange roses? Does Marie-Claire!® meet the expectations?

From 40 cm till 80 cm is fine. The stem length of Marie-Claire!® is all right.

How do you sell your flowers, in boxes, on water, etc.?
According to the specific wishes of every single client. Most French florists want to be supplied with boxes.
The Swiss wholesalers want to be delivered with as well as boxes and on water.
Generally we ship Marie-Claire!® from Batian Flowers on water and the intermediate Marie-Claire!® in boxes.

What are the needs of your clients when they are using Marie-Claire!®?

Our clients use Marie-Claire!® from Batian Flowers in their exclusive bouquets and artistic arrangements and designs. Also many event planners are using Marie-Claire!®, as this flower is of an extraordinary beauty. With this flower you are able to make a creative and expressive statement.

The normal Kenyan Marie-Claire!® is mainly used in bouquets. As already mentioned this is a perfect intermediate rose in a good colour at a very interesting price level.

Do you sell all you rose varieties for the same price (depending on length) or do you sell hot varieties at a premium?

We only charge our clients the actual auction price plus a margin. We never use premium prices.
And sometimes when the prices are sky high for the 80 cm Marie-Claire!® product, we don't charge the margin.

Sometimes Marie-Claire!® prices are very high, even our clients consider the prices as very expensive, therefore when we get the lower prices of Batian Marie-Claire!® we directly receive extra orders.

Have you done any specific promotion/advertising for Marie-Claire!®?

Besides having sent samples of the flowers to all our clients a few years ago we haven't done any promotional activities. The clients who made a trial order, are still buying Marie-Claire!®, almost regardless of the price.