Beautifully Colorful Fields at Astilbe Grower Van Aert Flowers

There is quite a distance between Aalsmeer and Breda, as we discover during this visit. Upon arriving at the Breda location of grower couple Corné and Annemieke van Aert, we are impressed by the size of the building. Surrounding it are fields filled with vibrant Astilbe in shades ranging from pink to deep burgundy. A tractor approaches with a large bulb tray, and we see many people working in the fields. What a busy scene! It’s high time to start our conversation and learn more about our supplier of Summer Hero Astilbe.

Corné and Annemieke walk up to us, and we head inside together. They take us to a meeting room with a great view of both the fields outside and the production hall inside. We are amazed by what we see. “Yes,” says Corné, “it is indeed a large business. We supply Astilbe and Brassica to Holex, among other products. We cultivate here on 90 hectares. All of our outdoor fields are within a one-kilometer radius. We also have a greenhouse, which is located two kilometers from here. The greenhouse we recently purchased is four kilometers away. So everything is fairly close together.” We ask him about the new greenhouse. Why the expansion? “We want to grow Astilbe year-round so we can better supply our customers.”

From 9 to 90 hectares

“My father started growing flowers in 1990,” Corné continues. “Before that, he grew vegetables. I took over the business in 2013, and at that time, it was nine hectares. From the moment my father switched to flowers, we had Astilbe in our assortment. After I took over, there was a bit of a decline in that. But now, Astilbe is back in style. About 70% of our revenue comes from these products. It’s a very important product for us!”

We ask Annemieke what other products they have in their assortment. “We also grow Brassica, and in addition, we cultivate Chelone, Lysimachia, Dahlia, Fritillaria, Polygonatum, Alchemilla, Allium, Dicentra, and Peonies. So it’s a very wide assortment!” she says enthusiastically. “Almost everything is grown outdoors. We have about 15 hectares where we grow in plastic tunnels. At the start of the season, we cover young crops with these tunnels, and once those are ready for harvesting, we move the tunnels to other crops. For example, we always keep Alchemilla in the tunnel because it needs protection from the rain. We also do this with white Astilbe to keep its color pure and with the light pink variety, Europa, to maintain its beautiful color.” How is the workload distributed throughout the year? “We start harvesting the first products in April,” she says. “In May, we begin harvesting Peonies in the tunnels at full capacity. That’s when we’re really busy. The workload starts to decrease at the end of September, and we harvest the last flowers in late December.”

With so much space, how many people are needed to get the work done, we ask Corné. “To keep everything running, we employ about 50 people during the season,” he says. “In the winter, around ten people stay on. This number will increase, as we will need more staff during the winter for the work in the newly acquired greenhouse.”

Always on the Move

We then get up to take a tour of the company. Corné and Annemieke first take us to the nearby outdoor fields. We ask the couple how they decide on their product assortment. Do they also do breeding? What trends do they monitor in the market? “With Astilbe, we deal with mutations,” Corné explains. “We keep a close eye on this and experiment ourselves. We are currently working on developing two mutations. I also regularly visit breeders to see what they have to offer, and sometimes we select new varieties to put into production.”

“Look, this is Astilbe Erika,” says Corné, pointing to a section of the field. “This is one of the oldest varieties we grow here. It remains one of my favorites because it’s one of the strongest varieties and holds its color so well.” We see light and dark plumes. “We go through the crop several times to harvest as uniformly as possible. For example, the light color here is sold as Astilbe Earth Light Pink. This way, customers know exactly what colors they are buying. Last weekend, we processed around 100 carts of Astilbe. During peak season, we handle over a million stems of Astilbe per week. But it really depends on the time of year and how the season goes. Sometimes, a bulb produces far more stems than expected, and the yield is higher.”

And what about sustainability? “We operate with a strong focus on environmental sustainability,” says Annemieke. “For example, we have solar panels installed on our roofs, and our offices are heated using geothermal energy, making us self-sufficient. Additionally, we use GPS systems on our tractors. This makes us more efficient and saves fuel. By reducing the amount of driving on the land, the soil and its ecosystem remain in better condition. The GPS systems also allow us to fertilize and apply crop protection more precisely, targeting specific areas. We are FSI-compliant through our MPS-A and MPS-GAP certifications. We are prepared for the future!”

Not Done Growing Yet

We continue walking and head indoors. In the production hall, three Furora bunching machines are in full operation. Each bunching line has its own team, processing different products. Corné notices our interest and says, “Yes, and we plan to expand the hall here behind us, making it about the same size as this section. We need more space for our machines.” We are also shown a huge cold storage room, where countless carts are waiting for transport.

It’s clear to us that Corné and Annemieke are far from done growing. We’re curious to see what surprises this grower couple has in store for us in the coming years: new products, new varieties, expanded availability... At Van Aert Flowers, they see the opportunities!

We say goodbye to the couple and head back to Aalsmeer. There, we meet Pascal Zandvliet, Astilbe buyer at Holex Flower. “Working with Corné and Annemieke is very pleasant,” Pascal says. “Short lines of communication, clear messages, and you know what to expect when you order their products. The colors are consistent, and they can deliver in large quantities thanks to their scale. Very convenient when we receive a big order!”

Feel free to browse the Holex webshop, where the Astilbe category is updated daily with the latest offerings. Do you have questions or need specific information? Contact your Holex Account Manager (wholesalers) or your wholesale contact person (florists and event planners).

Process

• Astilbe is a tuberous plant.
• The mature stems are harvested by hand.
• Van Aert Flowers conducts various trials with new varieties.
• The Furora bunching machines ensure uniformity in color and stem length.