Danny van der Meij from Verboon Fleurs

Verboon Fleurs likes to make a difference. If it is not with the export of flowers and plants alongside line driving, then it is with the consistent delivery of top quality in the top segment. Verboon Fleurs also distinguishes itself with the software and web shop of FreshPortal, which puts even more emphasis on the enormous width of the breathtakingly beautiful assortment with underlying links to stock management and order transactions.

Plant language
By choosing FreshPortal's software with a personalized web shop, Verboon Fleurs is preparing for the future. "The implementation went smoothly and at the moment we are working hard on fine-tuning and further optimization" says Danny van der Meij, all-rounder and spider in the web of the company. "The latter is still a challenge. After all, Verboon Fleurs is a unique company that operates in the top segmented Swiss market as both an exporter and a line driver. These two branches of the sport under one roof requires two separate administrations, which again intersect at a number of points. The complexity of this was also a surprise to FreshPortal. However, their service level is high and the adjustments around the full integration of the software at this point are being handled well. Although this part of the process could still be a bit faster, with each update of the software another step is taken. Also, communication with FreshPortal is good and the two employees supervising the process have both worked in flower and plant export. The fact that they also speak 'plant language' and therefore immediately understand what you mean ensures that what we ask for is delivered and that creates trust."

Top segment
Verboon Fleurs, by the way, has been located at flower auction Royal FloraHolland Rijnsburg for more than twenty-five years. With a team of eleven enthusiastic employees, it serves the Swiss market with a top segment of flowers and plants. The founders of Verboon Fleurs are Aat and Wout Verboon. They learned the ropes in their father's export business. "Currently, Verboon Fleurs has two well running flower lines on Switzerland and also runs a separate plant truck" says Danny. "On Tuesdays the flower trucks always leave for Switzerland and a day earlier the plant truck. This trade is aimed at the higher segmented flower stores in Switzerland. We buy our products mostly from leading growers or at the three auction locations of Royal FloraHolland."

Web shop
"Also for export, we distribute and pack all daily fresh products ourselves and can rely on a regular carrier for transport to Switzerland. With exports, we serve both florists and garden centers. This rather unique combination of export and line haulage has proven to be a real success factor. This also means that the assortment of Verboon Fleurs has to be incredibly wide to serve all our customers optimally. This called for a clear and user-friendly web shop that radiates quality. Nice to mention is that the web shop was indirectly the reason why Verboon Fleurs finally chose FreshPortal as their new software and web shop supplier. We did not want a web shop with the same look that the other software vendors offer, but really something distinctive. That was what FreshPortal had to offer. Meanwhile, our full range of products is clearly and beautifully presented, in a beautiful and user-friendly setting. Of course with direct links to our inventory and purchase and sales administration to the flowers and plants trade of Verboon Fleurs to run optimally," said Danny van der Meij.