The Netherlands is the heart of the international floriculture sector. It
has an intricate and high-quality network of companies, ranging from
breeders and growers to sales experts and export firms, representing every
aspect of the business. The Netherlands is the place where supply and demand
come together. From Europe and beyond.
FloraHolland flower auction plays a key role in the Netherlands, land of
Floriculture where its position as marketplace fulfils the role of
matchmaker, intermediary and knowledge center.
The network of locations is unique, and offers unprecedented power. Each
center has its own unique character. The network of marketplaces forms a
single business: they follow the same course and are linked to each other by
a strong logistical network.
Most people, even most locals, don't realize that Vancouver and the
Fraser Valley are home to a thriving plant and flower industry.
Millions of flowers and plants are grown annually.
One grower of premium roses, for example, produces more than 11 million
cut roses a year. A large percentage of the flowers and plants grown
here are sold at auction.
Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:00am, a hundred or
more people gather at
United
Flower Growers at 4085 Marine Way, just past Boundary Road in
Burnaby, to buy flowers. It is the second largest flower auction in the
world, smaller only than those in Holland. Although the auction can
handle 4000 individual transactions an hour, everything proceeds
quietly, orderly, electronically.
Bidders watch and bid from comfortable stadium seating, equipped with
bidding keypads, as a long procession of flowers rolls past on wagons.
The parade includes all kinds of cut flowers, potted flowers and plants,
and flowers in flats, bunches, blooms and baskets. You'll also see
bunches of sticks, leaves, bags of moss and ferns, most of which are
grown or produced in the fields and greenhouses of the Fraser Valley.
By no means a tourist attraction, United Flower Growers does allow
visitors to watch auctions but not to purchase flowers. Of course if you
stay around until the end, auctions last between an hour and three
hours, you may be able to buy a bunch of flowers from a florist loading
up a van.
Visit the auction
You need to get up early, but a visit to the auction makes it more
than worthwhile. A flower auction is a fascinating sight. Feel for
yourself the tension in the auction rooms. Behold dozens of tractors
with flower trolleys swarming around. In short: experience the
dynamics of the international flower and plant trade. There are two
centers you can visit: Aalsmeer and Naaldwijk.
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United Flower Growers
Co-operative Association
4085 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E2
604-430-2211
1-877-430-2211 |
