Holland Bulb Market - expert in exports, partner in growth
 

In 1888, widow Blokker-Kokkes (42) remarried Jan van ‘t Hof (24), who had been working as a foreman at the company for years. Together with the Blokker sons, he took over and further expanded the business. Son Jan Blokker dared to seek new markets abroad. In 1891, he exported the first flower bulbs to England. This was followed by America and Canada. During a business trip, he even convinced Lady Bung, wife of the Canadian viceroy, with his expertise - which immediately resulted in a nice order.

During the war years, exports to America and Canada collapsed. Limited trade with Sweden and Germany remained. Jan Blokker showed his creativity and founded subsidiary Hollandia, where he dried chicory roots for coffee substitutes and processed flower bulbs into pudding powder and cake powder. After 1945, the focus was again entirely on flower bulb exports. Trade recovered quickly, old markets returned and new ones were tapped. Exports reached record highs.

In winter, Van ‘t Hof & Blokker processed tens of thousands of flowers while tulips, hyacinths and daffodils grew in the fields. The bulbs were packed by hand and transported to the port - later in sea containers, which were loaded piece by piece by hand.

Not everything always went smoothly: from a driver who drove to Linne in Limburg instead of Limmen, to an incorrectly refrigerated container that had to be completely emptied. For Vancouver, even an open container was carpentered by hand and covered with tarpaulins.

Mutualisation changed the work enormously: where in 1965 4-5 people needed three weeks for 3 hectares, now machines and two people manage it in one day. A clever tradition? Hyacinths were always planted after lunch - easily visible at dusk.

In 1978, Van ‘t Hof & Blokker moved from Limmen to Kapellaan 130 in Heiloo - our current location. The move was not without hassle: the building permit was for a ‘bulb shed’, but there were secret plans for tennis halls. When this came out, the municipal council threatened to halt construction.

Director De Jager managed to convince the province with a good story - about flower bulbs, of course - anyway. One of the officials used to peel bulbs himself and that was the deciding factor. Thus, The Blokkerhof was eventually festively opened.

Kees van der Velden took over Vanhof & Blokker and renamed the company: Holland Bulb Market / Holland Bulb Market. The company made a fresh start: roses disappeared from the range, many old activities were discontinued and the focus shifted to expansion. It was also decided to be less dependent on its own company in Canada, and to operate more as an independent supplier.

Round 2010, Holland Bulb Market increasingly focused on Eastern Europe, with new markets such as Latvia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Earlier, the first pallets went to Ukraine, Slovenia, Turkey and Belarus. Although Russia remained the biggest customer, the company decided to spread the risk and be less dependent on one market. By actively attending international trade fairs and visiting customers in person, Holland Bulb Market was able to further expand its global customer base - a strategy that is still central.

In 2018, Holland Bulb Market celebrated its 150th anniversary, a milestone that was extensively celebrated. The anniversary not only underlined the company's rich history, but also its strong international growth in recent years. Since 2013, Holland Bulb Market has managed to enter new markets in Thailand, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Vietnam.

During the anniversary year, the Prinses Margriet Amaryllis was also christened by Princess Margriet herself – a special tribute to the long ties with the Royal House.