Spreading sales by doubling container field |
|
|
|
|
 |
| 133 sec |
tree nursery E. de Jong anticipates the future
The season for harvesting trees from open ground is getting shorter and shorter. That means a high demand for labour in a very short period and an imbalance in revenue distribution. Erwin de Jong of Tree Nursery E. de Jong explains why it will become increasingly important for nurseries to find a solution to this in the future.
| Erwin de Jong: "We're expanding our container field to spread sales throughout the year." |
Tree nursery E. de Jong in Dongen has been around for over 30 years. Years ago, Erwin and Janny de Jong started growing mainly grafts and budded trees. Their sons, Jacco and Luc de Jong, now also work in the company. In addition to their wide existing range, they focus on three-times-transplanted trees and container fields. Today, Tree Nursery E. de Jong covers about 50 hectares of avenue trees, shaped trees and multi-stem trees in open ground, and 1.5 hectares of container fields.
80 percent of their open ground and container trees are exported to nurseries and landscapers throughout Europe. Only a fifth remains in the Netherlands. The entrepreneurs deliberately choose a broad range in sizes from 12-14 to 20-25. The website features an extensive overview of their range, including three-times-transplanted trees, hedges, whips, multi-stem trees, and hedges. The container fields mainly hold trees in sizes 10-12 and 12-14, as well as multi-stem and shaped trees. The range of container-grown trees is just as wide as that of open-ground trees. And soon, that stock will grow significantly, as the nursery is expanding.
longer delivery season
"Soon we'll expand our container field from 1.5 to 4 hectares," says Erwin de Jong. "We're doing this because the seasons are getting shorter and because we supply a lot to Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, and the Scandinavian countries." That might need some explanation: "We used to be able to start harvesting in early October. That's no longer possible; trees don't go dormant until November. Then we have to work really hard, because they start budding again in March. That gives us only a few months per year to deliver from open ground. That's a very short window to achieve your revenue; it makes the business vulnerable. By increasing our container production, we can spread both the work and the income. Container-grown products can be delivered for a much longer period. Anything that's in a pot can be traded all year round."
|
|
"Spreading work and revenue is essential for companies like ours in the future"
| |
|
De Jong has focused on the aforementioned countries for years, and this is now starting to pay off. Because the trees are grown in containers, they can still be delivered to these countries, even when they're already in full leaf here in the Netherlands.
 | | the container field will be significantly expanded this summer. |
|
|
more knowledge, more opportunities
De Jong: "Our sons, Jacco and Luc, who will continue the business, are excited about this expansion. They see opportunities and are eager to move forward. We started with just a few clients, including some in Denmark. Then you begin looking for more contacts, and it worked. That's how you keep thinking and searching. In the more northerly countries, the climate is different and trees come into leaf later. You learn this kind of thing and you respond to it. Or not, depending on what you want. We do respond.
Personally, I think this type of diversification, which we're achieving by expanding our container field, will become essential in the future. Once again, this year the season was short; it's clearly different from years past. You need many good people in a short time. There's so much trade to process that it's barely manageable. That won't change, of course, but it's good that we can spread some of our sales over the rest of the year as well."
The primary goal of the container field is to increase stock and thus availability. Broadening the assortment isn't the main objective, but it's always on the entrepreneurial family's radar. The new container field will be realised this summer.
 | | the new generation is focusing, among other things, on containers. |
|
|
This article was previously published on 23 July 2024 on the Boom In Business website.
| LOG IN
with your email address to respond.
|
|
|
| There are no comments yet. |
Tip the editors
|
| |
Anyone can place small ads for free through their own account.
Place a free ad
|
|
|
|
