‘I am still a florist at heart and soul: I have had my business for 34 years and this store in Amsterdam for 29 years now. In addition, I have Studio Menno Kroon in Cothen, a place where we do much larger projects, organize events, and receive clients.’ On this sunny Monday afternoon in May, Menno Kroon is alternately enthusiastic and concerned: the time for doing nothing is over, he states. Radical changes are needed in the flower industry; from a complete revision of vocational education to a fairer cultivation process.
What does good entrepreneurship mean to you as a florist? ‘You have to be able to calculate. Really, that's where it starts. I have been calculating my hours, my waste, my parking costs, my transport all my life. Otherwise you won't have anything left. And then you can't pay good people either.’
‘But you also have to be creative, understand your profession, and know what trade is. Understand what sells, what is left behind, what people want. Your store must be an experience. And you achieve that by having a sense of what is going on in the world. Walk through a city, what is going on? What do the people look like? What stands out? That's where it all starts.’
‘In addition, you must continuously innovate your organization. Keep your team fresh. Today, you need people on your team who understand Instagram, photography, layout. Your quotation must be correct, with good photos. My people think along, take responsibility. And that also requires me to give them trust and space.’
What makes your store special? ‘Exclusivity. The location is small, but very powerful. We utilize every square meter. Everything revolves around atmosphere; from the scent policy to the lighting. We completely change our store three to four times a year, then we take everything out and start over. Sometimes because of a new collection, sometimes because of a theme like Valentine's Day. But it is also about events in the city, such as 750 years of Amsterdam. Then we have something special made for that. Good presentation; displaying makes you desire. You have to be working on that every day.’
'During the Christmas period, the entire store is one big Christmas ornament. A very specific period in which you sell fewer plants – also because we don't have room to put them down, I always have to make choices.'
'This morning I heard on the news that it will be a very warm week. And it is also vacation time, so you know that you have to buy fewer flowers. But you also know that people will be putting nice pots in the garden or on the balcony in nice spring weather. So you make sure you have a lot of cozy outdoor plants, because they are more likely to buy that than a flower.'
‘I am constantly looking for 'I don't know what’.’
What are the inspirations for your store design? ‘Sometimes that comes from a beautiful pot from Italy, sometimes from a museum exhibition; I build a whole atmosphere around such a collection. In addition, we have been selling very beautiful items from the beginning; I try to give my own stamp to vases, pots and everything in between. I also work a lot with artists to create special products. These are all unique things, and that goes one step further. I am constantly looking for ‘I don’t know what’, I always say.’
'Very expensive things are sometimes beautiful, but they don't always have a high turnover rate. Look, there is a very beautiful Japanese plate against the wall, for example. Those are often unique items, nice to have, but I'm not going to make a living from that. So you have to know how to make a good mix.'
What is your signature style? ‘Pure. Natural. I am a florist with heart and soul and my basic approach is to always sell fresh and beautiful flowers. I think that is very important, and we always receive a lot of compliments about that. And I also pay attention to quality and shelf life. Good flowers have become more expensive, expectations are higher. So if you offer something, it has to be right. It's no use if a bouquet is drooping after a day.’
‘As a florist, you have to understand what you are selling and be able to purchase well. You used to be able to get everything at the auction. Now you have to be everywhere: at growers, at commission agents, in Ede, in Boskoop. But our tulips come from a grower; we have a special address for that. I love flowers as they are and use almost no filler greenery. A bunch of Fritillaria in a beautiful vase, without anything else, is stunning. No fuss, we are real flower people.’
What role does sustainability play in your work? ‘I try to do everything as purely as possible and am also consciously engaged with sustainability in presentation and purchasing. My packaging has been adapted. The customer appreciates that more and more, but it has to remain realistic. There are too few organic flowers and, moreover, it is an assortment that does not entirely match what the customer is looking for.
What do you see as challenges for the flower industry in the Netherlands? ‘What still happens a lot now is growing too early, overproduction, too much plastic. So let's first try to improve the quality in the cultivation process by using fewer resources, growing slower, using less gas. That's where the profit lies. And that whole route includes an honest story that we have to tell. No greenwashing.’
‘The location is small, but very powerful’
What kind of place is Studio Menno Kroon in Cothen? ‘Cothen is my second location, just outside the city, which I built myself. I bought it 23 years ago as a bare piece of land with a house and some sheds. Now it has become a special place, with a large warehouse, a walled garden and mature trees. Everything we can't store in Amsterdam, we do there. And I also live there. It is a place where everything comes together.’
How does Cothen differ from your store in Amsterdam? ‘Amsterdam is retail, dynamics, visibility. Cothen is peace, preparation, behind the scenes. Everything comes in at Cothen, is sorted, priced, prepared. Large assignments, rentals, construction of projects – that happens there. It is our creative and logistical base.’
What kind of events take place? ‘From weddings to corporate events, dinners, photoshoots. We also receive customers there to discuss weddings and special projects. Everything that is larger in scale runs through Cothen.’
‘But an event can also take place at another location, such as a wedding last summer in the South of France. With local products such as olive leaves, lots of lavender, and herbs, we did very unique things there; it's all about the vibe you create, the feeling and the expression you put into it.’
‘And we naturally also give that attention when we organize an event in Cothen. The location is very special. And then with all the extras – because the most beautiful flowers are already there in the base. But then we fill extra pots with summer plants so that it just looks super neat. It doesn't matter what we organize there; it can be very rural, but if they want it to be uber-chic, that is also possible.’
How do you see the future of your company? ‘I’m not going to stop. Maybe work less hard in the long term, but I’ll stay involved. Sander is now growing with the company. And I am guiding that. Plus, because of the know-how, I would think it a shame to suddenly stop now. Moreover, I would never want to lose the store, it is really a safety net for all kinds of different assignments.’
‘I am always looking for the next step. I personally like timeless things that are still beautiful in ten years. But I also want to know how young people experience things. They spend money differently and have different sensitivities.’
'I am always in the store myself on Saturdays. Firstly for my team – everyone has been working here for quite a long time, also because we simply have a good relationship with each other. And secondly for the customers. During such a day in the store, I also hear what is going on.'
'No fussing, we are real flower people'
What does the future of the flower industry look like? ‘The flower industry is sick. Many flower shops have already disappeared and many more will disappear if we do nothing. If we want the profession to still exist in the future, we must intervene. And quickly too. It is five past twelve!’
‘The image of the profession is poor. People say: ‘Do you need to study for that?’ That's just not right. There is a total lack of allure, but also of pride. While the profession is so special. And yes, it's also about money. The salaries in the floral industry are far too low.’
What should such a trajectory look like? ‘We need to give the flower industry a completely different flair. And that starts with the courses, which simply no longer fit the contemporary picture. There are almost no new registrations. So rigorously close all current courses and start again because the gap with practice is huge. What needs to come is a master binder course with real allure that matches what we as a society need. You have to look for people who understand the sector and look further and set a new (international) standard – from which a derivative can then be made for the intermediate level. But first the top has to be right.’
‘And it shouldn't just be about flowers. As I said before, today you also need to have knowledge of photography, Instagram, commerce, speak your languages, and draw up an appealing quote. It is much broader than just flower arranging; it is about educating young professionals with an entrepreneurial outlook.’
Would you like to play a role in that yourself? ‘Maybe in a few years, I’m still too busy now. But I do see that there are few others who are going to take it up. In our profession, you actually need someone like a Lidewij Edelkoort who is a predictor and researcher of new trends in the field of fashion and design.’
Are there any bright spots? ‘I see a new generation rising up that is looking for meaning, for authenticity. That is hopeful. But we do have to offer them something.’
'It's about training young professionals with an entrepreneurial vision'
Menno Kroon works with a close-knit team of fifteen full-time employees at two locations
Atelier Menno Kroon Amsterdam
Cornelis Schuytstraat 11, Amsterdam-Zuid
Studio & Events Estate Cothen
Kapelleweg 1b, Cothen
www.mennokroon.nl
Insta/Facebook Menno Kroon
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