Flower Auction

The flower auction takes place at Royal FloralHolland in Aalsmeer every day. Overnight, millions of cut flowers are delivered to an absolutely massive warehouse (over 240 soccer fields) and the auction begins early in the morning. We had to get up at 7 a.m. if we were to see any flowers. By 11 a.m. the flowers would be sold and moved out.

There is a walkway that passes in a loop around the centre of the floor. The walkway is over a kilometre long and from here you can observe the action below. When the flowers are delivered they are organized on one side of the floor. When they are sold, they are moved to the other side where they are sorted for delivery. 80 % of the flowers come from outside Holland. Africa is one primary source. When sold, the flowers are delivered all over the world.

A Dutch auction works differently than most. In times past, the buyers gathered in a large room to make their bids in person. Now the bidding happens online. When a batch of flowers comes up for auction, the cost is set at the highest possible asking price. When the clock begins the price starts to drop. Every second the price gets cheaper. The buyer enters data on which flowers he wants and the desired quantity. Then his finger hovers over the bid button. When he sees the price he wants he pushes the button and the flowers become his. There is no competitive bidding. If he bids early he pays a premium price, but if he waits too long the flowers may be gone.

The flowers enter the building and are placed in crates.

After they are sold they are tagged with delivery instructions and they are sorted. Some of the sorting is by hand. This system of tracks made me think of a post office or Amazon.

Flowers

Flowers

And more flowers.

Debby thought that the floor looked like a Pacman game with flowers moving everywhere.

Flowers are delivered in small batches and in long trains. By 11 a.m. the flowers will have all been loaded and the warehouse will be empty. Our guide told us of a time when the bus was stuck in traffic and arrived to find no flowers.

Now begins the process of cleaning up and preparing for the next batch.