Direct contact with customers makes the difference

Two Dutch entrepreneurs who never expected to work together have built a business with a clear vision. Niels van Egmond and Sidney Pardon jointly run VivelaFleur, a Netherlands-based company supplying florists and garden centres with a mix of traded goods, proprietary products, and a steady stream of new ideas.

Niels founded VivelaFleur in 2018 after plans to take over his father’s business fell through. “Things just didn’t go as expected,” he says. “So I started looking at what else was possible.” Through his network, he was introduced to a client who offered him VivelaFleur (then part of Viveledon) a name already known in the floristry trade, partly through a product called the Bloemensnijder (flower stripper). That same client had also developed a new product called Kleintje Knip. Together, these two products formed the foundation on which Niels acquired VivelaFleur and launched a webshop.

BloomShaper
A significant step came in 2020, when Niels purchased the patent on the BloomShaper — then called Flower+, a product originally designed by Sidney. At the time, Sidney was still working in the construction industry but remained closely involved with his invention. He accompanied Niels to trade shows to promote the BloomShaper, and Niels repeatedly asked him to join VivelaFleur. Sidney finally made the move at the end of 2024.

“We also started importing mourning ribbon in 2020,” Niels explains. “It certainly wasn’t without its challenges, but the first container of ribbon is now on its way and should confirm that all the teething problems have been resolved. We are extremely proud of that. We have been so precise on price and quality throughout that we have grown into one of the three largest mourning ribbon suppliers in the Netherlands, and in a very short time.”

Division of roles
The two have a clear division of responsibilities. Niels handles the webshop, logistics and finances, while Sidney focuses on sales, which means being on the road. Each week he drives a well-stocked van across the country to visit florists and garden centres. The product range is broad: ribbon, glassware, ceramics, cutting tools, packaging materials and soft toys, with the BloomShaper always included.

“Direct contact with customers makes the difference,” says Sidney. “You see straight away what people need.” That feedback feeds directly into their range, which is refreshed every eight weeks, the same cycle in which they cover their sales routes, so customers know exactly what to expect. Orders placed one week are typically delivered the next.

In-house designs
Around 20 percent of the range consists of proprietary designs or directly imported products. Alongside the BloomShaper, AgraWool is another product they have been developing for some time. “We have now designed a 100 percent biodegradable funeral stem holder to go with it,” says Sidney. Although demand for sustainable alternatives exists, they find the Dutch market is not yet fully ready for them. “Sustainability matters, but in practice, working method and price are often still the deciding factors,” says Niels.

Trial and error
Running a business in the ornamental horticulture sector does not come without difficulties. “We have had tough years,” they acknowledge. “But we keep going. Sometimes you fall down ten times, even when you’re doing everything right.” That mindset appears to be paying off. VivelaFleur now supplies customers ranging from small independent florists to the largest garden centre chains, as well as Fleurop, Euroflorist and the German cooperative Landgard.

“We supply all of them,” says Niels. “And given that it’s just the two of us, those are clients we are incredibly proud to be working with. They open more doors for us.”

Ambitions
Their ambitions are substantial. Within five years, they aim to have the BloomShaper widely available through wholesale channels, as routine a purchase as a bag of rubber bands. They also want proprietary designs to account for 50 percent of their range, and are considering adding a second or even third delivery van.

“Sitting still isn’t an option,” says Sidney. “We keep thinking, developing and trying. That’s what drives us, and what makes it so enjoyable.”

For more information:
ViveLaFleur
+31 6 34 89 59 71
[email protected]
www.vivelafleur.nl