"We check, pack and supply roses" is the motto of Fresco Flowers. Their mission is to supply as many customers as possible with fresh, top-quality roses from Kenya in the right packaging — consistently and reliably. The short lines of communication at this leading flower processing company enable them to switch from A to Z at lightning speed, with maximum results.

"Fresco Flowers was founded in 2005," says operations manager Rico Telleman. "We are based at Royal FloraHolland flower auction in Aalsmeer — in the heart of the flower industry. From this location, we bring around 400 million fresh roses from Kenya to market each year. More than ninety percent of these pass through the auction clocks for distribution and sale across Europe, with only a small portion going directly to trade. The range — an extraordinarily attractive and diverse assortment of more than one hundred varieties of large-flowered roses in the premium segment — is unpacked for eleven growers in Kenya. Delivering consistently top quality demands maximum grip on our business processes. Our flat organisational structure with short lines of communication, combined with FreshPortal software, contributes to this successful process."

FreshPortal software
Colleague Jaap Buis adds that he first encountered FreshPortal director Robin Jongkind in Kenya around nine years ago and heard about the software for the first time. "Most growers were still tracking their numbers in Excel spreadsheets back then — done manually and prone to a certain degree of error. Drawing on this real-world situation and by listening carefully to growers, FreshPortal had developed a great software system that was easy to implement, affordable, and straightforward to use. Beyond an internet connection, no major investment is needed to get started with FreshPortal software — working in the cloud makes that possible. That is truly ideal and was one of the reasons we became FreshPortal users in 2018. By now, eight of the eleven Kenyan growers are connected to the software system, which has given us even greater control over our business processes."

Efficient and effective
Because the Kenyan growers that Fresco Flowers works with have been automated through FreshPortal, it is always clear how many roses are being harvested at each farm and how many are being shipped. The process is simple and transparent: all roses packed into boxes in Kenya are fitted with a barcode sticker containing all the necessary product specifications. Before the roses are transported by refrigerated truck to Nairobi Airport for their journey to the Netherlands, they are scanned. Based on this data, Fresco Flowers begins planning the unpacking process during transit itself, and staffing is coordinated accordingly. As soon as the roses arrive in the Netherlands and Belgium, they can be transported directly to Aalsmeer and unpacked without delay. This process runs efficiently and effectively, with great attention to quality. Advanced machinery is also deployed to ensure fast processing. In the future, Fresco Flowers expects to achieve even greater efficiency gains once an improved connection to RFH Dockservice Aalsmeer is established — something that several parties in the chain are currently discussing with Royal FloraHolland.

Room for improvement
While Fresco Flowers is highly satisfied with the FreshPortal software, Jaap and Rico acknowledge there is always something left to wish for. "Scanning the roses at dispatch works fantastically well for the growers in Africa. But like any piece of equipment, scanners occasionally run into issues. It is not always possible to resolve these immediately — sometimes several emails with explanations are needed, which takes time. A simple troubleshooting guide for growers, allowing them to resolve minor issues themselves in a few steps, could solve this. Knowing the responsiveness and service of FreshPortal, we are confident this will be addressed."