FloraHolland - Aalsmeer Flower Auction
A flower auction normally wouldn't have made it anywhere near my "To Visit" list, but I am really glad to visited FloraHolland.
Some stats to impress:
- It's the largest flower auction in the world
- Flowers are shipped here from all over the world
- On average, 20 million flowers are sold on a daily basis
When you step into the "warehouse", the first thing you notice is the smell of fresh flowers, and second, the size of the warehouse, which covers 243 acres (184 football fields).
Visitors walk on an elevated pathway, as to avoid interference with warehouse operations.
And then, endless pallets and trolleys full of flowers. Some of which I can't even identify.
Some trolleys are sorted by an automated track...
...others are picked up by the manually-driven orange electric trolleys. The trolley operators work unbelievably fast. The speed and efficiency at which they work, it was really impressive.
The way the trolleys weave in between each other, like a carefully choreographed dance. One false move and boom.
Only video can do it justice.
Quality Control
The Auction
At first glance, the auction room looks like any university lecture room. Except instead of powerpoint slides, everyone is concentrating on the countdown clock.
FloraHolland uses a Dutch-style auction, where the price goes from high to low and whoever bids first wins. The short transaction time of the Dutch auction suits the flower trade since flowers need to be sold and delivered quickly to ensure freshness.
To be a bidder at FloraHolland, you definitely need a quick trigger finger. The clock finishes counting down within a matter of seconds. Hundreds of transactions can be completed within a matter of minutes.
The Countdown Clock
Who knew that the flower trade can be so interesting?
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