Arien van Viet of Van Vliet Antúrios comes from a family of Dutch descendants. He was born in Brazil, currently lives in Holambra SP Brazil and works as an agronomical engineer. He lives on his family’s farm, where he is the third generation of the Van Vliet family business. Arien identifies strongly with agriculture because of where he lives and what he does. He was already accompanying his father to work from a very young age. After graduating from university, he started full-time at the company in 2005.
What is Van Vliet Anturios and what do you do?
Van Vliet is a producer of Anthurium pot plants and young plants and has been in partnership with Anthura since 1994. I have been the owner and director of the company since 2018, when my father retired. I am the only one in the family business now, as my siblings were not interested in joining the company because they had other interests and academic qualifications.
Arien van Vliet
Can you tell us something about the company’s current structure and developments in recent years?
Van Vliet has an area of 23 hectares; with 23,000 square metres of greenhouses with pad fans, shading, heating, drainage, and reservoirs for rainwater collection. Our most recent investments over the last few years have been a boiler (for heating), photovoltaic energy, and the extension of the greenhouses with a new structure of changing rooms and bathrooms for employees.
You recently built a new greenhouse. Can you tell us more about that?
In 2023, we added 2,150 square metres of greenhouse as the production of Anthuriums was increasing. The Anthurium greenhouse was a big investment (compared to other crops) and after the pandemic this cost became even higher. This investment was made with own resources, because the bank interest rate in Brazil is very high, approximately 13-15% per year.
Why did you choose Anthurium pot plants?
Anthurium pot plants produce a bigger profit and for this reason the revenue per square metre per year is very good. It is also a crop that is relatively easy to cultivate and, most of all, I like growing Anthuriums. Anthurium is a much-loved plant in Brazil and the consumption of flowers and consequently Anthurium has grown annually.
Anthurium young plant
How is your sales and distribution organised?
Our sales are handled by the Veiling Holambra Cooperative, which is the same Veiling System as in the Netherlands. All production is delivered to the Cooperative, where our customers buy and supply for all the regions in Brazil. Currently we work with 80% direct sales and 20% through the ‘on the clock’ auction.
We see in Brazil that the clock system is still very strong, compared to Holland (according to reports from Dutch producers).With regard to seedlings, we sell to producers in the Holambra region, which facilitates commercialization and logistics.
What distinguishes your company from others, both in- and outside Brazil?
We are a small, family company, we are always looking to implement improvements and increase professionalism, bringing in consultants in order to automate, innovate and grow in a healthy and sustainable manner. We always work to make improvements in the greenhouses with the aim of automating processes and training our employees.
In Europe, energy in combination with sustainability is a hot topic. How important is that for you?
The word sustainability is very important and Van Vliet has been working hard on this issue since 2007, when we recovered four hectares of forest near the river that runs through our property. In 2010, we created a 6,000 cubic metre reservoir that captures rainwater which we use for irrigation. All the greenhouses have drainage systems and all the water used for irrigation returns to the reservoir.
Last year we invested in the purchase of 432 photovoltaic panels for power generation, supplying all our energy demands and taking advantage of all the light intensity offered by Brazil.
In terms of production, we are always reducing the use of chemical pesticides and using more biological pesticides. In addition, we are currently carrying out tests with biofertilizers to reduce the use of mineral fertilizers.
How do you see the future of the company and what are the biggest challenges?
Van Vliet could grow in size and consequently in production, but in recent years we have had difficulties with labour. Holambra is close to big cities like Campinas, being an industrialized region that offers a lot of jobs. Consequently, people do not want to work in rural companies because they have other possibilities in the region.
In Brazil, youth labour is decreasing a lot because couples are having fewer children and it is possible that within 10 years the population growth in Brazil will be negative. Therefore, we will have to invest in technology (treadmills, robots, etc.) to fill this lack of labour. Another option would be working on how to attract young people to work with flowers and plants. What can we do to be attractive? What can we do differently from what we do today? We certainly have work to do on this matter.
Reservoir
How do you see the future of the company and what are the biggest challenges?
Van Vliet could grow in size and consequently in production, but in recent years we have had difficulties with labour. Holambra is close to big cities like Campinas, being an industrialized region that offers a lot of jobs. Consequently, people do not want to work in rural companies because they have other possibilities in the region.
In Brazil, youth labour is decreasing a lot because couples are having fewer children and it is possible that within 10 years the population growth in Brazil will be negative. Therefore, we will have to invest in technology (treadmills, robots, etc.) to fill this lack of labour. Another option would be working on how to attract young people to work with flowers and plants. What can we do to be attractive? What can we do differently from what we do today? We certainly have work to do on this matter.
What could other companies learn from you and vice versa?
As we are cultivating in Brazil, which has a hot and humid climate, especially in the summer, many of the circumstances that exist in Holland do not exist in Brazil. For example, we have a lot of light and therefore we cannot use cultivation recommendations from Holland. We do not have an extremely cold climate, so we need varieties that are more resistant to heat than to cold.
In terms of learning from other countries, I see technology and the high investment in technification as important parameters.
Greenhouse of Arien van Vliet
What role does Anthura play in this?
During my last visit to Anthura, it was possible to observe the work that has been carried out on the constant genetic improvement of Anthurium and orchids. This work will allow constant renewal and updating of the varieties, adapting to the climatic realities of each country or region.
In terms of production, my understanding is that, given the labour shortage and the high cost of inputs, Anthura could update us with technology trends, production costs and definitions of standards, aiming at optimizing production space and costs.
How do you experience the cooperation with Anthura?
We have been working with Anthura for almost 30 years and I consider it a very professional and serious company. I have witnessed over the years that it is a solid family business and one of the main players in the flower breeding market in the Netherlands. They made the decision a few years ago not to produce plants for Veiling, but to be a seedling producer, not competing with their seedling client. This was a very important decision to focus on what really matters, which is genetic improvement and seedling production.
I remember the varieties that we worked with in the past, many years ago: varieties that were not yet cold tolerant, and I have been witnessing how the varieties have been improving through to the present day.
On the other hand, I must mention that in 2016, we had a problem in our production where we went through a difficult year with our revenue and Anthura supported us a lot in overcoming this challenge, demonstrating its belief in Van Vliet and our long-standing partnership.
Kas (buitenkant) Arien van Vliet
What are your biggest challenges for the future?
The great challenge is the current lack of available labour due to the lack of interest of new professionals in operational work. The high turnover generates a drop in productivity as well as the loss of quality in management due to lack of experience.
For the future, Van Vliet realizes that it will be necessary to work on retaining talent and increasing the level of automation/mechanization of processes, seeking a more qualified workforce that will allow production to be optimized while maintaining our quality standards. Dealing with market trends as a market leader in the production of flowers and plants in Brazil, we have to think about the new generation of consumers.
We have to intensify the professionalization process in our sectors in order to guarantee a decentralized management that allows for smooth succession in the future or attracts other investors.
