Introducing the new-look Anthura

Mareen Bogerd.

In 2020, Anthura won the AIPH International Grower of the Year Award. A lot has changed since then. FCI interviews Mareen Bogerd about Anthura’s renewed path. Mareen has been Anthura’s marketing manager for three years

FloraCulture International: A new logo, a new pay-off, and a new corporate identity. Why?

Mareen Bogerd: “The world around us is changing. You can only be successful if you regularly check whether you are still ‘on par’. That is what we recently did with colleagues, customers and other partners. The new logo, pay-off and corporate identity are the results of our sharpened strategy and renewed brand identity.”

Can you briefly introduce Anthura?

“Anthura is a breeder of Anthurium and Orchid and recently added Bromeliad to the portfolio. With over 85 years of experience, we have developed into an expert in the field of Anthurium and Orchid.

The core of breeding is research. Day in and day out, we therefore conduct advanced research on our ornamental plants with the aim of developing new colours, shapes and, above all, stronger plants. We propagate the best varieties in our own laboratories and then grow them into young plants that we supply to growers all over the world.

We now work with more than 1,300 colleagues in the Netherlands, Germany, North Macedonia and China and deliver more than 700 varieties, which find their way to consumers all over the world every day.”

So it’s not about the new logo?

“The logo, pay-off, and new corporate identity are the most visible results of the sharpened strategy. With several colleagues, we started formulating our vision of ornamental horticulture. At the same time, we ask ourselves critically who we are and what we want to mean in the world. At the same time, we checked whether that is in line with how our customers, suppliers and other partners see us. Fortunately, their experience and our image are congruent.

For the first time, we researched and mapped our own DNA.”

What is Anthura’s vision of floriculture?

“We know that our immediate environment influences how we feel as people. Our flowers and plants adorn our environment and thus affect our health and certainly our mental well-being.

The fact that plants and flowers are crucial in this was also confirmed by everyone’s experience during the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, the importance of ‘green’ in our environment has also been confirmed by several studies. Floriculture is thus a crucial factor for our well-being.”

What were the key insights from your survey?

“The most important was that we could now put words to what we knew unconsciously — even colleagues who had not participated totally agreed with the outcome.

It is in our DNA to keep raising the bar, and we are driven to do better every day. By working closely together – both internally and externally – we can stay ahead in the market. Only together with our colleagues, customers, and partners can we continue to make the most beautiful products and make the world more beautiful with our plants and flowers in a sustainable way.”

What drives Anthura?

“Through many conversations and interviews, we became aware that our common drive is to make the world more beautiful so that everyone – anywhere in the world – can enjoy Anthurium, Orchid and Bromeliad. And we summed that up in “Creating blooming happiness.”

What does that mean for Anthura?

“We, therefore, not only look at how we can deliver an even better plant to the grower but, above all, at what the plant and flowers mean to the ultimate customer, the consumer. As breeders, we always look years ahead. Before the varieties we have bred are marketed, you are soon ten years down the line. So, we do everything for the long term.

Whereas we used to breed plants for a different colour, shape, or even more beautiful plant or flower, ‘internal characteristics’ have become more important in recent years. Internal properties are about developing varieties that are resistant to certain diseases or pests so that less control is needed. A plant that can withstand cold or heat or a plant that is robust and, therefore, ships well online. Or a stronger plant that consumers can enjoy even longer.”

What typifies Anthura?

“The survey revealed four pillars, which we could only agree with.
Love for the job
The love of plants and flowers goes hand in hand with the passion for what we do. With natural discipline and resilience, we take on the challenge of making more beautiful and stronger plants day after day. We like to share our passion with others by being hospitable to anyone who is curious and shares our passion.
A typical example of this is a statement from one of my colleagues, Maurice van Veen, manager of cell biology: “What could be better than turning your hobby into your job. I actually do nothing but engage in my passion.”
Expertise
Our expertise goes back more than 85 years. That expertise is important throughout the whole organisation. We like to share our knowledge and expertise, both internally and externally, because we are convinced that together you know more. So goes, for example, for our colleagues in our high-tech research centre, where high-quality research takes place continuously based on the latest breeding techniques.
Marco Lek, assistant plant manager, expresses this as follows: “We are all experts. From the one who waters the plants to the one who is responsible for the delivery of the right numbers at the right time. All experts who make sure we deliver a high-quality product to the customer.”
Collaboration
As a family business, we believe in the power of working together. Together, you know more and achieve more. This is also reflected in our long-standing partnerships and collaborations. By combining research and development knowledge, we stay ahead. Together, you achieve more.
“You can’t do it alone. You all need each other in the end”, said Henri Zeestraten, an employee.
Sustainable beauty
With our plants, we create a more beautiful world. A more beautiful world has an aesthetic side in which concepts like colourfulness and beauty are central. It goes without saying that this is important to us.
A more beautiful world also has a sustainable side in which preserving the world for future generations is central, such as making products and processes more sustainable, reducing energy consumption, and using water sparingly. This includes putting Orchids back in the Swiss Alps, protecting rare breeds and paying attention to biodiversity.
A quote from Nic van der Knaap, founder of Anthura, hangs in our building: “Conservation of biological diversity is the most important challenge of mankind today.”

What can customers expect from you?

“All this is exactly what clients can expect from us, namely that we are – together with them – engaged in creating blooming happiness. We do that as efficiently as possible and always based on research. With great passion, we work on consistent quality, having the right number of plants ready at the agreed time and striving to do better every day.”

And what does that mean for the coming year?

“Our rebranding reflects our belief in striving together to impact the world around us positively. We will continue working on our renewed strategy to create even more blooming happiness together with our colleagues, our clients, and their customers.”