From strawberries to pansies. Listing the range of plants and flowers at Maes-Reyns Nursery is a hopeless task. Customers like to come back because they know: here you are served at your beck and call. Co-owner Isabelle Maes takes us behind the scenes of a family business that has already crossed several waters.
From vegetables to a wide range of plants
In 2012, Isabelle Maes joined the family business founded by her father in 1976. “In the beginning, my father mainly grew vegetables. But at the request of a customer, he also started with flowers. From a few square metres, this steadily grew to several hectares. About thirty years ago, he then switched completely to flowers and plants. Today, we grow some twelve hectares of open-air cultivation and two hectares of indoor cultivation and are known for our wide range a year round.
In spring, for instance, we have a wide range with slightly smaller numbers of pansies, primroses, annual seedbed plants and geraniums, begonias and balcony plants, among others. In summer, we then have larger numbers, but fewer different varieties. In autumn, the emphasis is on Jacabaea (Cineraria), Leucophyta (Calocephalus), Brassica, Heuchera, Gaulteria, pansies and perennials. In short, a year-round colour palette.”
Customer focus
So the offer varies according to the seasons. What does keep coming back is the focus on the customer. “Customers determine our offer. We constantly question their needs. At the same time, we also keep our finger on the pulse. What trends are there? What colours are in demand? What novelties are there? We compile our range on this basis. Not only do we offer different varieties, but also the pot sizes vary from pot nine to twenty-seven and everything in between.
So customers can order a lot of items from us. Additional asset? The speed of our service. That can be done via e-mail, but we prefer a phone call where we can ask additional questions. That customer contact is really important. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we are also working on a new website that will enable online ordering.”
Weighing all options for the best quality
Everything for the customer, in other words. That is why Maes-Reyns pays a lot of attention to quality. Strong plants that can take a beating. And against drought. A challenge that is increasingly becoming a problem. “My husband grows the plants and from the start he selects strong plants that are disease-resistant and drought-tolerant. It is always a process of weighing things up, because we are also experimenting with peat-free potting soil. Because we want to grow greener and many customers ask for it. But then again, this kind of potting soil requires more water.”
Sustainably into the future
And so we arrived at the topic of sustainability. A theme that is also very much on Isabelle’s mind. They have been looking for some time for the certification that best suits their business. For now, they have the basics with Vegaplan. “The biggest challenge is our extensive product range. That makes it complex to find a certificate that suits us perfectly. Dutch growers are further ahead in this because their range is more limited. To work it out for our nursery, we would actually have to hire someone extra. But in the meantime, we are not sitting still.
For instance, we have invested in solar panels and have double plastic in our greenhouses. Moreover, we also don’t grow the hottest varieties which limits additional heating. And as I said, we select for strong plants that don’t need pest control.
Furthermore, we recycle our water and join forces with other companies for transportation.”
Respectful cooperation with Floréac
Floréac is one such company with whom Maes-Reyns has been working for some time. “Floréac often comes across the floor here. Important, because a plant is a living product. You have to see and feel that up close. Floréac is ideally placed as an intermediary between the grower and the end user. They know like no other what is important to customers in Belgium, but also abroad. They are also always looking for novelties. That’s why it clicks so well between us.”
Overcoming crises
To talk about the future, we look back to the past. For the path of the nursery was not over roses. “In 2014, we were hit by a fall wind that almost razed the nursery to the ground. A heavy blow, but giving up is not in our dictionary. And look, we came out stronger. Today, the company is bigger than before. Crises no longer paralyse us and even after corona, the energy and other crises, we knew: it will blow over and everything will be fine . So I look positively to the future. The only thing I do have some doubts about is the next generation. How do we get them excited so that they start working in the sector with gusto?”
Why does she still enjoy herself? “Because there is so much variety in my job. You see something small grow into something beautiful. Something that makes the world more beautiful. Something that people enjoy. I just love being among plants as well as people.”