THE SECOND LEEUWENBURG GENERATION IS TAKING THE HELM
It was in 1979 that Joost Leeuwenburg Jr. and his associate Wil Boogaards took over from the previous generation. He used to tag along to the auction as a little boy. It was quite the experience, walking around the flower auction at the crack of dawn! And so the seed was sown. Joost had only just turned 17 when he became a co-owner of L&M Rijnsburg. For years, Joost and Wil went around together, and they made the forward-looking choice to be a reliable link between growers and customers. Doing so allowed them to eliminate the risk for both parties and connect growers and customers. The approach paid off. "We started out with a turnover of 7 million guilders. Twenty-five years later, we were at €45-50 million. In those days, these were pretty hefty sums."
PROUD OF THE TULIP
So much has happened in 75 years: positive developments, and some setbacks, too. Joost remembers when he and Wil tried to set something up in Austria in the 90s. Looking back, it was a bridge too far for them. Fortunately, they can mostly look back on numerous successes.
Joost is most proud of how the company has grown. "We started out small, but have now developed into a household name in flowers." The market share in tulips of L&M Rijnsburg has grown substantially, in particular. "Wil and I have worked hard for more than 20 years to become strong in that segment."
THREE SONS IN THE BUSINESS
Joost couldn't be more proud of his three sons, as well. Jan Willem, his eldest, was the first of his offspring to enter the business, in 2013. Soon after, Lennard and Danny followed suit. Under Jan Willem's leadership, L&M Rijnsburg has been put squarely on the map internationally. Sustainability has also become increasingly important, and new initiatives were set up, such as Growing Together and Lefloro.
In 2018, Joost stepped down as a shareholder. His three sons now have full ownership of the family business. "It's wonderful to see how my sons' education taught them how to think for themselves. I often used to make decisions based on gut feeling, by necessity. Whereas these days, of course, growth can be driven based on numbers and insights. This means that we have grown considerably in recent years."
The L&M Groep was founded and successful acquisitions followed one after the other in recent times. Today, VE Flower Wholesale, Waxed Roses Sensation, FlowerFactory, ZAMI and Lilies Direct, among others, are also part of the group. "Together, all these companies form a global network of growers, allowing us to offer every market segment a complete range of flowers."
WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES
Joost finds himself unable to completely let go of the business. "You can find me in the workplace nearly every day for a bit of sparring, a visit to growers, or to discuss the best options for the long term. Nevertheless, the day-to-day decisions and management are entirely up to my sons. It is wonderful to watch them doing such a great job from the sidelines."
The merger into One Flora Group also came up in discussions between father and sons. Joost was fully on board from the get-go. "They are both beautiful family businesses. Groenland is excellent at sales, whereas L&M Groep does really well with purchasing. Together, everything falls into place. I think this collaboration has a bright future ahead."
A DEAL IS A DEAL
Despite all these changes, the DNA of L&M Rijnsburg has always stayed the same, according to Joost. "Even now, we firmly believe that a deal should always be a deal. It's what we are known for in the flower sector. I hope I can witness for a long time to come how we continue to uphold that aspiration as we embark upon this new path."
