FROM 2002 TO 2022
For the founding of Zami, we need to go back twenty years. Zami saw the light of day in 2002. The founders were Zandbergen (a cash & carry based in Rijnsburg) and Koos Minck (an importer from Lisserbroek). Zandbergen used to sell Minck's flowers at the auction in Rijnsburg and, later on, at other auctions. Then the seed was planted for a trading business that blossomed from then on.
Needless to say, the company has also changed in all these years. Zami started focusing more on retail, for example. From 2018 onwards, that focus became even stronger since the company joined L&M Groep. This also heralded shifts in the grower base and products. The main shift was that Zami now focuses more on shorter stems, which requires a different growing method. The company is still squarely behind this choice!
BASED ON TRUST
As the company grew, the customer and grower base grew along with it. Constantly making plans far in advance with growers abroad has allowed Zami to build a good portfolio of different growers and products. Mutual trust is key here. It often takes years of collaboration before you can set up a growing plan with a foreign grower. That is why it is important to Zami that they strive for the best price for the products. In this way, the growers can concentrate fully on growing the flowers and spend less time worrying about the commercial side.
"It often takes years of collaboration before you can set up a growing plan with a foreign grower."
FLOWERS MAINLY FROM KENYA
Although Zami's flowers are supplied from all around the world, the company currently sources most of its flowers from Kenya. They are in touch with the various farms in this African country on a daily basis, to stay up-to-date on the weather conditions and their effects. This is how Zami keeps track of the products that can be delivered.
To manage this process and offer customers as much continuity as possible, Zami often works with contract cultivation. By adopting stock positions, they can pre-offer their internal and external customers flowers. As such, customers can calculate in advance what a mono-bunch or bouquet is going to cost.
COLLABORATION WITH MARGINPAR
Incidentally, Zami also looks beyond these grower contracts. The company buys products daily from the open market outside of the contracts. One of the main suppliers Zami works with is Marginpar: a leading organisation that supplies flowers from 12 different farms in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.
Zami and Marginpar joined forces two years ago. Since then, they have been selling short lengths of several products to the retail sector. This gives growers, and the trade, more peace of mind. The products are available year-round at the negotiated prices.
In addition, there are collaborations with other large and smaller organisations (from Spain to Zimbabwe) and, of course, with growers within the group.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Zami has accomplished a lot in the past twenty years. What do they think the future holds for them? They are very positive about the future. There are extensive plans for transportation, for example. At the moment, all Zami products arrive in the Netherlands by air or road. Given the current developments in sea freight, however, it is only a matter of time before Zami can start taking advantage of that as well. It is a great development that fits in nicely with the sustainability ambitions of the group as a whole!
