Decorum: 25 years of top-quality plants and flowers!

Decorum 25 years!

Is it really 25 years ago? Indeed, time flies when you’re having fun! In the mid-nineties, the pioneers of Decorum had a progressive vision. This led to a collaboration between the best Dutch growers. Each grower selects their best products from the nursery. These are delivered under one brand: Decorum.

Striking trays

Founders Peter ten Have (J&P Ten Have) and Goos Hofland (Hofland Flowering Plants) began their innovative idea simply by selecting their plants and putting them in different trays. By using different trays, the quality plants stood out in the crowd. The growers quickly discovered that this worked. The striking trays with quality plants could be sold for a better price, and the demand for this specific top assortment grew. Customers needed assurance of quality.

Decorum as quality assurance

Customers also developed a need for consistency and recognition. Previously, they had to recognize quality products by the name of the grower, but a hallmark or certification would work much better. In 1999, Decorum was born. The iconic blue colors and the label ‘Decorum Plants’ guaranteed quality products.

Over the years, more and more growers joined Decorum, and the plant assortment grew. Since 2014, flower growers have also joined the quality brand. Meanwhile, the Decorum club has grown into a premium brand with more than fifty affiliated Dutch growers. The core remains the same today. Each grower selects the best products from the nursery and delivers them under one brand: Decorum.

Quality, sustainability & innovation

Decorum has three important core values: quality, sustainability, and innovation. These three pillars form the basis of the Decorum story.

Quality

Quality is ensured through selection procedures for both growers and products. A grower must meet certain requirements to become a member of Decorum. The best cuttings, bulbs, or seeds are selected as the starting point for cultivation. During the growing process, the root system and the growth of the plant or flower are closely monitored. When the plants or flowers are fully grown, they undergo a selection process. Each grower has a list of requirements that the product must meet to be delivered in Decorum packaging. This includes, for example, the minimum number of flower buds that the plant or flower must have and the size. Finally, and very importantly, Decorum uses independent, external quality controllers who check in the supply chain whether all flowers and plants from Decorum meet the required quality standards. This confirms and strengthens the brand promise of quality!

The blog ‘Decorum: a promise of quality!‘ provides more information about the core value of quality.

Sustainability

Decorum growers hold various sustainability certificates. Through sustainable cultivation techniques, joint transport, and crop protection, they do everything to reduce the carbon footprint. Decorum and the growers are locally involved and invest in the community. Local sports clubs and charities are supported. All Decorum nurseries are family businesses, sometimes spanning multiple generations. A sustainable future is essential to continue these businesses. In our blog ‘Sustainability in horticulture‘ we delve even further into this topic.

The earth is what we all have in common

Innovation

Without innovation, quality and sustainability cannot be sustained. Decorum growers regularly innovate in automated cultivation techniques, data-driven production & sales, and robotic sorting machines. These innovations ensure that quality remains guaranteed. Decorum keeps the assortment innovative with novelties through good collaborations with breeders and the right communication with customers. Decorum introduces 25 to 75 new varieties annually. An up-to-date overview of all new flowers and plants can be found on the novelties page.

Proud of our growers

Today, Decorum is still the premium brand for flowers and plants. More than 4,000 different types of flowers and plants are delivered under a Decorum label and sold directly worldwide. For 25 years, Decorum has been building its network. Where it started with a few exporters who had exclusive rights to sell Decorum plants, Decorum products are now shipped worldwide by hundreds of exporters. The collaboration between Dutch top growers brings out the best in each grower. By pooling resources and sharing knowledge, the best flowers and plants are delivered under the Decorum label every day. Each grower operates as sustainably as possible, for example, by generating energy, reusing heat, saving water, and using biological control. This way, Decorum contributes to a better world!

Decorum is extremely proud of what has been achieved in the past 25 years. The video below showcases just a few highlights from the past years. Decorum is unique; the story, the experience, the promise. The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams. Making the world happy with responsibly grown beautiful flowers and plants is Decorum’s dream. Here’s to many more years with top-quality flowers and plants!