Dynamic. That’s how you could sum up the horticultural company De Waele-Wilwoodii in one word. This producer of conifers and other outdoor plants in containers is putting itself on the map in a smart and efficient way. Thanks to its experience with processing large orders, smooth logistical processing and a large storage capacity, they can handle orders for any customers, from local garden centres to large retailers.
“We offer continuity, both in terms of quality and quantity.”
History
De Waele-Wilwoodii’s roots go back to 1927, to the ‘De Waele & Ackerman’ nursery. In the meantime, Lode De Waele is the fourth generation at the helm. After an acquisition and expansions in 2011 and 2017, De Waele-Wilwoodii has developed into one of the leading horticultural companies in Belgium located close to the heart of the Belgian plant trade. ‘After the acquisition, we changed our company name to De Waele-Wilwoodii. Wilwoodii refers to two of our top products: the Cupressus Goldcrest Wilma and the Chamaecyparis Ellwoodii.’ After all, for certain pot sizes we are the market leader for these two conifers,’ Lode proudly explains.
About the company
‘Thanks to recent acquisitions, we have been able to centralise and expand our production to the current 17 ha. Greenhouses make up 7 ha of that and we have modern container fields on 10 ha. On that surface area we achieve an annual production of 650,000 Chamaecyparis, 400,000 Cupressus, 120,000 Azalea japonica, 70,000 Rhododendron, 150,000 Camellia and 45,000 Pieris,’ summarises Lode. ‘In addition to this production zone, we also have a cuttings greenhouse to propagate the following ourselves: Camellia japonica, Pieris japonica, Choisya and Viburnum.’
Prizes
Thanks to the expansions, the company has been able to grow fast, bringing it to the 35th place of the ‘Trends Gazelle’, a ranking of the fastest growing companies per province in 2018. However, it’s not just about the figures at De Waele-Wilwoodii. The company managers support the sector, which is expressed by their active commitment to all kinds of organisations. This has not gone unnoticed and the company was honoured for it in 2019 by the province of East Flanders.
Export
‘Our focus is on our own production, but we also take charge of selling. So we often go on foreign missions to meet customers and establish new trade relations. However, logistics is not our core business,’ emphasises Lode. ‘That is why we cooperate with dealers / agents who can handle the logistics, etc. for us. In that way we can continue to be very active on the European market, despite our limited structure. Our current markets are: UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands and Italy, Finland, Cyprus, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.’
Sustainability
‘All our products are of the best quality and are grown with respect for man and nature. Consider our closed water system, our solar panels and our well-organised waste flow. We are the proud holders of a MPS A Environmental Certificate,’ Lode tells us proudly. ‘And as of end of June 2019, MPS Gap too. The main challenge is to handle everything we do in a more structured way and better document it.’
Company in figures
- Employees:
- 2 managers
- 2 part-time office staff
- 12 contractual workers
- Seasonal labourers
- Company surface area:
- 10 ha container field outside
- 7 ha greenhouses
- Export: 95 % of the turnover
- UK: 26%
- France: 20%
- Sweden: 15%
- Germany: 14%
- Denmark: 8%
- Poland: 4%
- Netherlands: 3%
- Norway: 3%
- Italy: 1%
- Other (CY, ES, CH, AT, FI): 1%
