Fikona

Fikona’s mission is clear: to strive for perfection. Anyone who visits the website of this company in Lier will see it immediately: just below the logo is the slogan ‘Perfection in green plants’. As the manager Nancy Peers says, ‘They are not empty words’. Her husband Koen Peeters agrees: ‘Quality, durability and sustainability are at the heart of our policy. The ‘Belgian Quality’ label on our products guarantees that.’ Fikona also complies with all the requirements of wholesale and retail. ‘Whether it be Florimark, Fair Flowers Fair Plants, MPS Social Qualified or MPS GAP, we fulfil the latest requirements for the production and sale of pot plants,’ adds Nancy.

‘We opt for an emphatically long and restful growth. That ensures the durability of the plants, which is important for our customers. Our customers can count not only on perfect quality, but also on clear communication, reliable delivery and a market-oriented approach.’ Nancy Peers, manager

Fikona stands out for its cultivation process. ‘We opt for an emphatically long and restful growth. That ensures the durability of the plants, which is important for our customers’, Nancy continues.

This is at the same time proof of the importance Fikona attaches to customer satisfaction. ‘Our customers can count not only on perfect quality, but also on clear communication, reliable delivery and a market-oriented approach.’ As far as the last point is concerned, on the website Mynewplant.com, for example, the consumer will find extra information on Fikona’s plants.

Products
Fikona specialises in the production of standard Ficus plants. ‘The range of various forms of stem and pot sizes is very wide’. The showpiece of the range is the Ficus Regina®. Buxus sempervirens is also a speciality, and comes in the form of cones and spheres. In addition, Fikona is the market leader in the production of Chamaedorea. The range is rounded off with Nolina and Musa.

• Ficus Regina® is, thanks to the cooler cultivation and compact pruned form, a Ficus of the finest quality and is available in 24, 27, 33 and 40 cm pots. This Ficus can be kept for a surprisingly long time.
   
• Buxus sempervirens is an evergreen garden plant that is easy to maintain. Fikona grows high-grade Buxus in various shapes and sizes for hedges, solitary plants and patio pots, all on an area of 12 ha. ‘We specialise in spherical and conical shapes. The spherical up to a diameter of 35 cm and the conical up to 80 cm high.’
   
• Chamaedorea elegans is where Fikona is the market leader. It is available in pots of 9, 12 and 17 cm. These plants also have remarkable durability thanks to a specific cultivation method. Fikona can deliver large volumes and, specially for the flower arrangement market, prepares ready-to-use trays with a 9 cm root ball, which enables them to be put to quick use. The plants in 17 cm pots are given a larger base, so that they stand more solidly in the pot.
   
• Nolina is a green indoor plant that is very decorative and simple to maintain. ‘We grow Nolina in pots of 9 and 12 cm, and the quality is excellent, thanks to the lack of brown tips at the end of the leaves.
   
• Musa Regina® is again a plant of premium quality. It is an attractive, deep-green plant whose leaves are sometimes slightly undulating. Fikona grows Musa in pots of 17, 21 and 40 cm.

Export
As well as Belgium, Fikona also makes daily deliveries in Germany and the Netherlands. ‘We sell exclusively to professional firms in the horticultural chain,’ says Koen. ‘We send them directly from our nursery in Belgium or via FloraHolland. To ensure our export customers receive our products as quickly as possible and under perfect conditions, we make daily trips to Ghent (Belgium), Rhine Maas (Germany) and Bleiswijk (the Netherlands) and even go to Aalsmeer (the Netherlands) and Naaldwijk (the Netherlands) twice a day.

Future
‘Our son Yorick Peeters is currently graduating in international management – he speaks five languages – and will start at the company this summer. With his addition to the team, we definitely have plans for the future. First, with our slogan in mind, we want to continue optimising and automating production. After that we shall consider the potential for expansion.’

Fikona in figures

• Employees:
  • 8 full-time and 10 temporary
     
• Land area:
  • 3 ha under glass
  • 32 ha in the open air (partly let out)
  • 12 ha under our own management on which the buxus is grown
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• Exports: 90% of the turnover
  • 90% of which goes to the Netherlands (from the Netherlands, the products go on to the whole of Europe and beyond, e.g. Russia)
  • and 10% to Germany