Jules Block nv

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Rhododendron, Hydrangea and Azalea indica are the three specialities of horticultural company Jules Block. Its own production is intelligently supplemented with products from fellow producers in the region. ‘In this way we can increase our trade without having to expand our production, so that we can concentrate on our core tasks and follow everything very closely’, manager Luc Block explains.

‘I want my work to bring me respect and honour. Our customers buy from us because we offer them excellent quality and service. As a small player, it is the only way to stand out from the crowd.’

Fourth generation
The roots of horticultural company Jules Block nv go back to the beginning of the 20^th century. In 1906 Cyriel Block started his own nursery for Azalea indica. Under the leadership of his son Jules, starting from 1923 the company’s range of products expanded with amongst other things Rhododendron and the trading activities also developed: Jules prepared the orders for an exporter and to that end brought the offers of various producers together. Eighteen-year-old son Daniel followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps in 1955 and started exporting Azalea and Rhododendron himself. Luc Block and his wife Mieke Waegenaar are currently the fourth generation at the helm. ‘The focus of our own production is still on Azalea and Rhododendron, but in the meantime our trading activities have grown sharply, going deep into the Asian market,’ Luc explains.

Specialist
‘Our own production always starts with young plants that we buy from a Belgian supplier and cultivate for 1 to 2 seasons,’ Luc begins. The company’s export activities are much broader than just its own production which has consciously been kept limited. ‘At our location it is not possible to expand, but thanks to collaboration with other producers, we can increase our offer and offer our international customers a good range of plants. Our current range is made up for 50% of Rhododendron, supplemented with 25% Hydrangea, 20% Azalea indica and 5% various other plants,’ Luc summarises. ‘For Hydrangea and Rhododendron, I work with three local producers by means of contract farming. Thanks to those contracts I can compile the range of products myself, determine what sizes I want and I have guarantees with regard to the quality. We also buy Azalea indica from a few producers. There is a larger offer available for this, so that can run through the normal sales channels and not through contracts.’

Considering the limited number of employees, Luc and his wife are very close to the entire process, from production via purchasing to sales. ‘That makes it possible for us to personally always maintain tight control over both the products themselves and preparing and loading the orders. And our customers appreciate those additional quality guarantees and service,’ Luc proudly tells us.

Care for the environment
‘I am happy to aim for environmentally-friendly production. As a company, you have to make sure you remain profitable, so it is a delicate balancing act,’ Luc begins. ‘But if you wait until it’s compulsory, you’ll be too late,’ is his slogan. ‘That is why I already invested in total recovery of the irrigation water 15 years ago. We collect it in our cellar and filter it. Since we live in a built-up area, that water tank was already becoming necessary; in the meantime it is compulsory. When installing it, I also preventively added two kinds of disinfection, but we haven’t really needed them until now. And by capturing our drainage water, we can save up to 50% on our water supply,’ Luc adds. ‘We also want to be efficient and sustainable with regard to energy. We have invested in energy screens and so in summer we do not heat anything and can simply switch off the boilers.’
The company has been a member of MPS for 10 years now, so its environmental efforts are carefully registered. In order to contribute that little bit more at the end of his career, Luc has also become a board member of an association that brings together about 2 dozen Rhododendron producers. ‘We have just started a project to examine how we can set up an organic pest management system for the cultivation of Rhododendron. Since the pests in this crop are largely limited to caterpillars and aphids, we are hopeful that an effective and affordable plan can be drawn up. To this end we can count on the support of our PCS test centre and University College Ghent. I’m happy to throw my weight behind it, because I really believe in it,’ Luc says with motivation.

Trade
‘Our export is very international, and goes to cultivators, wholesalers and garden centres. We achieve 40% of our turnover outside Europe. The contacts at IPM Essen are very interesting for us for new prospection on distant markets. In Europe we can see sharp growth in Eastern Europe. The economy is picking up there, which also has a positive impact on the money being spent on horticultural products. The Baltic states are emerging noticeably. And we are also strong in Norway, where we create great opportunities thanks to the fact that we comply with the strict phytosanitary requirements for amongst other things Phytophtora,’ emphasises Luc. ‘In addition, we are also present on the more traditional European markets such as Italy, Spain and France.’

Company in figures