Our story
Discover the history of FlowerWatch. The journey from a single idea to who we have become today.
From the 1970's to today
Jeroen’s passion for flowers began at an early age, inspired by his mother and shared with his two brothers, who also built their careers in the floral industry. Growing up surrounded by flowers, the sector became second nature to him.
The 1980s
Alongside school, friends and football, Jeroen spent many enjoyable hours working at the family-run Rodewijk rose farm. Early mornings, hard work, and dedication were part of daily life - and always approached with a smile.
The 1990s
After studying chemistry, Jeroen began his career at Laboratory Van der Sprong, where he was able to combine his professional expertise with his passion for flowers. During this time, he made his first business trip to Kenya, where he was introduced to the local flower industry - an experience that would leave a lasting impression.
After several years in roles such as auctioneer at TFA - selling Kenyan roses - and researcher at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Jeroen began to recognise a clear pattern: flower farms could significantly improve their income by addressing quality issues.
Observing two neighbouring farms, each producing around one million stems per week, he noticed a striking difference. One grower consistently achieved auction prices that were €0.02 higher per stem. This insight made it clear that even small improvements in quality could result in substantial financial gains.
From that moment on, Jeroen became increasingly driven to help growers optimise quality, realising that this was not only a technical challenge, but also a major opportunity to create value across the entire supply chain.
2003 - The beginning of FlowerWatch
Recognising the opportunity ahead, Jeroen made the bold decision to leave his job and start his own business. While the exact business model was not yet fully defined, he had a clear vision: bridging the gap between science and practice to solve growers’ challenges and unlock value within the flower supply chain.
It was at this point that FlowerWatch was born.
From a single idea, we planted the seeds of FlowerWatch.
2005 - Eureka moment
Early one Sunday morning, Jeroen had a true eureka moment: the key to flower quality lies in degree hours. He immediately wrote it down - an insight that would become fundamental to his approach and the foundation of FlowerWatch’s methodology
2007 – Industry-Sharp Feedback
By 2007, Jeroen’s work had evolved to include training, consulting, and quality assessments, while he continued to expand his network and deepen his understanding of the market and the flower supply chain.
Growers who had moved away from the auction system began to seek his support, looking for clear, market-driven feedback. Jeroen provided precise and actionable insights, helping farms strengthen their market position while equipping production and post-harvest teams with the feedback needed to continuously improve quality.
2007 – Automated Vase Life Testing
As demand for Jeroen’s expertise grew rapidly, it became clear that expansion was needed. An office was established, and his first employee - his brother Pieter - joined the business. This also created the opportunity to set up a dedicated vase life testing facility.
During early morning quality checks at importers and auctions, Jeroen and Pieter observed that arrival temperatures of flowers could rise to as high as 35°C, and in some cases even exceed 50°C. These findings highlighted a critical gap in the supply chain and sparked the idea to develop a service focused on monitoring and managing cold chain temperatures.
Ongoing discussions with customers continuously sparked new ideas and opportunities. These insights were translated into concrete requests for our IT partner Verdel ICT - a partner who consistently shared our ambition and were always willing to push boundaries alongside us.
Many evenings were also spent with close friends developing the first automated cold chain reports.
2009 – Expanding across European Retail
As our quality control services gained traction in import flows, retailers across Europe increasingly turned to us to ensure the same high standards for flowers exported from the Netherlands across the continent.
2012 – FlowerWatch Kenya
The establishment of FlowerWatch Kenya marked a key step in our international growth, beginning with our first Kenyan colleague, Isaya Henia Muiru.
At the same time, Jeroen, now with a young family, took the opportunity to relocate to Kenya. What started as a planned six-month stay evolved into a defining chapter, with the family living and working there for nearly eight years.
2016 – Franchise FlowerWatch Japan
During a Dutch trade mission in 2016, we signed the contract for Franchise FlowerWatch Japan, under the watchful eye of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Dutch trade delegation.
This marked a significant step in bringing our expertise to the global market.
2020 – Pioneering Sea Freight
In 2020, driven by the challenges of COVID, we explored the potential of sea freight for flowers. A vision Jeroen first shared back in 2003 was finally realised, leading to impressive results and opening new opportunities for the industry.
2023 - 20 Years of FlowerWatch
Celebrating 20 years of FlowerWatch - a journey from a family passion project to a thriving business. Over the years, we have achieved remarkable results that we are incredibly proud of.
We marked this special milestone with a memorable boat tour in Rotterdam, celebrating together and looking ahead to the future
2025 – A Special Recognition
In 2025, we had the honour of sharing the FlowerWatch story and the CleanPetal™ Approach with their majesties the King and Queen of the Netherlands during their visit to Kenya. It was a truly special moment to present our work and vision, and to experience their genuine interest in the flower industry and our contribution to it.
An unforgettable and inspiring experience that we are incredibly proud of!
2026 – Building the next chapter
In 2026, we mark a major step forward with the complete rebuild of our FlowerWatch Watch‑IT platform - a more integrated and future-ready environment. With the addition of an advanced AI layer and a powerful engine, we can now create a Digital Twin of each flower journey, turning data into predictive quality insights.
At the same time, we strengthen our practical approach with our CleanPetal™ Approach for managing botrytis - focused on prevention, consistency, and reducing losses across the supply chain.
