Tour 8
Flower auction, Tulip fields and Keukenhof tour

We will meet you at your hotel in Amsterdam early in the morning. It depends on the day because the flower auction starts at 6 a.m., but we don't need to be there that early. The first three days of the week are the busiest, so the auctioning process ends later. We will then be able to start a little later, at 8 a.m.
Flower auction 'Royal Flora Holland' in Aalsmeer is approx. 45 minutes driving from Amsterdam.
Once at the auction, we will visit the distribution hall and explain the selling process, the so-called 'Dutch auction, ' which starts at a high price and ends at a lower price.
The auctioneer is in charge of this process and will handle  1,000 - 1,500 transactions/hour. After that, we will walk around this largest trade building in the world and explain everything that happens after auctioning.

A few facts:

• One auctioneer processes 1000 – 1500 transactions every hour. The auctioneer is in charge of the selling process.
• The total turnover of this cooperative of growers (shareholders) is over  € 5 billion.
• This cooperative is owned (partly) by around 5,000 growers. They pay approx. 5 % to the cooperative to sell their products.

We will also visit a wholesale center, where florists and garden centers can buy flowers, plants, and supplies.
The flower auction doesn't allow purchasing small quantities. They try to focus on
more prominent wholesale companies.