On Thursday 16 March 2023, we won the Deshima Business Award 2022 in the 'Well Established' category. Director Jan de Wit attended the ceremony at the Okura Hotel in Tokyo and accepted the award on behalf of our company. The award – a Delft blue plate – was presented by Liesje Schreinemacher, Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Since 2000, the Deshima Business Awards have been presented every two years by the NCCJ (Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in Japan) to Dutch companies in recognition of their impressive business achievements in the Japanese market. Companies with Dutch roots that are leaders in Japan and add value to Japanese society have a chance to win this prestigious award. Previous winners of the Deshima Business Awards include ASML, Philips, Randstad, DSM, Dick Bruna, ING, Elsevier, and Aegon. Our company is the first winner from the agricultural sector.

The application process consisted of two rounds and all applications were assessed by a jury consisting of representatives from both the Japanese and Dutch business communities in Japan. This jury then selected our company as the winner in the 'Well Established' category.

We have been doing business with Japan since 1962, after meeting a Japanese importer at the Floriade World Expo in the same year. In 60 years, we have become a market leader in Japan in flower bulbs. The bulbs exported to Japan are destined for professional flower growers, parks, and dry sales for consumers through garden centres, flower shops, etc.

We have introduced many new varieties in Japan, such as iris Blue Diamond, tulip Red Diamond, lily Casablanca, and the first double Oriental lily Double Surprise. We have also launced new market concepts, such as the Pitari tulip, and several promotional events. In addition, we have contributed to the development of new cultivation techniques in Japan, such as 5°C tulip flower cultivation, year-round cultivation of irises, and tulip forcing on water. Furthermore, director Jan de Wit has been chairman of the Asia group of Royal Anthos, the Royal Trade Association for Nursery Stock and Flower Bulbs, for many years. 

We are very grateful to our long-term customers, which include most of the major flower bulb importers in Japan, for their great confidence in our company. We appreciate the very pleasant business and personal relationships with our customers, and are always delighted to visit and meet them. We have proven to be a reliable, long-term business partner for the most important importers of tulip and lily bulbs in Japan.

Winning the Deshima Business Award 2022 in the 'Well-Established' category is a crowning achievement in our 100^th anniversary year!