12 A sea of flowers at 2011 Pack Trials - Floraculture International

Auctions (II)
Veiling Holambra
officially opened its
doors in September
2009. Time for a
visit. We had the
honour to speak
with Mr Theo
Breg, the auction’s
chairman whoguided
us around.
Veiling Holambra
reports impressive
growth
by Jaap N. Kras
Veiling Holambra is a
Dutch-style auction with
clocks counting downwards
and a 100% cooperative with 320
member growers. Holambra’s
membership is reserved for growers
only and according to the Brazilian
law, the association is owner of
the auction and its properties and
the members own the association.
The board consists of six member
growers who are elected during the
general member’s meeting which
takes place every year. The voting
principle is:one member, one vote,
regardless if you are a natural person
or a corporate body and regardless
of the size of your turnover.
New board members are proposed
by the sitting board. Theo Breg was
elected vice-president in 2004 and
president in 2007.
Growth figures
The turnover of the auction was
320 million Brazilian real*in 2010.
Last year Veiling Holambra reported
an impressive growth: 2008
The 7 ha new auction building is located halfway between Holambra and
Santo Antonio de Posse within a stones throw of Holambra’s previous location.
+14%, 2009 +12% and 2010 +20%.
The results of the first months of
2011 have also been promising with
a 22% growth. The budget expectation
for 2011 is based on a growth
of 8%.
Every grower of flowers and plants
can be a member although formally
Distribution area.
the board decides. “Members have
delivery duty”, explains Theo Breg,
He adds, “So all the products they
grow have to be sold through the
association. We want to concentrate
the supply and ascertain the trade
so that all available flowers and
plants can be purchased through
the association.”
The number of members as of January
1st 2011 was 280. To facilitate
its daily business operations, Veiling
Holambra started their own banking
activities.
New premises
The new building is based on the
designs and knowledge of the auction
FloraHolland in Rijnsburg, the
Netherlands and the newly opened
Veiling Rhein-Maas in Herungen,
Germany. The new Veiling Holambra
features three digital auction
clocks, which were installed by
the Belgian supplier of automation
solutions for flower auctions Aucxis
Products are brought to the auction
by the grower and offered to the
32 www.FloraCultureInternational.com | June 2011