Fred. De Meulder Export
Fred. De Meulder Export is one of the oldest remaining flower bulb wholesalers in the world. In the last 10 years, our sector has changed very fast, say more professional. Many non-specialised companies have stopped due to lack of succession or not being able to keep up with all the developments.
Fred. De Meulder BV is still very much alive, even after 120 years. We enjoy working together with our people, our customers and suppliers to be a reliable and continuous partner for you. Every branch of our company has its own specialist.
We are proud to supply our flower bulbs to flower growers, garden centres, municipalities (public green spaces), webshops, mail order and gardeners. Our products see all parts of the world: the Netherlands but also southern Italy up to the Arctic Circle and from North and South America to Taiwan.
We are known for our very large range (>3800 species), our personal service and, of course, our quality.
History
We are proud of our history, many materials such as catalogues, photos , order books but also a safe from the early years are still in our possession. Books can be written about the history, below is a short summary:
After the sand mining of the 17th and 18th centuries for bricks to build Amsterdam, among other things, many flat plots of sandy soil remained, people started growing fruit and vegetables. Especially the excavated dunes between Haarlem and Leiden proved to be very suitable for growing flower bulbs.
A larger part of the population of Europe and USA was doing well economically, money could also start to be spent on luxury goods. Flowers and flower bulbs became products to show off, demand took off. From 1860, flower bulb cultivation began to grow and slowly and surely expanded throughout the area between Haarlem and Leiden. It was precisely in this region that Frederic de Meulder began his career in bulbs.
On 1 April 1898, Fred starts his own business in Lisse, in the centre of the Bulb Region. Fred’s early death was followed by a difficult period of WW2. In 1945, Fred’s 2 sons took charge and continued to build the company. In 1948, our company celebrated its first big anniversary: 50 years! In the early 1980s, the nursery was further completed and the company moved to modern premises in Lisse. A fresh new management comes in which benefits the trade. Several mergers took place in the following years. From 1990, René Schrama became a member of the management. The 100th anniversary was celebrated in 1998. In 2005, Gebroeders Van Til was taken over, adding to the company’s lily knowledge. From 2015, René Schrama and Bas Reijerkerk took over the management. The 120th anniversary was modestly celebrated at the beginning of 2018. On to 125 years in 2023!
Fred. de Meulder BV has a special logo that needs some explanation:a trademark centred on a camel:At the beginning of the 20th century, Fred de Meulder sold flower bulbs to a customer in Alexandria, Egypt. After a long boat journey, Fred delivers his bulbs to the port. The wooden boxes (including No 589) are then loaded onto a camel. Accompanied by an Oriental dressed man, the camel sets off into the desert with its valuable cargo. The camel has been in our logo ever since, so our nickname “The Camel” is still used.