When you enter Ansu’s, it feels like you enter a Thai jungle. Be careful not to fall into the koi pond. Years ago, the nursery started years with Thai Vanda orchids, but since Covid it has expanded to a unique and diverse range. Steef van Adrichem is at the helm of the Westland company together with Arjo van der Wel and Ed Helderman. They also have business partners in Thailand.
The Ansu entrance
Rituals of horticulture
When you say innovation, you say Steef. He loves gifts and unique things. “If it’s unique, I like it,” he says enthusiastically. “Well, emotion can’t be sold emotionlessly. I like it when you see something and think: what on earth is that? It has to be a kind of art.” His Thai business partners take care of the unique range, and Steef turns it into an Ansu thingy, as he calls it himself. “Basically, we want to be the Rituals of horticulture. People like to give gifts, but they often don’t know what to give. With our gifts, I hope that people will truly enjoy Ansu products and specifically come back to a florist or garden center for an Ansu gift.”
Steef shows one of the creations
No stress
Not everything runs smoothly, but Steef doesn’t mind. Cacti, for instance, are not selling well at the moment. “If there is a high demand for a product, it suddenly produced in large quantities, then there is too much supply. But well, that’s called horticulture,” he says with a laugh. At Ansu, not all 8.6 hectares of the nursery are used. “There is also an empty section. Stress is not good for you. Empty is not bad. It would be bad when it was filled with a product that is not in demand. If I see something nice tomorrow, at least I have space to put it in the nursery. However, the chaos caused by all my innovations does demand a lot of energy from my partners. Adapting the organization to an ever-changing product flow certainly doesn’t come naturally either. Before you figured out how to optimally cultivate a new plant, you really need to be a top grower.”
Covid
Before Covid, Ansu was solely focused on Vandas, mainly for weddings, events and hotels. “After March 2020 it was over. That was when I thought: how I could turn this into an opportunity. That’s how I approach things, also when it comes to water or energy. One thing I knew for sure: when Covid was over, Ansu had to be stronger than before. And we succeeded.”
A sea of Aglaonemas
Color-blind
There are now more than 100 varieties of Aglaonemas in the nursery, a green plant in many different colors. “This is a plant for the future, it is very strong,” says Steef as he shows a bright pink Aglaonema. “And this one is really bright pink because I can see the color. Yes, I am color-blind, but I still select the plants myself. It doesn’t stop me, but it can lead to funny situations. For instance, I only found out after I turned 50 that peanut butter is brown, not green.”
Vandas
Although Steef loves innovation, Vandas remain important for Ansu. “We are the only Vanda orchid nursery in Europe, all our varieties are protected. We do a lot of exports, every serious order comes from here. In the past, almost everything went to Russia, and they remain hugely popular in Eastern Europe. But we remain Westland growers, so for us this is normal.”
“When your product is nearly perfect, people don’t believe it’s real. It’s almost too good to be true. But well, that’s Ansu,” he concludes with a laugh.
For more information:
Steef van Adrichem
Ansu
Tel: +31 (0)174 725039
[email protected]
www.ansu.eu
