Visit from Starline Flowers

This week, the enthusiastic entrepreneur Joost Petri from importer Starline Flowers visited the FloraPodium. He brought two products that he wanted to share with us: Aralia 'Iron Man' and Sorghum Berry. In the attached video Joost tells us all about these special products.

Joost came across the Aralia 'Iron Man' during a trip in the Middle East. It’s named after the grower, who had a tattoo that looked just like the Marvel superhero Iron Man. The Sorghum Berry comes from a small farm. Usually this product is sold dried and is used as a decorative material. But the fresh Sorghum Berry is available at Starline Flowers!

These products deserve a stage because they are completely new in this market. It isn’t a variation on an existing product, but something that has not been there before. "That's what makes these two products so fun to start with! And there will be much more in the future! We'll be back!" says Joost enthusiastically.

Starline imports flowers from all over the world and always tries to find new varieties that are not yet known. "When I look for new products, I look with a carpenter's eye. It must not only be special, new or different. It must also be available within a rapidly changing market. A market that constantly renews and where the prices of one day can be completely different from the prices a day after. Market conformity plays a decisive role here."

Joost started the company three years ago with his partner after he had worked for a large exporter for a long time. After his law studies he made the choice to continue in flowers instead of in a legal profession. His biggest challenge now is to introduce his own vision on a market that has been dominated for years by the established order. "You have to rely on your own strength and try not to mirror it to others."

FloraPodium, 12 September 2018