We have heard so much about Van der Plas Infinity system, but when we saw it first hand we then realised how beneficial it was to us as florists

What is the Infinity System in Van der Plas?

It simply means, until you click order on your webshop order, you flowers are not ordered.

• So today is Monday, and you are ordering flowers to arrive to you here in Ireland for Thursday Night / Friday Morning (delivery to other countries may differ, but the system is the same)

• You choose Wednesday as your despatch

• You have until 8am on Wednesday Morning to choose your final stem (sundries and plants differ - see your rep)

• You can start your order on Monday, all day Tuesday and until 8am on Wednesday Morning.

BUT - not one of your stems are ordered until Wednesday morning from 6am.

Why does this matter??

Most flowers coming into auction on Wednesday Morning are cut on Tuesday or even Wednesday Morning.

Flowers bought direct from growers are not cut until they are ordered - so for example if you order Germini from Van der Plas for a Wednesday despatch, there is a very good chance that those stems have been only cut on Wednesday morning and leave Holland on Wednesday afternoon evening to arrive to you Thursday night / Friday Morning.

The infinity system means Van der Plas carry no stock, only at times like peaks ( Valentines - Mother’s Day) do they order in extra knowing from experience what they will sell, and anything not sold is sent off to a German market who have been buying excess stock off them for years

How is this good for florists?

As florists we know the longer our flowers last the happier our customers are.

The better the quality and the fresher the flowers are the happier the florist as the more profitable they will be

Are there any draw back to the infinity system?

For the florist the cut off point of ordering is earlier than other wholesalers, so this may impact your ordering.

Sometimes the price you pay will be a little higher, but when you see the man power and manual labour that goes into keeping this system going to ensure florists get the very best quality and freshness, it is definitely worth paying that little extra, and in the long run probably have much better feedback from your customers.

For a long time we knew of this system Van der Plas use, but never really know how it really worked and how it would benifit florists. This visit to Holland with our rep Fionnualla Mc Cauley from Van der Plas has been a real eye opener and so educational. We look forward to passing all this knowledge on to our students at Kays Flower School