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4-TEACH: “It's About More than the Oohs and Aahs Only”
- 31 May 2013
Four experienced Dutch master florists have joined hands, because they signal that the flower trade is impoverishing and feel that something should be done about that. For that reason, the four – Ben Clevers, Elso Post, Jan Aartsen and Cees van Dijk – have founded 4-Teach. “First the basis, then the artist”.
Spokesman Cees van Dijk: “Not only in Holland-Flowerland, but also in all countries to which we export, developments are going on, in the positive as well as the negative sense. As a result of the changes in the present economical situation and in the spending behaviour of the consumer, all of us are looking for new directions in the future of ornamental cultivation and of the retail sector. The flower trade is getting poorer and poorer, knowledge is getting lost and the consumer gets distanced from the product more and more. There are arrangers who show very little respect for the floral material anymore”.
The four share many years of worldwide experience in flower shops, in teaching, in demonstrating their skills, in designing and decorating exhibitons and in the creation of stands and showrooms. Van Dijk: “We bundled our forces to convey solid professional knowledge for the florist”. 4-Teach intends to reach this goal by way of ambitious teaching programs and/or shorter workshops, focusing on a return to the basic skills and on transferring respect for the floral material. Upon invitation by growers, im- and exporters and professional organizations they are ready and willing to travel to any country.
According to the master florists, it must sometimes hurt a flower grower, when he sees how some people handle his product, that has been grown with love, knowledge and experience; how it is being rudely processed or even disappears completely under a layer of paint or glitter. Also exporters, who handle their packaging and transport with utmost care, will sometimes be touched negatively by the way their product is mistreated afterward.
Van Dijk: “A number of contemporary florists nowadays limits their use of the ornamental product to cut it up, to glue, to string or to hide it under all kinds of trifles. Respect for the floral material is sometimes far away – and keeping qualities do not seem to matter anymore.
The four master florists find that nowadays many colleagues do apparently work for the moment only – for the picture they want to make of their work and for the Oohs and Aahs on a show. Van Dijk “Think of the bridal bouquet that has to stay beautiful for only a few hours. Only the 'giving moment' is important – not whether the recipient can enjoy the flowers afterward. Nothing seems to be in the way of these'artists': they can potter around without imposing any restrictions vis-a-vis technique and/or keeping qualities upon themselves”.
“Strangely enough they often assemble expensive and/or exclusive materials. The product that is available though the auction channels, often appears to be too simple ! They make fantastic foundations and spend lots of time on them. But at the moment when they have to start using live material, things go terribly wrong. First and foremost they want to be 'artists'. And in the process they wipe their noble florists' trade under the table”.
For all further information on 4-Teach, please visit their web site www.4-teach.com.
Source: HortiTrends News Room
