Pieter Landman: The Undercover Martha Stewart

This is an “all hands on deck” time of year on the farm and it is a marvel to watch Sun Valley flex it's muscles as the largest cut flower grower and shipper in North America. Mother’s Day 2013 is coming off without a hitch. We are on 24 hour shifts, for picking, packing and shipping and spirits are running high.

In the heat of the action, we were graced by a visit from Pieter Landman. Many of our readers may know Pieter for his stunning design work, his engaging presentations and his ridiculously extroverted personality.

I sat down with Pieter to talk about his career in the floral industry, and found the toughest part of interviewing Pieter is getting a word in edgewise.

Flowers are in Pieter’s blood; his father was a tulip grower, so it wasn’t a surprise as Pieter excelled at the Horticultural Institute in Aalsmeer. After graduating with honors in horticulture, just a few years behind Sun Valley CEO Lane DeVries, Pieter embarked on what would become a grand journey leading him around the world. In one fell swoop he decided to open a flower shop, start a business as a traveling freelance flower designer and pursue his master degree in floral design. It seems the day he made this decision may have been the last calm, relaxing day he has had.

Pieter as a young man running his flower shop.

In 1982, Pieter came on the international scene as a designer for Amsterdam Floriade. This is a once a decade flower show in Holland that last for 6 months, it would be an understatement to call this occasion the “Super Bowl” of floral design. His involvement in this Olympian event led to Pieter being selected as one of six designers with the Flower Council of Holland. This prestigious position expanded the demand for Pieter’s services. Realizing he was spreading himself too thin, he elected to close the flower shop, and focus on his career as a floral personality and obtaining his master’s degree. From 1986 to 1988 we was the host of a first of its kind floral design, home decor and lifestyle TV show in Holland. Long before HGTV, there was Pieter!

As Pieter gained fame in Holland, his talents were being requested around the world. You know life is getting surreal when the Sultan of Oman wants you to do his flowers and when you are brought to London to create the floral designs for Wimbledon. Even back home in Holland the word was out, as the royal family of the Netherlands hired him for their floral needs, perhaps the highest compliment in the flower capital of the world.

With all this acclaim and demand, Pieter could easily have rested on his laurels. However, he wasn’t even thirty years old.

Tulip necklace, featuring Sun Valley tulips

In the early nineties, he saw the power that mass market accounts would wield in the floral industry. So he set out to study customer behavior in this setting. He didn’t hire a research firm, he hit the streets himself. He traveled across the United States and Europe, standing in supermarket floral areas, seeing what people were buying and talking to customers. By asking people what they like, what they want and occasionally getting chased out by zealous managers (To this day he is very quick on his feet!) Pieter was able to discern a huge problem in the floral industry. Flower buying customers did not like what the mass market stores were offering, people were not satisfied with the designs and most of the people he spoke to were extremely underwhelmed by what the mass market industry was doing with flowers.

Pieter in Holland

Pieter started making flower arrangements that people actually wanted and which could be produced in a mass market atmosphere. This customer centric approach to selling flowers shocked the major flower buyers at US chains, and set up the foundation for his company Blooming Vision. Blooming Vision’s goal is to bring flowers to the consumer in the way they like it.

Pieter says, “I listen to what the consumer wants and likes …that’s what I bring.”

Today, Pieter's influence and foresight can be seen in virtually every floral department in the United States.

Behind this man, who seems very complex on the outside, is actually a person striving for simplicity. This is perhaps the root of his genius. His modest origins of growing up on the Dutch country side among the rows of tulips have served him well. Pieter’s humorous tales of rubbing elbows with the world’s elites, always have a cavalier confidence that leads him out on a limb, only to be pulled back in by the person he needs to impress.

Armani in Milan, Italy

A classic tale is his first day consulting for Giorgio Armani in Milan. Mr. Armani came down from his penthouse, as he does everyday at 4 p.m., to the retail front of the flagship store and asked Pieter,

“What's wrong with this flower department? No one buys the flowers.”

Pieter replied, “People don’t know the flowers are for sale, it looks like a museum in here.”

Jaws hit the ground, as no one speaks to Mr. Armani so frankly.

Pieter walked behind the counter to the sink, and splashed water on the counter and onto the floor. He grabbed bunches of flowers from the manicured vases, and laid them on the pristine marble and glass counter tops. He started snipping them into fresh arrangements, all while the wet greenery stuck to the marble and the stems of the cut flowers shot out into the haute couture capital of Europe.

As he chatted about what he was doing with the flowers, the customers started walking up and asking if they could buy the arrangements. Pieter said,

“Yes of course, but you have to ask these guys how much they cost.” using his clippers to point at Mr. Armani and his entourage.

Mr. Armani said, “I think you have something here.” and walked away. Years later Pieter is still consulting with Armani.

Pieter started working for Sun Valley in 2004. He has since become an intricate part of the Sun Valley family. You find his designs and presentations running all through our last ten years. Pieter's energy and his generosity with his time and effort have been the basis of a great relationship.

“No matter where I go, I am identified with Sun Valley, I am very proud of this affiliation and the work we have accomplished.”

Pieter creating a series of tulip wreaths.

Pieter was on our farm in Arcata filming a series of videos showing how to make beautiful, modern arrangements from our soil grown tulips and other Sun Valley flowers. Stay tuned for when we release these great “how to” spots.

When asked about what draws him to flowers, Pieter takes a more serious tone. It is suddenly apparent how dedicated to his craft and how very thoughtful he is about flowers.

“Flowers create a smile, whether a single stem or a huge bunch, flowers are always appreciated. A flower is never returned because it didn’t fit or was the wrong size. Flowers fill every home, from a palace to a camping tent. I want to bring flowers to whomever likes them.”

After a brief pause, he continues, “And you know what? One day, Tiffanys in New York will be selling flowers; that is one of my goals.”