Destination Marginpar: A journey behind our flowers
From 3 to 6 November, we opened the doors of Marginpar in Aalsmeer for Destination Marginpar. During four days, we welcomed visitors from across the floriculture industry and took them on a journey through the four countries where our flowers are grown: Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Back to storieshe idea was simple: give visitors a closer look at the world behind our flowers. With a Marginpar passport in hand, visitors could explore each destination, discover new varieties, take part in activities and collect a stamp at every stop. Once all the stamps were collected, there was a little something waiting for them at the end of their journey.
Tanzania
Our journey started in Tanzania, where visitors could explore a selection of flowers grown on our Tanzanian farms.
One collection in particular attracted plenty of attention: Clematis Amazing®. With its unusual shapes and distinctive appearance, the Clematis range was one of the highlights of Destination Marginpar.
Clematis Amazing® Vienna and Clematis Amazing® Sevilla were real showstoppers. Visitors took their time to admire the varieties and discover the possibilities this special flower offers.
Ethiopia
From Tanzania, visitors continued their journey to Ethiopia. Here, the display brought together a range of varieties with different colours, shapes and textures. The Questar series of Eryngium stood out. Its distinctive appearance and excellent quality attracted plenty of interest, with visitors taking their time to have a closer look. Each country offered a different perspective on our assortment and the growing conditions that make our flowers unique.
A moment to relax and a little friendly competition
After exploring the first destinations, visitors could take a break downstairs, enjoy a cup of coffee and, of course, a traditional Dutch stroopwafel.
But there was more to discover than flowers alone. We had prepared two interactive games to give visitors a fun way to learn more about our farms and the work behind our assortment.
The first challenge was: Which one doesn't belong?
We showed six animals and asked visitors to identify the one that cannot be found on our farms. It was a fun way to introduce the subject of biodiversity and explain how we work with the natural environment around our flower fields. From crop rotation and cover crops to beneficial insects and Integrated Pest Management, there is a lot happening on our farms to support a healthy ecosystem. Our principle is simple: biology first, chemistry last.
The second challenge focused on flower development. Did you know that developing a new cut flower can take 5 to 10 years or even longer?
Visitors were invited to look at five flowers under glass domes and arrange them from the shortest to the longest development time. From Astilbe to Helleborus, each variety has its own story and challenges. A great way to show just how much time, testing and patience goes into developing a new Marginpar flower.
The Flower Lab: a look at what comes next
The journey continued upstairs, where visitors entered our Flower Lab.
This was the place to discover what happens behind the scenes of quality testing and variety development. Visitors could explore the trials we set up every week, see how we assess new varieties and get a first look at some upcoming introductions.
There were also a few exciting sneak peeks, including Clematis Amazing® Amsterdam and the upcoming Dahlia Design Lavender Purple.
The Dahlia Design Lavender Purple is expected to be officially introduced in about two weeks, so keep an eye on our upcoming newsletters for more details. Not subscribed yet? Sign up now and make sure you don't miss the introduction!
Visitors could vote for their favourite flowers by placing a heart next to the varieties they liked most. It was great to see so many people taking part and sharing their favourites.
Kenya: The heart of our assortment
Next stop: Kenya.
With the largest number of our farms, Kenya is home to a particularly diverse assortment. The display brought together a wide range of varieties! There was plenty to discover, and visitors spent a lot of time exploring the different varieties.
But there was another attraction that proved especially popular: our photo moment!
Visitors could put on the clothing worn by our farm teams and step into a photograph with a Clematis field as their backdrop. The response was fantastic. Almost everyone wanted to have a go, and it brought plenty of smiles and memorable pictures.
Right opposite the photo area, visitors could also discover a model of one of our constructed wetlands.
This was a great opportunity to explain more about our approach to water management and sustainability. In 2026, our Carzan KS Farm received the Kenya Flower Council Pinnacle Sustainability Award for ‘Most Efficient Constructed Wetland’.
Zimbabwe: Where our story began
The final destination was Zimbabwe, the country where the Marginpar story first began. Although Zimbabwe currently has a smaller product selection compared to our other production countries, it holds a special place in our history.
Behind the scenes: The world of logistics
Of course, growing beautiful flowers is only part of the story. Getting them from our farms to customers around the world takes a lot of planning, teamwork and expertise.
That is why visitors could also join a guided tour of our logistics department. Every hour, a new tour took visitors behind the scenes to discover how flowers travel from our farms in Africa to Aalsmeer and onwards to their destinations.
It was an opportunity to see another important part of the Marginpar operation and understand everything that happens between harvesting a flower and delivering it to the customer.
Four countries, one journey
From the first passport stamp to the final stop, Destination Marginpar was all about bringing our world closer to our visitors.
We welcomed a fantastic number of guests throughout the four days and received so many lovely reactions. It was great to see people exploring the displays, asking questions, discovering new varieties, joining the games and taking pictures along the way. And, of course, no journey would be complete without a souvenir. Visitors who completed their passports and collected all four country stamps received a Marginpar goodie bag to take home.
A big thank you to everyone who visited us and made Destination Marginpar such a success.
Couldn't make it to Destination Marginpar?
Join us for a walk through Destination Marginpar! We put on our Meta Glasses and filmed the entire Open House from our own perspective. From one location to the next, take a look around and experience the different along the way. It's the next best thing to being there!
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