Our History
The Origins Story
Founded 1882, we are one of the oldest and most respected, wholesale flower bulb exporters in the Netherlands. At DutchGrown.com we have been successfully growing and exporting high quality flower bulbs for over 130 years!
After years of working on the family farm growing flower bulbs, our great-grandfather was one of the first exporters to arrive in 1932 in New York via boat to bring the beloved Dutch bulb varieties to the United States. The next generations continued to export the family's knowledge and expertise in the flower bulb industry, enjoying tremendous growth and success while remaining committed to quality and customer satisfaction.
Meet the Founders
left: Ben Rotteveel and right: Pete Rotteveel
Now in the fourth generation of the family business, two brothers, Ben & Pete Rotteveel pioneered the way for wholesale, bulk and retail quantities of flower bulbs to be shipped directly from our farm in Voorhout, Holland to your doorstep. The first DutchGrown.com website was launched in 2001 and in 2007, our online shop was open for business.
Initially, only wholesale quantities were available for purchase online. But, in response to persistent requests from our customers, we soon figured out a way to offer our flower bulbs for sale in smaller quantities. The logistics of shipping our flower bulbs has progressed a lot since 2007! With the opening of our warehouse located in West Chester, PA, we are able to ship our bulbs from our farm in Holland to PA. From this location, we ship out the orders to our valued customers across the U.S., ensuring fresh bulbs that are delivered at the right time for planting.
We now delight in serving our master gardeners, beginning gardeners and all flower bulb enthusiasts as well as supplying to landscape professionals, botanical gardens, greenhouse growers and garden centers throughout the United States.
Our Pledge to You
DutchGrown.com has the enormous advantage of an operating base in the Netherlands, centrally located close to the best flower bulb growers in the world. Coupled with the knowledge and experience of the Dutchgrown family, who have been growing and trading flower bulbs from out of Holland for four generations, customers receive the highest quality flower bulbs combined with personalized and service-oriented expertise.
We work with an enthusiastic crew who are dedicated to maintaining the quality and principles that have been the backbone of our company for years. Our mission is to provide our customers with the highest quality flower bulbs available on the market and with efficient, reliable and friendly service, create long-lasting relationships with each and every customer.
Why Order from DutchGrown?
- THE best quality flower bulbs: We know that starting out with large, healthy flower bulbs is essential to optimal growing results and gorgeous blooms. That’s why we ship only the freshest, highest quality, Top-Size bulbs, the largest on the market. And just take a look at our customer reviews to see how impressed people are with our outstanding quality. Order once from us and you won’t look back!
- Everyday wholesale pricing for all our customers: Landscaper professionals and gardeners alike can be assured of competitive bulk pricing, regardless of order size. (But we do offer seasonal specials and the occasional SuperSale so sign up for our newsletter so you can stay in the loop!)
- Insider Information: Got a question about flower bulbs? We bet we can answer it! Not just internet salespeople, our family has grown up in the flower bulb industry in The Netherlands with generations of experience as growers, breeders and suppliers. Flower bulbs are what we know. Inside and out. And we love to share our passion and knowledge. Ask us what you want and get the answers and support that you need to grow beautiful Spring blooms.
- Get to know your bulb grower: As a small family company, we are intimately involved in each and every order and take pleasure in being able to offer personal service and the highest standards of quality to all our customers.
Our office and warehouses in West Chester, PA.
Harvesting our daffodil bulbs. In the back you see our family farm in Holland.
Two temperature controlled containers loaded with flower bulbs from our family farm in Holland arriving at our warehouse in West Chester, PA. It takes 12 days to ship from the port of Rotterdam in Holland to the port of New York, NY.
Continuing the legacy
Fast forward 4 generations and Pete and Ben are now both in Europe, albeit in different countries. Until recently, Pete had spent 15 years in the USA developing the online side of the business whilst Ben honed his considerable skills in the Netherlands.
We play to our strengths. Ben is the flower bulb expert and the ‘people person’. He has fantastic connections with all the growers in the Netherlands, he excels at networking and is always happy to help any customer with any questions.
Pete is the techy guy who has been developing websites for over 20 years and is the engine that keeps DutchGrown running smoothly. Despite being quite the computer geek, he is surprisingly personable and is also, on occasion, allowed out of his basement to meet clients. In fact, he and Ben spend quite a lot of time travelling to the USA, Europe and the UK for flower bulb exhibitions and expos, and always enjoy meeting and getting to know their customers, forging long-lasting connections and friendships.
How it began
Our journey began in 1882 with our great grandfather who set the Rotteveels on their path of destiny. From working on the family farm growing bulbs in the Netherlands, he then began selling bulbs in Germany to local growers. Some year later, opportunity, ambition and adventure took him by boat to New York - actually, our great-grandfather was one of the very first flower bulb exporters from Holland to arrive in the USA. Our grandfather and father followed in his shoes, continuing to export the family's knowledge and expertise in the flower bulb industry, and enjoying great success whilst never compromising on quality or customer service and satisfaction.
How we work
An aspect of DutchGrown that we take pride in is our personal approach to business and to customer service. We may have a team in the background helping us, but we like to keep our hand in, so if you contact DutchGrown there is a large chance it will be one of us who will be there to answer your questions.
The Future
We will continue to work with our passion and hands-on approach and will make sure to always move with the times and anticipate trends. There is already a fifth generation waiting in the wings, ready to follow in our well-trodden steps, and prepared to take on the mantle when they are older.
As he stepped on that boat all those years ago, we wonder if our great-grandfather had any idea of the legacy he was creating. We hope he would be very proud of the evolution of DutchGrown and the direction his dreams and ambition have taken.
Blowing our own trumpet
We exhibit in the famous Keukenhof park and most of the photography you see on our website does in fact come from there. In the world of horticulture this is the real deal, the big Kahuna. Keukenhof is the most famous and largest flower park in the world and the benchmark to which other flower parks aspire. We are very proud to claim our small part in it and see it as evidence of the quality of DutchGrown and a testament to the heritage built by our forefathers.