Naturally, Jan Lamboo followed in his grandfather and father’s footsteps to carry on the family flower legacy. As President of Lamboo Dried & Deco, he brings generational knowledge to an ever-changing market.
“My grandfather was a bulb flower grower. My father also joined to grow his own flower bulbs and sell them at the local auction. After a few years, he started to grow dried flowers. Then, he invented our drying process. That was 1982. This year it will be forty years ago,” says Lamboo.
That unique drying process is one of the many things setting this dried flower supplier apart. With a solar-powered facility, natural water-based dyes, on-site wastewater treatment, and ETI certification (the highest standard in supply chain audits), Lamboo Dried & Deco brings dried flowers from harvest to your home sustainably.
For years, they’ve partnered with local farmers throughout Holland to plant and nurture specific dried flower varieties. These dried flower seeds differ from fresh flower seeds. Once in bloom, they prefer to be cut and dried vs. kept fresh in water. “For dried flowers, it’s the same way of growing, but because dried flowers are a particular variety, they don’t do as well after you cut them. If you put them in water, they will not survive,” says Lamboo. However, once dried, these flowers can last for years.
In the Spring, seeds are planted directly in the fields and carefully tended to. Lamboo says each farm is visited twice a week to ensure the flowers and the relationship with the farmers continue to thrive. Occasionally, an herbicide or pesticide has to be used, but always sparingly as a spot treatment. After a few months of slow and stunning growth, the flowers and grains are ready to harvest. From late June to August, farmers handpick each bloom and gather bundles along the way. For grains, a small machine is used to cut everything to one length. Then individual stems are collected by hand. After harvest, every bundle is hung, dried, and treated in Lamboo’s solar-powered facility.
Once harvested, bundles are either dried, preserved with glycerine, or color-treated with vegetable-based dyes. Then, each stem is hand-packed in Kraft paper or a bio-based sleeve. Once ready, the florals are shipped in recycled cardboard boxes worldwide. Because dried flowers last for years vs. fresh flowers that last just a few days, these florals can be shipped by boat instead of a plane. This shipping method lowers the total carbon footprint exponentially.
Each year, Lamboo Dried & Deco becomes a more sustainable company. Recently, they’ve switched to paper tape, making their boxes completely recyclable. They’ve also launched an Eco-Range of dried flowers (no dyes or preservatives) that can be easily composted at home. In addition, they hope to run entirely off solar and convert their drying process away from natural gas in the next few years.
Read about Afloral’s sustainability journey, how to care for dried flowers, or shop the entire Lamboo Dried & Deco line here.
