Blokker Pty Ltd is a wholesale cut-flower and bulb grower of Freesia, Zantedeschia (Calla Lily) and Dutch Iris selling directly to wholesalers Australia wide. Blokker is located in Wesley Vale (10 km from Devonport) on the North West coast of Tasmania.
Maarten and Marianne Blokker, originally from The Netherlands, and their four young children moved to their current location in 1997. This particular area was chosen because of its ideal growing conditions for Freesia production. They came to the property with only one old tractor, one container of gear and some Freesia corms. The first crops were planted in low hoop igloos outside. At that stage, climate control was virtually non-existent and had to be done with mulching and shading to keep the soil and crop cool. Production was limited to certain months of the year and quality was inconsistent.
Today, Blokker has nearly 2 hectares of climate controlled greenhouses for year-round production and also grows 5 HA outside during Tasmania’s mild summers. The company employs more than 25 locals who are trained to look after every aspect of growing flowers – from planting, crop care, picking flowers, processing of the bulbs and corms. Specially designed equipment has made production more efficient but most of the tasks have to still be done by hand and cannot be automated. Technology has progressed in leaps and bounds since this time. All our glasshouses are now climate controlled with specifically designed soil cooling and heating equipment with its own software. This enables Blokker to get two crops a year from the same area and saving energy in the process.
Less than 1% of the flowers are actually sold in Tasmania. The flowers are packed in the coolroom to remain fresh and shipped to the mainland before being taken via refrigerated road all over the country. Blokker grows a wide range of colourful Freesias with white becoming more popular in recent years. Our aim is to grow about 70 per cent white because of the demand driven by fashionable trends and, of course, weddings. We grow 5% yellow Freesias, 15% blue-purple-mauve and the rest pink and red. Blokker also grows a wide range of colourful Calla Lily and blue Dutch Iris largely outside on 5 hectares of land. Cool Tasmania is a perfect place to grow long lasting cut flowers and bulbs.
