The scent of fresh roses hangs heavily in the air. In the greenhouses of Porta Nova in Waddinxveen, everything looks sleek and modern, yet at the same time it breathes craftsmanship and tradition.
Between the straight rows of deep red Red Naomi’s, the voice of Leon Dukker, rose grower and director of Porta Nova, can be heard: “With roses, it’s all about balance. If you push them with extra light or food, it will come back to haunt you later. You have to read the plant, feel it, understand it. That balance is not only present here, but also later in the shop, when a florist picks up the stem and the full bloom reveals itself as a promise to the customer.”
For Porta Nova, a rose is more than just a flower. A rose carries a story - from care and craftsmanship in the greenhouse to emotion in the vase. It is precisely this promise that has made Porta Nova one of the most progressive rose growers in Europe.
Porta Nova was born in 2006 from the merger of three rose-growing families. What began as a pooling of knowledge and experience has grown into a company fully dedicated to a single flower: Red Naomi, a rose with velvet-red blooms and an exceptionally long vase life. It was exactly this choice for monoculture that made it personal. By focusing entirely on one crop, Porta Nova can dedicate all of their attention, craftsmanship, and innovations to this rose.
While many Dutch growers moved their production to Africa and South America, Porta Nova deliberately chose Europe as its market and the Netherlands as its cultivation base. This meant higher costs but also more control over quality and sustainability.
Today, Porta Nova is no longer dependent on gas, and thanks to a private 6 km-long power cable to the distribution station in Zoetermeer, they can switch directly to wind energy “high in the grid.” Heat from summer is stored in the ground and reused in winter. A system of heat exchangers and impressive heat pumps makes this possible. Excess CO₂ from the Port of Rotterdam is cleverly reused, water circulates in closed systems, and pests are controlled with natural predators and even UV-C light.
The ambition to grow the most beautiful and sustainable rose led Porta Nova into a new chapter: precisely measuring their environmental impact. In collaboration with universities, specialists, and through the new European FloriPEFCR standard, the full footprint of the Red Naomi was calculated.
The result: a transparent and validated figure, converted into grams of CO₂ per stem. With the FUTURA concept, Porta Nova demonstrates what a rose grown on 100% wind energy looks like - with a footprint five to nine times lower than just the air freight emissions of roses grown outside Europe. Yet, there is nuance: many other growers still don’t measure their cultivation impact, or not according to the same method. Fair comparison is therefore difficult. This is precisely why Porta Nova calls on colleagues to also make their footprint transparent - so that a level playing field emerges and everyone is challenged to keep improving.
What drove Porta Nova to take this step? The answer is partly personal, partly strategic. “I want to be able to tell my grandchildren that we don’t just produce beautiful flowers, but also take care of the earth,” says Dukker. Van Vuuren adds: “And we want to show that it can be done. We’re the only ones measuring at this level right now, but we hope others will follow. Only when you can compare does improvement become truly interesting.''
The growers emphasize that their path was not without risks. Investments in LED lighting, a six-kilometer private energy connection, and the development of climator technology required massive investment.
Still, the men of Porta Nova know not every grower can take this step overnight. Their message: start small, but start.
Start measuring - Use the official footprint tool. Even if it feels complicated, it provides insight and direction. Plus, you contribute to comparability.
Look at energy - Even a small step, like switching to greener electricity, makes a difference.
Work together - Find partners, share knowledge. They too have learned from universities and colleagues.
Be transparent - Share your numbers, even if they’re not perfect. It builds trust and inspires others to act.
The journey from a “normal” red rose to a low-carbon icon has been long and full of challenges. But today, Porta Nova has succeeded in making their Red Naomi not only the most beautiful but also the most sustainable rose in Europe.
Because no matter how sustainably a grower cultivates, the supply chain plays just as big a role. Transport, trade, retail - margins and emissions accumulate at every step.
‘’We’ve got our numbers straight.’’ Van Vuuren concludes. “But what happens further down the chain? How honest does the story remain? And is it understood by buyers, florists, and - one step further - the consumer? Because sustainability doesn’t stop at the greenhouse door. Only when the entire chain joins in, can a rose truly be called green.”
Read more in Part 2: FM Group and Porta Nova on footprints and the power of transparency.
