Earlier this month, Alex van Hoekelen surveyed a large indoor greenhouse space in his family’s Hazleton area business with acres of flowers in different stages of growth.
He stated that most people who see this process express surprise at the amount of work involved.
Each tulip, hyacinth, and Easter lily at van Hoekelen Greenhouses Inc. needs careful nurturing and harvesting at the perfect time to ensure customers enjoy the not-yet-bloomed flowers.
The pressure is on because van Hoekelen — known as the largest bulb grower on the East Coast — provides flowers wholesale to various retailers across the country.
“One day could make or break a crop,” van Hoekelen said, emphasizing the collective effort required to manage everything.
Unlike planting flower bulbs in the ground and letting nature take its course, van Hoekelen uses a different indoor “forcing” process to grow tulips and other bulb types for consumer availability.
This process involves cooling to simulate winter temperatures and then heating to encourage growth.
van Hoekelen’s tulip bulbs are imported from the Netherlands, chosen from among thousands of varieties.
Family roots
Alex’s mother, Lori van Hoekelen, is the owner and CEO of the business that opened in 1988. She began her career at a New Jersey greenhouse.
His father, Cok, grew up in the Netherlands working on a bulb farm with his family and moved to the United States at the age of 16.
The business started with a greenhouse in Kline Township, Schuylkill County, chosen for its proximity to a cogeneration plant that provided steam heat. Now, the business uses compressed natural gas for heating since the cogeneration plant has been dismantled.
In 2000, the administration offices were moved to a former dress factory in McAdoo near Hazleton. The following year, a modern greenhouse was built close to the original one.
The company also obtained an additional property for growing in Sorrento, Florida.
In total, van Hoekelen now has over 21 acres of growing area “under glass,” according to Alex.
A second generation of the van Hoekelen family is now involved in the business. Lori Bowser manages accounts payable and purchasing. Alex oversees all aspects of the business, while his daughter Lexie is managing internal systems.
Alex, 29, remembers helping out in the family business since he was 10, doing tasks like sweeping floors and labeling boxes.
“I went to college, but I knew this is really what I wanted to do,” he said.
Expansive operation
Customized planting materials are mixed in a large machine and then delivered through a chute for dispensing into pots or other vessels.
“It’s like a big cake mixer,” Alex said.
Tulip bulbs, for instance, are initially placed in a mix of peatmoss and sand.
They also need to be kept at approximately 45 degrees for about 14 weeks before they start sprouting, he said.
Alex explained that it's crucial to give tulip bulbs a period of cooling. If they don't get enough cooling, they won't produce flowers and will be 'blind'.
They have a special area for cooling and packing cut flowers, and they use refrigerated trucks to transport them. This helps to slow down the blooming process for customers.
They use a machine to gently squeeze the bulbs to remove them, a process called debulbing, in order to maximize the length of the stem. Any leftover bulb material is then used for composting.
In another area, workers organize cut flowers by color so that they can be packaged together by an automatic sleeving machine that handles 5,000 bunches per hour.
Lexie proudly mentioned that her brother has designed new packaging that guides customers through the flower care steps.
According to Alex, they will be shipping 55 million individual stems from January to Mother’s Day.
Lexie mentioned that her father has implemented many features to enhance efficiency and workflow.
In the greenhouse spaces, they use large movable tables to make the work faster, as Alex pointed out.
The windows above are computer-operated so they can be opened and closed as needed, or covered with a curtain.
This is a year-round operation.
No breaks
Although they are currently focused on processing spring bulbs, they are also in the process of growing miniature Christmas trees and Christmas cactus (zygo) for the end of this year.
van Hoekelen is the largest Christmas cactus grower in the U.S., as noted by Alex.
The work is continuous.
After Mother’s Day, they shift their focus to spring arrivals, including flowers in hanging baskets.
Later, they will have potted sunflowers, followed by mums from August through October.
According to Alex, van Hoekelen employs 250 to 300 workers, but the number can vary due to busy seasons.
Most employees have been with the company for 15 to 20 years, and some for 35 to 40 years since its early days, as he mentioned.
He also mentioned that the business relies on around 100 migrant workers from Mexico, which is necessary due to labor shortages.
Alex emphasized that the employment program for migrant workers is closely regulated. Van Hoekelen has renovated deteriorated buildings to provide housing for these workers, and they have been welcomed by the community as they shop locally.
According to Alex, it has been economically beneficial for the area.
van Hoekelen also engages in fundraisers to support the community, including sales that offer affordable plants to customers and contribute a portion of the purchase price to fire departments and other participating organizations.
Expressions of admiration
Mary Malone, president of the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, vividly remembers visiting the van Hoekelen operation several years ago and found it to be 'fascinating'.
“It's not just a large farm. It's much more technical than that in order to grow all the products at the right time for stores,” said Malone. “The science and logistics involved in running a nationwide operation are often underestimated.
Malone also expressed appreciation to van Hoekelen for their community service, which involves assisting organizations in raising funds through flower sales and donating other resources.
Malone expressed gratitude for the ongoing support of van Hoekelen, mentioning their consistent willingness to help when needed and their significant contributions to the area over many years.
She also admires that van Hoekelen is a family-run business, similar to many others in the region, and describes them as extremely hardworking.
Malone is grateful that the business is being carried on by another generation.
Malone pointed out that despite the common expectation for people to leave after graduation, many have returned and are having a positive impact on the future of the area.
Wegmans Food Markets, a regular customer of van Hoekelen, praised the flower supplier highly.
Wendy Altamura, Wegmans’ Floral Category Merchant, has been working directly with van Hoekelen since 2008.
Altamura mentioned that van Hoekelen consistently supplies high-quality fresh cut tulips to all of their stores, with a significant amount of tulip stems purchased in 2023.
John L. Augustine III, president/CEO of the economic development agency Penn’s Northeast, noted that van Hoekelen was on the verge of establishing itself in a region that is currently experiencing significant economic growth.
Augustine stated that the greater Hazleton area is experiencing rapid growth.
According to Augustine, developers are planning to add over 20 million square feet of new industrial space in the next few years.
Augustine also mentioned the increasing attraction of the area to manufacturers due to its proximity to interstates I-80 and I-81, as well as a growing workforce.
Earlier this month, Alex van Hoekelen inspected a large indoor greenhouse on the family's business premises in the Hazleton area, which contained acres of flowers at different stages of growth.
