At Dekker Chrysanten in Hensbroek, more than 170 enthusiastic professionals are at work. In our Face of the Family feature, we highlight a colleague or intern to show the people behind our family business. This time, we meet seventeen-year-old Roos van Langen, who has been doing an internship at Dekker Chrysanten as a Marketing and Sales intern since May. After thirty weeks, her internship is coming to an end, making this a perfect moment to look back on a valuable and, above all, enjoyable experience.

It was clear to Roos from the start that she wanted to do her internship in the floral industry. “My father also works in flowers, and I’ve always had part-time jobs in this sector myself. I’m drawn to it because no day is the same. There’s so much variety, and since I didn’t know much about chrysanthemums, I found it especially exciting to learn more about them.”

She discovered that there’s much more to chrysanthemums than she had imagined. “I had no idea how many different varieties there are and how important resistance and development are. It was fun to find that out. I also hadn’t realized the many shapes and colours, and that some varieties can even be dyed. It’s precisely this variety that makes the work so diverse.”

Before her internship officially started, Roos first shadowed different departments. “Every day was different, and it was really fun to see how everyone worked with so much passion. They wanted to show me everything and teach me as much as possible. That gave me a good overall picture of the company, not just the sales and marketing departments.”

After that, she started in the sales department. “I went along with account managers and visited growers. That’s how I learned a lot about how chrysanthemums are cultivated and how customer interactions work.”

In the marketing department, she discovered a completely different side of the job. “In marketing, I also visited growers, but the goal was to gather visual materials and give growers a face through initiatives like ‘Grower in the picture,’ highlighting the people behind our chrysanthemums. Sometimes I worked at the computer, for example creating a magazine, and other days I was on a lift hanging lanterns for an open day. No week was the same, and it was precisely that variety that made it so enjoyable.”

Roos also appreciated the freedom she was given to take initiative. “For the ‘Trade Talk’ feature, we visited a company that specializes in dyeing flowers, and later I was even allowed to send out sample boxes of dyed chrysanthemums and manage everything myself. At Dekker, you really get the space to think along and try things out.” What she enjoyed most was being out and about. “I got to visit growers, florists, and wholesalers, and I loved that.”

Roos looks back on her internship with a positive feeling. What she enjoyed most, besides the work itself, was the team spirit. “We had a lot of fun, even during long car rides. Those conversations, the laughter, and being on the road together made the days fly by.”

Would Roos like to come back to Dekker Chrysanten in the future? “I really appreciate the freedom you get here, and that’s very appealing to me. I haven’t decided on a specific role yet. Being an account manager seems challenging because it requires a lot of knowledge, but marketing sounds fun, especially since you’re often out in the field and the sector is so diverse.”

Roos also has some advice for future interns: “Don’t stress too much,” she says with a laugh. “And I would definitely recommend an internship at Dekker Chrysanten. You learn so much, and the team is just amazing.”

With her enthusiasm, curiosity, and dedication, Roos has made a valuable contribution to the Marketing & Sales team. We look back on her internship with great pleasure and wish her every success in what lies ahead.