By Derek Schlennstedt
A shared passion for producing the finest quality lilies in Australia has seen Rob and Mariske de Wit in Silvan build a multi-million dollar vertically integrated company that produces up to six million stems of specialist lilies and Dutch iris annually.
The pair was part of a select few Victorian farmers who were nominated for the 2018 Farmer of The Year Awards.
Speaking to the Mail, Rob de Wit said passion, innovation and a fair dose of Dutch courage led to the success of their business.
“Me and my wife grew the business from 1999 onwards,” Mr de Wit said.
“I grew up on a bulb farm in Holland and my dad was a bulb grower … I decided to come down to Australia backpacking and liked it so much that I decided to set up shop.
“We started small, with nothing really- just growing flowers from seed and after one or two years we started growing lilies and iris.”
In a little over 20 years, the de Wits have transformed that small family flower-growing business into a multi-million dollar flower producer that sells wholesale flowers to premium markets in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Cairns.
The pair was nominated for the Farmer of the Year Awards, with particular emphasis on their continuous innovation within the industry.
Since the inception of Sunny Hills Flowers the de Wits have introduced state-of-the-art, labour-saving technology to the business, carried out extensive research and development to determine the best varieties, and identified and fostered key lucrative markets.
Lilies account for about 80 per cent of production with a strong focus on specialty and seasonal varieties, which they produce year-round.
“We started trialling with iris and lilies and a few other things and in the end it just worked,” he said.
“We were looking at a year-round product and the lily bulbs are easy to program.
“Eight months of the year we get bulbs from Holland and for the other four months from South America and Chile, and New Zealand.
“We have to have flowers to keep supplying our wholesalers around the country 52 weeks of the year.”
Their main niche variety is the rose lily, which is pollen-free, boasts 18-20 petals and is likened to a waterlily. Other varieties include oriental lilies, OT hybrids and longi florum.
Mr de Wit said he was humbled to have been nominated and dedicated the nomination towards the teamwork between colleagues.
“It’s a big honour, and we’re blown away by the nomination … . It was a big recognition of our work.
“It’s not just ourselves … we have a fantastic team of very dedicated workers who deserve this just as much as we do.”
