What Van Engelen does

Van Engelen Inc. is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor of Dutch flower bulbs headquartered in Bantam, Connecticut. The company imports top-size bulbs directly from Dutch flower bulb growers—harvested, sized, washed, and air-dried in the Netherlands—then distributes them across the United States to nurseries, garden centers, landscapers, public garden operators, and professional gardeners for fall planting. Customers place reserve orders that ship during the fall planting window via UPS Ground from the Bantam warehouse, with deferred credit card billing until shipment and PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing.

The product portfolio centers on spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, narcissi, allium, crocus, lilies), tender bulbs (amaryllis, anemone, ranunculus, freesias), and heirloom or specialty varieties (fritillaria, scilla). Value-added offerings include pre-packaged Amaryllis Gift Boxes, Discounted Collections, Website Specials, and a Fundraisers program for resale. Order infrastructure combines a multi-language e-commerce site with online ordering and a Smart Order Form for tiered volumes, catalog mailings, inside phone sales, and commercial pickup for orders above $1,000.

Revenue mechanics are straightforward wholesale unit pricing with volume discounts applied at 50/100/500/1000+ units per variety, a $60 wholesale minimum, and deferred fall billing. The company operates alongside two sister brands—John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds and John Scheepers Beauty from Bulbs—under common family ownership and is led by CEO Jo-Anne van den Berg-Ohms. There is no disclosed use of AI/ML, no mobile app, and no public API; all commercial activity is conducted through the website, phone, mail, and in-person channels.

Name

Van Engelen

Legal name

Van Engelen, Inc.

Website

https://vanengelen.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Van Engelen Inc. is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor of premium Dutch flower bulbs based in Bantam, Connecticut, selling to nurseries, garden centers, landscapers, and professional gardeners across the United States via e-commerce, phone sales, and catalog mailings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Flower Bulbs

NAICS

Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Greenhouse Floriculture (Cut Flowers) (AFAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Wholesale flower bulbs
• Dutch flower bulbs
• Horticultural wholesale
• Bulb distribution
• Garden supply wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Bantam

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Flower Bulb Sales: Wholesale distribution of Dutch flower bulbs to customers across the United States. The company sells a wide variety of bulbs including tulips, narcissi, allium, lilies, peonies, amaryllis, and specialty bulbs. Volume discount pricing is available with orders placed in units of 50, 100, 500, 1000 or more depending on the variety.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Van Engelen Inc. is a fourth-generation family-owned wholesale distributor of Dutch flower bulbs. The company sources bulbs directly from Netherlands flower bulb farmers and sells them at wholesale volume-based pricing to professional buyers across the United States via its website, call center, and catalog mailings. Orders are placed as fall reservation shipments with a $60 wholesale minimum, and credit cards are not charged until shipment.

Product overview

Van Engelen Inc. is a fourth-generation family-owned wholesale flower bulb company operating primarily as an e-commerce platform for professional gardeners, landscapers, and retail bulb sellers. The company imports and distributes Dutch flower bulbs sourced from Netherlands growers, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products centered around flower bulbs as the core offering. The product line spans spring-flowering bulbs (Tulips, Narcissi, Allium, Crocus, Lilies), summer/tender bulbs (Amaryllis, Anemone Giants, Tecolote Ranunculus, Freesias), and specialty heirloom varieties (Fritillaria, Scilla). The business model features volume-based wholesale pricing, with products distributed through the vanengelen.com website utilizing the Smart Order Form for efficient bulk ordering. Gift Box products (Art & Soul of Winter Amaryllis Gift Boxes) and Discounted Collections serve as complementary offerings, while the eNewsletter supports customer engagement and reorders. The company does not operate a public API, mobile application, or expose AI/ML capabilities; its technology infrastructure supports catalog browsing, account management, order processing, and UPS Ground shipping logistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Dutch Flower Bulbs Wholesale Dutch flower bulbs including Tulips, Narcissi, Allium, Crocus, Lilies, Amaryllis, Paperwhites, Heirloom Fritillaria, Scilla, Tecolote Ranunculus, Freesias, Hyacinths, Peonies, Anemone Giants, and other spring-flowering and tender bulb varieties sold at wholesale pricing with volume-based discounts.
• Amaryllis Gift Boxes (Art & Soul of Winter) Pre-packaged gift sets containing 30/32 cm Royal Dutch Amaryllis bulbs, green plastic pot, lid, saucer, and potting medium with planting instructions. Varieties include Apple Blossom, Picotee, Pink, Red, Orange, White, White and Red Striped, and specialty doubles.
• Discounted Flower Bulb Collections Pre-curated bundled flower bulb collections offered at discounted pricing for wholesale purchasers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dutch Flower Bulb FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Engelen sources directly from the best Dutch flower bulb farmers in the Netherlands, securing the finest bulbs with many new varieties available each season.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American Meadows: Online native plant and wildflower seed/bulb retailer serving homeowners and landscapers. Comparable in selling horticultural planting stock through e-commerce and targeting both consumer and professional buyers.
• K. van Bourgondien: Long-established Dutch-bulb wholesaler and retailer selling tulips, daffodils, and other bulbs to both professional landscapers and home gardeners across the US. Comparable in product category, Dutch sourcing, and dual wholesale/retail distribution model.
• Brent and Becky's Bulbs: Family-owned wholesale and retail Dutch flower bulb supplier based in Virginia, offering spring and fall bulbs direct from Dutch growers. Closely comparable to Van Engelen in product mix, sourcing model, and customer base of gardeners and landscapers.
• John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds: Sister company under the same family ownership, selling vegetable, herb, and flower seeds to home gardeners. Comparable in family brand structure, customer overlap, and direct relationship-based sales model.
• John Scheepers Beauty from Bulbs: Sister retail brand under the same family ownership offering Dutch flower bulbs to retail and gift buyers via a 96-page color catalog. Directly comparable as it sells the same Dutch-sourced bulb varieties through a different brand and channel (retail vs. wholesale).
• Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs: Wholesale-only Dutch flower bulb distributor selling curated bulb collections to professional landscapers, municipalities, and institutions in the US. Directly comparable as a Dutch-sourced wholesale flower bulb specialist serving commercial buyers.

Emerging players

• Old House Gardens: Niche mail-order retailer specializing in heirloom flower bulbs with deep horticultural expertise. Comparable to Van Engelen's specialty/heirloom bulb categories such as Fritillaria and Scilla, with a similar direct-to-gardener catalog model.

Broad incumbents

• Breck's Bulbs: Long-running Dutch-bulb and perennial mail-order retailer selling direct to consumers across North America. Comparable as a major Dutch-sourced bulb distributor operating at a larger scale through catalog and online channels.
• White Flower Farm: Established US horticultural brand offering live plants, bulbs, seeds, and gardening supplies via catalog and e-commerce. Comparable as a multi-category horticultural retailer serving similar gardening customers, though it focuses on live perennials over bulbs.
• Michigan Bulb Company: Mail-order retailer offering bulbs, perennials, and gardening products to US consumers. Comparable as a bulb-focused DTC brand selling Dutch-sourced inventory through catalog and web channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vanengelenbulbs
• Facebookfacebook.com/VanEngelenBulbs
• Instagraminstagram.com/vanengelenbulbs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Van Engelen