Daughter and granddaughter of Dutch horticulturists who arrived in France in 1946, Chantal Dekker maintains the family tradition with the same fervour and know-how of her forbears.

"Established at Chailly-en-Bière (Seine-et-Marne) during the sixties, my father started with the production of cut flowers and became reputed for his tulips and sword lilies. Later, between 1970 and 1975, he started to specialise in bedding plants and seedling vegetables. Once I had finished college at Fontainbleau, I went to the horticultural college in Orleans where I got my professional trade certificate. I then trained for one month in Holland before joining the family business in 1981. Having decided to abandon the cut flower sector we refocused our business on bedding plants (violets, daisies, myosotis, wallflowers, impatiens (busy lizzie), begonias, petunias, French marigolds, sage, etc.) and seedling vegetables (salads, cabbage, vine crops, tomatoes, basil, etc.). The company covers a little over 12 hectares including 3 hectares under heated tunnel greenhouse, half a hectare under glass and the rest in open fields. On my father's retirement in 1998, I took over the company with my younger brother Bernard, my other brother Philippe being established in Bernay (Seine-et-Marne) where he runs a large horticultural farm. Our company employs some thirty or so workers with five permanent staff and twenty-five seasonal workers.

My job is to look after sales at Rungis, deliveries, accounting, management and marketing; my brother Bernard runs production, personnel and sales outside Rungis. I started at Rungis in November with flowering violets, which aren't available at the MIN at this time of year, and from there developed a clientele. Rungis accounts for 50% of our sales which obviously makes it very important for us! The other 50% is delivered directly to nurseries, hypermarkets and supermarkets and retail shops. We deliver throughout the Paris region, and also in the Yonne and the Nord. We are gradually building up our customer base at Rungis, which includes seed dealers, street market traders, small nurseries and a few landscape artists; altogether a loyal and congenial clientele. On the other hand, we sell to very few florists. At Rungis we don't serve anyone who doesn't have a purchasing pass. Here, it is the plants that steal the show and I really am very pleased with that. However, I would like to attract new customers or regain those that have left us…". Dedicated to her profession, Chantal Dekker is a long-standing member of APHUMR (Association of Horticultural Producers at Rungis Market).