Rosa Plaza Marked 50 Years of Flower Production
The company celebrated five decades in business and two decades of growing roses in Ethiopia.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Organic Food
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Rosa Plaza has celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking two decades of rose and alstroemeria production in Ethiopia. To support this milestone, the company recently opened a new temperature-controlled processing facility at the Royal FloraHolland site in Aalsmeer.
Why it matters
The new Dutch facility enables more efficient trading and processing of flowers grown across the company's Ethiopian sites. This infrastructure upgrade supports the company's long-term production goals as it continues to scale its operations.
Rosa Plaza maintains over 50 hectares of farmland in Ziway and Bishoftu, Ethiopia. The company manages production with a workforce exceeding 1,500 people.
The players
Rosa Plaza
This flower production company operates farms in Ethiopia and processing facilities in the Netherlands.
Wim Ammerlaan Sr.
He is one of the two brothers who assumed leadership of the family nursery 50 years ago.
Emiel Ammerlaan
He co-leads the company and helped steer the expansion into Ethiopian flower production.
Royal FloraHolland
This is a major Dutch flower auction cooperative that hosts the new Rosa Plaza processing facility.
The details
Operating out of high-altitude farms to avoid energy-intensive heating, the company produces both roses and alstroemeria. The recent move into the Royal FloraHolland auction site in Aalsmeer streamlines the transition from African production to the European marketplace.
Timeline
Wim and Emiel Ammerlaan took over their father's nursery in 1976.
The company began rose production operations in Ethiopia in 2006.
The new processing facility in Aalsmeer opened in the summer of 2026.
Roadmap
The company's expansion into a centralized Dutch hub mirrors broader industry trends toward integrating international production with major auction logistics. This transition helps maintain competitiveness against rivals while stabilizing the supply chain from Africa to Europe.
The transition to the Aalsmeer facility may result in more consistent flower availability and quality for retail purchasers and wholesalers. Consumers benefit from the company's commitment to on-site clinics and healthy lunches for their 1,500 employees as part of its ethical standards.
The takeaway
Rosa Plaza demonstrates how family-run firms can scale effectively by balancing international production with localized logistical hubs. Their model highlights the importance of integrating employee welfare into core agricultural business strategies.
Further reading
Learn more about the evolving landscape of global floriculture on the Organic Food page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Floraldaily.
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