THE ART OF GIVING IS THE PRINCIPLE OF PAPER ARt

Please note: This article is translated from Dutch

The art of giving 

HALSTEREN - Paper Art in Halsteren sells cards, greeting cards, gift vouchers and cards for florists. Especially in these times, personal attention for each other, for example with a beautiful card, is important.

Looking after each other. Attention for the other. These are the words that are heard again and again in the corona year. Prime Minister Rutte only mentioned them at the end of his speech in which he announced the hard lockdown. At Paper Art in Halsteren, personal attention has been the guiding principle for many years. It's called The Art of Giving. The art of giving.

These are busy times for Daniël Schechtl and his partner Martje van de Poll, as well as for the entire team of 25 employees. “We are sending each other more cards these weeks than before, in times before corona. Of course, an app was sent quickly. But a handwritten message on a beautiful card or a gift with a catchy text, that says a little more."

FULL OF CONVICTION

Schechtl (42) is still young in the company that he, together with Martje, finally took over from his father Max two years ago. Before that, he first got to know Paper Art well for two years. Schechtl stepped in with conviction and moved back to Halsteren from Maarssen. Martje (38) studied business economics and marketing himself. It seems like an ideal combination and, according to Schechtl, it is. "We complement each other well."

It all started with father Max, already 35 years ago. Munich-born Schechtl found the gap in the market: the small flower card. "There was hardly anything like that back then." Paper Art's turnover increased explosively and over time the range has also grown.

The Halster company sells flower and gift cards, greeting cards, gift vouchers, gift packaging, private label printing and also original gift items, the so-called give-aways. The customer base varies from flower shops, garden centers, lifestyle stores to wholesalers, but certainly also other sectors.

In addition to the Benelux, Germany, Switzerland and Austria are increasingly important sales markets. Schechtl, with a nod to his father who is still involved as an advisor in the background. “Actually our home market.”

Sustainability is of paramount importance at Paper Art. Not as a hip thing that scores easily. "We are also young pare
Het nieuwe bedrijfspand maakt gebruik van groene stroom, is gasloos en draait op warmtepompen. Ook in de producten wordt steeds vaker gekozen voor een duurzame oplossing. Het eco-papier heeft volgens Schechtl toekomst. Op tafel ligt een voorbeeld, wenskaarten gemaakt van steenafval. Bij de productie komt er geen water of bleekmiddel aan te pas, zoals bij traditioneel papierpulp. ,,Papier dat helemaal boomloos is.'' 

GROUND STONE

Paper art sells cards, greeting cards and tickets for florists, among other things. © Pix4Profs/Tonny Presser

A trial will Start in a large German chain in the new year. For the time being, the greeting cards made from crushed stones are sold in sales mills at a hundred locations. "It is also water-repellent. Handy in often virtual spaces of the flower trade."

There is also a variant of (Christmas) cards, made from agricultural waste. Paper Art deliberately keeps the sales price low, almost the same as cards made from traditional materials. "We accept that smaller margin in order to keep the threshold for going for sustainability low for our customers."

'In our field it is a challenge to stay ahead of market trends.'

With its focus on product innovation in eco paper, Paper Art is one of the pioneers in the market. "In our field it is a challenge to stay ahead of market trends."

Schechtl manages the team of creatives who are constantly busy designing new collections in their own studio. Which is also part of it: thinking ahead to the seasons. "We already celebrated Christmas here in the summer, and are now mainly busy with Valentine's Day." Paper Art uses approximately thirty home workers for the striking work, via SDW and WVS. "People who are distanced from the labor market."

Paper Art also still has a full service system, visiting more than 1,800 florists and garden centers in the Netherlands and Belgium on a regular basis. “That is also personal contact. It is the foundation on which our company floats.”

Paper Art also has healthy growth ambitions. “We are always open to (old) entrepreneurs who can take us to an even higher level. We like to be challenged.”

Original publication: BN de Stem Bergen op Zoom
 https://www.bndestem.nl/bergen-op-zoom/de-kunst-van-het-geven-is-het-principe-van-paper-art~a37f6f8a/

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