Meet the Agriware team | 5 questions for Eric Boerlage

Our motto at Mprise Agriware is: people first. Our customers and colleagues come first with us. Who are the people behind Agriware and what motivates them? Meet Eric Boerlage, Business Consultant for Dutch market at Mprise Agriware. What does he like to do outside of work and what is his background in horticulture?

1.      What do you like to do in your leisure time?

All sorts of things, and this depends somewhat on the time of year. I like going to a museum or to the cinema with my wife Marieke. Almost without exception I visit the Filmhallen in Amsterdam, by the way. I like to get on my racing bike although this spring it has been extremely windy. I walk a few kilometers every day, I like to do odd jobs and work in the garden. Marieke and I also frequently go to festivals in the summer. A few weeks ago we went to the Awakenings festival in Halfweg, together with our three sons. That is very enjoyable.    

2.      What makes horticulture an interesting world for you?

I was born and raised in a horticultural family and have been a grower myself. So horticulture has been instilled in me from an early age, especially the breeding and production of cut flowers. It remains beautiful to see plants grow and bloom. In addition, in my previous job as sales manager at Dümmen Orange, I visited many nurseries worldwide and it's nice to see how people across continents know each other. For example: I would go to a remote corner in South Africa and discover that I had a number of common acquaintances with a grower I met for the first time. I also find the entrepreneurship within the industry interesting. Developments go on and on, and the Netherlands often takes the lead.

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As a sales manager at Dümmen Orange, I visited many nurseries worldwide and enjoyed seeing the global connections among people!

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3.      What Agriwaremoment will you always remember?

I did an implementation at a customer 5 years ago when I just started working at Mprise Agriware. I didn't quite realize at the time that I might not have enough knowledge, but I had already committed to doing it. I managed, but sometimes with some artifice. My advantage was that I already knew the processes at customers well, which allowed me to somewhat disguise my lack of Agriware knowledge.

4.      To which place do you prefer to go on vacation?

Actually anything within a radius of around 1200 km. So where we can approximately go in a day's drive. In practice I visit France the most. Every year week 22 I go to the Ardèche for a week of cycling with six friends for example and I have been doing that for 20 years. Last year I was on a vacation in the Vosges with Marieke.  Where we will go this year is not yet clear. We are never so quick to discuss our vacation plans.

5.      What do you like to watch or listen to? (Music / film / art / books)

As mentioned, I like to go to the Filmhallen where many arthouse films are played. I'm not into blockbusters, for example. I also watch movies at home through PICL. Recent films I have seen are Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, and the documentary Gerlach. Gerlach is a farmer who lives 2 kilometers away from me, as the crow flies.

Now that it's becoming summer, we go to the movies less often, although we also enjoy sitting in an empty, cool cinema hall on Sunday mornings on very hot summer days to watch some movies. With Marieke, I also regularly go to museums. I especially like Dutch Masters. I can look at their work for a very long time. Marieke is more into modern art, but that speaks to me less.

There is always a book next to my bed. Recently, I have read all the books by Benedict Wells. He is really a great writer, and I read many pages a day. Currently, I have a book that makes me fall asleep well. I've lost the title for a moment. By the way, I get my books from the library. I haven't bought any for years because we no longer had room for them.

As for music, I like every genre, but I often listen to techno and hip-hop. Those genres are quite heavy and not suitable for every mood. I also play quieter electronic music, and at the moment, I often play Sound Quelle.