Challenges don’t scare Flowey. This family business has adapted and innovated to stay afloat amidst competition, a global pandemic and the climate crisis. Alongside founder and CEO Filippo Florio, a mechanic by training, his wife Danielle is CFO and their four children make up the management committee. The eldest, Franco, is COO. Ricardo is head of business development. Gianna is the marketing director and Stefano heads up finance and human resources. So here at Bissen, business is a bit like a family meal: everyone contributes their share, their ideas, their responsibilities--and it’s together that they grow the recipe for success. In 2024, the company (officially registered as LCI Flowey Products) posted a profit of €1.6m.

At its production site in the Klenbousbierg area, where it has been since 2009 after moving from Walferdange, Flowey develops, produces and markets several ranges of professional products. From the first cleaning solutions for the automotive sector, aimed at professional customers--such as the Auto Clean System Pro range for vehicle interiors and exteriors, or the Carwash range for car washes or cleaning tunnels--the company has developed new formulas for new uses.

Merging innovation and diversification

Two chemical engineers work in the company’s laboratory and two others are in charge of the Quality, Safety and Environment department. Today, the company also offers other product ranges for professionals: Technic and Technic BT for industry, mechanics and construction.

The company quickly developed a complete range for private customers, thanks to carefully selected resellers. “We don’t sell our products direct to private customers,” says Gianna. “We work with distributors and professional dealers, because they can give advice to private customers who come into their shops. They may be garages or body shops: professionals who know how to wash a car properly.”

In the production area, 550 tonnes of raw materials needed to manufacture the products are stored, for a daily production capacity of 40 tonnes. That’s 180 cans per hour. In terms of logistics, the site can store 2,000 pallets. This considerable capacity has been made possible by expansion work carried out between 2017 and 2019. But before you can produce, you have to design: the laboratory is where it all comes together, with a host of tests to assess the stability of the products, particularly in terms of temperature.

“If we have an idea for a new product, we always give ourselves at least six months,” says Gianna. “The development itself is fairly quick, between one and two months. The testing phase is important and is carried out internally, but also by involving our customers. Product stability is important because we send our products to 50 countries where there may be temperature differences. There is a hot room but also one kept at 20°C where the shelves are filled with small jars--one per formula--which are stored for two years so that the tests can be repeated and the product observed over a longer term.

On the production side, four gigantic production vats contain the different types of products needed for production: alkalis, acids and so-called neutral products. “Everything is automated,” explain Gianna and Stefano, the younger siblings. “Our production manager starts production every morning. We’ve added reserve tanks, which means we can produce continuously, whereas previously we had to fill all the cans before restarting production. This has enabled us to double our capacity.” They offer a range of packaging, from small spray bottles to large cans of several decilitres. “There’s still some manual work involved, and that’s essential if we’re to maintain a quality check.”

55% rainwater

In production, one leitmotif guides the Florio family: consume less but also better. That’s why the raw materials tanks have been installed above the production tanks and connect to them by pipes. All you have to do is open the valves. “We therefore don’t need pumps that consume a lot of energy.” What’s more, 55% of the water used in production is rainwater harvested from the roof of the building. “We use a three-stage micro-filtration process, and the water is tested in our laboratory before being used. For us, once filtered, rainwater remains the best option.” Even when it comes to labelling their products, the Florio family wants to ensure that there is no waste. Large rolls of blank labels, called masks, are used sparingly and printed according to the language of the country to which the products will be sent. One employee is also in charge of the documentation supplied with the products, which has to be designed in different languages, depending on the final destination of the product.

Pragmatism and agility are the two watchwords at Flowey. In fact, in 2019, the family made a decision that, without realising it, would be decisive for its future. It decided to launch its professional Hygiene range for cleaning in the hotel and catering industry, canteens, crèches, etc. And at the same time, it strengthened its range of disinfection products… just before covid. This was enough to overcome a crisis that left many companies in the lurch, and even to take advantage of it. “It saved us. During the pandemic, our plant was able to double production to meet the demand for disinfection,” say the siblings. That year, the company achieved profits in excess of €1m.

Flowey wants to conquer the world

Always with a view to diversification, the company also offers what is known as “private label” production, meaning that it designs and manufactures cleaning formulas for the needs of professional customers. “We’re getting more and more requests to make these private labels. We can offer a product from the formula right through to the personalised label, the full package. We require minimum quantities but it’s an interesting approach for us in terms of business development.”

Business development is led by Ricardo and his team of around 20 people who are currently working to conquer new markets such as Latin America, Africa and Turkey. “We’re in the process of discovering Africa,” he says. “We’re constantly canvassing. On Sunday, we’ll be leaving for Brazil. We can now add Ecuador and Peru to the list. And in June, we’ll be exhibiting at a trade fair in Panama to introduce ourselves to this market. This is important for us.”

The company’s other major challenge is sustainability and the ambition to offer more environmentally-friendly products. Its Hygiene Green range has been awarded a number of certifications at European and global level, with variations in certain countries, notably Nordic ones. While these labels are not an end in themselves, they are strategically important and can be “an entry key to working with certain institutions,” Stefano says, but also to meeting the demands of customers who are increasingly concerned about the quality of the products they consume.

While not all products made by Flowey can be considered “eco-friendly” due to the use of certain raw materials, the family is committed to producing more sustainably for two reasons. For the planet, of course, but also for strategic reasons. For example, it produces concentrated products that require fewer raw materials and use plant-based surfactants that are effective even at low temperatures. “For us, it’s not just about the product itself but the whole process, which is why we use rainwater. But it also applies to our choice of raw material suppliers, all along the supply chain.”

In the coming months, the company is also aiming for self-sufficiency by installing solar panels on the roof of the site. “This will enable us to cover 80% of our consumption,” explains Franco. In the meantime, Flowey is continuing to develop its product ranges. New products include a formula specially designed for cleaning bicycles and motorbikes. It is also working on developing a new hygiene range for the public market by 2026-2027, i.e. for supermarkets or shops, “because we sense a demand and we could position ourselves. We are also working on new eco-labels. It is currently being developed and validated, and the application is being made to the environmental authorities.” In one or two months’ time, it will officially see the light of day.

This article in French.