Every meaningful journey begins with a single moment. For Groen, it began long before there was a logo, a garden centre, or even a business plan. It began with a passion for plants, a mentor who believed in me, and one conversation over a glass of red wine that changed the direction of my life.
My name is Cornel Snyman, founder of Groen.
In 2017, I entered the plant industry when I joined Malanseuns. It was there that I met Alan van Niekerk, owner of Cape Garden Centre — one of South Africa's most respected and successful garden centres.
At the time, I was eager to learn. I wanted to understand not only plants, but the industry around them — the growers, the nurseries, the customers and what makes a garden centre truly special.
Alan welcomed that curiosity. He shared his knowledge generously and challenged me to think differently. Over time, he became far more than someone I admired professionally. He became my mentor — one of the few people who consistently believed in what I was capable of, even during the moments when I questioned myself.
One evening, while sharing a glass of red wine, our conversation shifted from the day-to-day realities of the industry to the future.
Alan asked me a simple question:
“What do you want to build one day?”
That question stayed with me.
The answer did not arrive as a business plan or a carefully mapped-out strategy. It developed slowly — through years spent learning about plants, meeting growers, understanding customers and discovering what I believed a garden centre could be.
Eventually, that idea became Groen.
Groen was created from a belief that buying plants should feel more considered, personal and inspiring. That a garden centre can offer more than rows of products — it can help people understand what they are planting, choose with confidence and create gardens that become part of the way they live.
We are still building that vision.
Groen continues to evolve, but the principle behind it remains remarkably simple: choose well, share what we know, and help people grow something meaningful.
And in many ways, it can all be traced back to one conversation, one question, and a glass of red wine.
