the TRUE. story

12-19 September 2006: enthusiasm on the Andes

A first trip to Colombia and Ecuador without having to report to a boss. I had visited the region some dozen times since 1992 and for the first time I included a touristic weekend. You can call it loyalty or stupidity. Anyway, my friend Bert Lamerichs was my private guide.

In 1994 I persuaded Bert and his wife Hinke to emigrate to Ecuador. I worked for De Ruiter's New Roses at the time and wanted to set up breeding facilities in Ecuador. Hinke, breeder by origin, would work for us and Bert became the general manager of Hilsea Investments, owned by Peter Ullrich, where we had our greenhouses.

Bert and I visited the traditial Indian market, a last piece of rainforest, a new shopping mall and spent the night in an old monastery. I really managed to put business aside and enjoy these two days.

Then my budding business again: the plants were growing well at Ipanema and Qualisa. Everybody involved was enthusiastic. I presented the Da Vinci Rose plan to Moises, general manager and co-owner of Ipanema. His only objection was the royalty element (as I anticipated, knowing he was a Jew and I Dutch). At this time, I suggested a double royalty in return for exclusivity and a price of $ 1.00 per stem (some three times the regular price). This way I could support my cash flow. Later I would abandon this idea, which was a last element from the traditional rose marketing system.

I also met with Jos Langeslag, another Dutchman in the region, who had emigrated with his partner Karen d'Hont to set up FlorControl, specialists in postharvest quality control and also representing the environment label MPS. Being active in both Colombia and Ecuador, FlorControl could carry out the controls on the production side for me. I had already prepared the technical specifications, which FlorControl needed to complete in collaboration with both farms. Jos instantly was 'in', with compensation yet to be worked out.