Horti Fair 2007
For decades, the international horticultural year would start in the beginning of November, at the time of the 'Bloemenvaktentoonstelling' at the Aalsmeer flower auction. Every important national or international player in the flower and plant business would come to this world's biggest building in surface of which a large section would then be reserved for this exhibition where the latest of the latest in terms of varieties or technical developments could be found for four days, ending each night at around 1 am in a huge traffic jam on the parking roof.
The new year for vegetables and techniques would start a few months later, in Bleiswijk, some 30 kilometres further to the west. It would take generations of committees to join the two shows in one location, the RAI exhibition center in Amsterdam. No better for traffic.
This year no promotion of new varieties for me, but a tour of rose breeders to explain my new mission and see how they would react. Not a single breeder really understood what my course implied. Of course they all had the perfect varieties for consumer brands, but their minds were all set on hectares of plants, traditional royalty. With one exception: David Austin Roses, present for the first time with a stand. They have a successful history in garden roses, set up the 'English Rose' as a brand. Better marketeers than breeders. When I was with De Ruiter's we set up a collaboration in which we gave them varieties and advice to set up a cutrose breeding program and, in return, we would market their varieties. Apparently, they had discontinued the relationship, had set up a cultivation program with a Dutch grower and were now marketing the flowers on an exclusive basis. Perfect idea, but, as I learnt, the varieties were not perfect yet.
I was approached by the people of Florimex, big international wholesalers, ahead of the rest of the pack in looking for exclusive products, who had heard of my business and wanted to become the exclusive buyers of the product for Europe. Nice, but not fitting my strategy for the time being. Nevertheless, we agreed, we would get into touch once the production had started. They were looking at importing 40 and 50 cm, whereas my intention was to set up a brand for 60-70 cm. Good to know ...
donderdag 25 december 2008
A Rose Story - 5. Seedy
Five: Seedy
It was not easy to find a successor for Father Dré as far as his breeding activities concerned. His son Dré Junior had all the knowledge, but lacked the creativity, ambition and leadership qualities to manage the team of six working in the greenhouse and the various selectors coming in regularly and all finding their selections the best. After a year of presenting candidates, the headhunter that was hired for the job introduced Klaus van Winkel. In the belief that creative persons are eccentric and this one also fitting in the budget, Klaus was hired. Greasy hair, thick stained glasses, two alternating lumberjack shirts, no matter what temperature, and permanent slippers could be lived with. But the endless discussions and stubbornness in the end proved too much for the selectors. Klaus had an opinion on anything. In fact, some of his ideas were brilliant, but he lacked tact and the right persuasiveness to get them across.
Klaus spent nine years at the Agricultural University in Wageningen, but never graduated. His prime interest was with the University bar, which he ran as a barkeeper. He skipped early morning classes, but his professors did not mind. In his absence they could make progress with the curriculum.
His greenhouse team loved him. “Fucking, fucking, fucking all day,” he would shout through the greenhouse. “I am the luckiest person on earth. I made my hobby into my work. Long live the seeds! Fucking all day!” And even in his spare time he would be pollinating in the little mess of a glasshouse behind his little terrace house. He would regularly bring in results of his homely experiments: white cucumbers and yellow tomatoes, lacking the right taste or filled with pips.
His wife Sien, re-named ‘red’ Sien to prevent confusion with Mother Sien, was easy, very easy, raising their three children single handedly. Their eldest daughter was crippled at birth and had been in and out of hospitals for the first thirteen years of her life. Therefore Klaus’ salary demands were modest: he wished to stay within the limits of the healthcare system.
Before long, ‘Seedy Klaus’ or simply ‘Seedy’ would be collecting rose varieties and seeds from any place he would visit, professionally or privately, Seedy made no difference between hobby and work.
Father Dré, Uncle Piet, Maurice and Sjef formally acted as the company’s management, but in fact, Sjef ruled. Sjef also considered himself an artist and therefore Seedy was allowed ten per cent room in the breeding program for experimentation. For the remaining ninety per cent Seedy was surprisingly obedient. When instructed to focus on intermediate varieties with slim, tall heads, to allow for a higher packing rate for African and Latin producers, two years later in spring they would come out in the seedlings. Seedy and Junior were a perfect couple. Junior did not say much, but was a walking database for varieties and variety characteristics and kept one at the same time in piles of scribblers, using pencil and eraser in the breeding tradition. Father Dré had always followed his instincts in breeding and his mood in selecting, but fortunately, Junior had always kept track of all the crossings and results.
To recuperate the market position in the pot roses, Seedy was instructed to produce seedlings that had bright colors, a minimum of five flowers per plant, making a total of fifteen per pot of three plants, that would slowly open at the consumers’ and last for two weeks. It had taken Father Dré some fifteen years to get from triploid to diploid in miniature roses, at the time essential to make the next step in the breeding, but it only took Seedy and Junior two years to come up with the first of the Perfecta® series. He was not instructed that these varieties should also be easy to produce on a large mechanized scale. One Danish producer managed, but our own Pot Rose Division in De Kwakel was unable to come up with a decent product, so, in the end, the Perfecta® line never got beyond two varieties. Likewise, the slim headed intermediates never caught on, as big, round headed varieties became fashionable. The commercial selectors complained a lot about the breeding, as nothing ever came out that they could sell.
To widen this gap between the two disciplines, Seedy would only show his experimental program to colleagues he could get along with. As these seedlings would not be in Sections IV or V, but in a tunnel further down the land, this activity was literally outside the view and vision of the management. Sometimes, on a Friday afternoon, with the traditional case of weekend beer emptied by the greenhouse boys, Peli usually taking half, Seedy would take me to the tunnel.
After several visits, I would learn to see through the mess and find varieties. Seedy seemed to be very keen on some wild varieties that would only flower every other year and a collection of what he called “moss roses”. These had beautiful colors and flower shapes, but were completely covered in thorns, from head to toe. The top prickles were soft and a little sticky when touched and left a nice smell on the finger tops. The other thorns were horrendous. I could not see any use for these other than the sado masochistic market. “I want to lay you down in a bed of roses” came to my head, but for sure John Bon Jovi did not write his ballad for masochists. However, the line is followed by “for tonight I sleep on a bed of nails”.
It was not easy to find a successor for Father Dré as far as his breeding activities concerned. His son Dré Junior had all the knowledge, but lacked the creativity, ambition and leadership qualities to manage the team of six working in the greenhouse and the various selectors coming in regularly and all finding their selections the best. After a year of presenting candidates, the headhunter that was hired for the job introduced Klaus van Winkel. In the belief that creative persons are eccentric and this one also fitting in the budget, Klaus was hired. Greasy hair, thick stained glasses, two alternating lumberjack shirts, no matter what temperature, and permanent slippers could be lived with. But the endless discussions and stubbornness in the end proved too much for the selectors. Klaus had an opinion on anything. In fact, some of his ideas were brilliant, but he lacked tact and the right persuasiveness to get them across.
Klaus spent nine years at the Agricultural University in Wageningen, but never graduated. His prime interest was with the University bar, which he ran as a barkeeper. He skipped early morning classes, but his professors did not mind. In his absence they could make progress with the curriculum.
His greenhouse team loved him. “Fucking, fucking, fucking all day,” he would shout through the greenhouse. “I am the luckiest person on earth. I made my hobby into my work. Long live the seeds! Fucking all day!” And even in his spare time he would be pollinating in the little mess of a glasshouse behind his little terrace house. He would regularly bring in results of his homely experiments: white cucumbers and yellow tomatoes, lacking the right taste or filled with pips.
His wife Sien, re-named ‘red’ Sien to prevent confusion with Mother Sien, was easy, very easy, raising their three children single handedly. Their eldest daughter was crippled at birth and had been in and out of hospitals for the first thirteen years of her life. Therefore Klaus’ salary demands were modest: he wished to stay within the limits of the healthcare system.
Before long, ‘Seedy Klaus’ or simply ‘Seedy’ would be collecting rose varieties and seeds from any place he would visit, professionally or privately, Seedy made no difference between hobby and work.
Father Dré, Uncle Piet, Maurice and Sjef formally acted as the company’s management, but in fact, Sjef ruled. Sjef also considered himself an artist and therefore Seedy was allowed ten per cent room in the breeding program for experimentation. For the remaining ninety per cent Seedy was surprisingly obedient. When instructed to focus on intermediate varieties with slim, tall heads, to allow for a higher packing rate for African and Latin producers, two years later in spring they would come out in the seedlings. Seedy and Junior were a perfect couple. Junior did not say much, but was a walking database for varieties and variety characteristics and kept one at the same time in piles of scribblers, using pencil and eraser in the breeding tradition. Father Dré had always followed his instincts in breeding and his mood in selecting, but fortunately, Junior had always kept track of all the crossings and results.
To recuperate the market position in the pot roses, Seedy was instructed to produce seedlings that had bright colors, a minimum of five flowers per plant, making a total of fifteen per pot of three plants, that would slowly open at the consumers’ and last for two weeks. It had taken Father Dré some fifteen years to get from triploid to diploid in miniature roses, at the time essential to make the next step in the breeding, but it only took Seedy and Junior two years to come up with the first of the Perfecta® series. He was not instructed that these varieties should also be easy to produce on a large mechanized scale. One Danish producer managed, but our own Pot Rose Division in De Kwakel was unable to come up with a decent product, so, in the end, the Perfecta® line never got beyond two varieties. Likewise, the slim headed intermediates never caught on, as big, round headed varieties became fashionable. The commercial selectors complained a lot about the breeding, as nothing ever came out that they could sell.
To widen this gap between the two disciplines, Seedy would only show his experimental program to colleagues he could get along with. As these seedlings would not be in Sections IV or V, but in a tunnel further down the land, this activity was literally outside the view and vision of the management. Sometimes, on a Friday afternoon, with the traditional case of weekend beer emptied by the greenhouse boys, Peli usually taking half, Seedy would take me to the tunnel.
After several visits, I would learn to see through the mess and find varieties. Seedy seemed to be very keen on some wild varieties that would only flower every other year and a collection of what he called “moss roses”. These had beautiful colors and flower shapes, but were completely covered in thorns, from head to toe. The top prickles were soft and a little sticky when touched and left a nice smell on the finger tops. The other thorns were horrendous. I could not see any use for these other than the sado masochistic market. “I want to lay you down in a bed of roses” came to my head, but for sure John Bon Jovi did not write his ballad for masochists. However, the line is followed by “for tonight I sleep on a bed of nails”.
maandag 22 december 2008
TRUE. today
Just had the annual Christmas dinner of my wife's employer. Good food, as always, and nice people. But the best came before and after. Arriving fairly late, we ran into one of the invitees, talked about the lurking recession (which did not worry him, having saved a little and rather offered opportunities) before he politely inquired about my activities. He was visibly surprised by my ambition and perseverence in combination with my age. Several hours later, after thanking the hosts for the evening and wishing them happy holidays, he came to see me again. He held my hand firmly for it seemed minutes, the other on my shoulder and told me that my story stayed on his mind during all seven courses, that he was truly impressed and offered me his support if I needed 'a push' any time in the future.
In the course of the evening my mystery friend had said the same to my wife, who knew him and told me that he was listed in the Dutch Quote 100. Merry Christmas!
I thought about the option of a third party investor. I will continue to run my own course, but it sure feels good to know there is a spectator prepared to push.
In the course of the evening my mystery friend had said the same to my wife, who knew him and told me that he was listed in the Dutch Quote 100. Merry Christmas!
I thought about the option of a third party investor. I will continue to run my own course, but it sure feels good to know there is a spectator prepared to push.
zondag 14 december 2008
TRUE. today
Combining teaching and branding is a little more complicated than anticipated. On Thursday afternoon (Nov. 27) I left the Scala College at the end of the afternoon, embarking the Interliner bus to catch flight Delta 39 the next morning, changing onto Delta 311 in Atlanta and arrived by taxi at the Bogota hotel 22 hours after leaving home. 33 Hours later I set off for the reverse trip, stepping out of the Interliner next to the Scala College Monday morning at 8.45 a.m., in time to continue teaching at 9.10 a.m. Feeling like a zombie that long Monday and being hit badly by 'the man with the hammer', as we say in Dutch, at the end of the week. Not until today have I found some time to inform the TRUE. followers. Just for being with Excellence for one day. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
When working for Preesman, I would disagree with the owner, Pim, who argued that such a trip can only be effective if you would stay for more than ten days. Now, in 12 hours, we looked into the details of the cultivation, harvesting, farm logistics, grading, bunching, packing, cooling and transport of the roses and also relaxed at Pablo's new house near the fire place and dinner table with his wife Andrea and son Pablo Jr, enjoying Pablo's baby beef and wine. A TRUE. day. 
I could not wait to get into the greenhouse to see the plants. No, after the drive from the centre of Bogota to the farm in El Rosal first the traditional coffee in the office, where we were joined by Luis Ernesto. He brought in the rain chart of this year. Normally, Bogota has 2-3 month periods with rain, followed by similar periods of drought. This year, rain since April, meaning too much moisture in the greenhouses, postharvest, flower boxes, with spores of botrytis all around.
These spores become visible after transport, so after arriving with the florist, or even later, with the consumer. The brown spots will give brown petals, rotting flowers and often stems, causing flower heads to fall off. So, something to fight in the cultivation by spraying and after harvesting by submerging in a special bath. For this, good biological products are available and used, but giving residu on the foliage. Harmless, yet looking dirty.
From a competitive point of view, if a concern for Excellence, this was a major problem for the rest of the Savanna. Still, TRUE. flowers must be spotless and, being harvested with flowers more open than others, more susceptible. After this introduction and two mugs of coffee and cookies, time to go and have a look. The bridge from the office took us to a platform in the postharvest in which the workers were just starting their twice-daily yoga lessons for back, arms and shoulders. This is where the botrytis and vaselife tests are carried out for each shipment and each variety, overlooked by Amanda from her little office. The vase of Da Vinci Rose looked the best of all, alle flowers fully open. Yet, closer inspection showed bits of botrytis here and there. Not good enough. Not TRUE.
Finally, we entered the house with the plants.
Beautiful. I was impressed.
Next, the female supervisor for the cultivation was fetched to discuss the botrytis issue. She suggested we put in small heating lamps, as they did with other varieties that were susceptible. We went to see some of the houses of these varieties, some of them notorious for botrytis, and, indeed, perfect. Next week the lamps would be installed.
Onto the postharvest. From the beds to the building I observed all activities with flowers in detail. More so than I had ever done in visiting flower farms for more than fifteen years. Roses and Blooms had informed me, complete with pictures, that the last box of flowers had arrived with them in Manhattan in damaged condition and my conclusion from the description and the pictures was that there had been excess damage of the foliage (handling and packing) and shifting of the flowers in the box (packing? transport?).
The potential TRUE. flowers were brought in from the cooler, carefully graded and then made into a bunch by the lady supervisor of the postharvest under the eyes of Pablo, Luis Ernesto, German and myself. The finished bunch was then proudly presented to me by the Excellence management. "Okay, can I now be a New York florist, receiving the flowers?" Upon which I carefully opened the bunch, taking out all protective packing materials, then showing the flowers one by one. The proud looks turned into shocked faces. Only 4 out of 20 flowers had foliage that was sufficiently intact. Another bunch, made earlier was fetched out of the cooler and opened with the same results. It could be that the leaves of this variety were more fragile than others. Therefore a bunch of their top variety Freedom was dissembled. Likewise.
Having had the same experience a year ago in Ecuador, I had already seen what went wrong in the bunching. Whereas everybody was focused on the arrangement of the flower heads and the bunch as a whole, I had seen, that stems were added to the bunch without paying attention to the foliage. The leaves of a rose are positioned slightly upward, but when the head is put on the other heads, most of the time the flower is moved upward a little bit, so that the leaves fold back slightly, to break when the stems are pressed down.
First proud ...
... then worried
You could see them thinking: "Why did we never notice? Why didn't our clients tell us? But then, why do we get such good prices? We must also be doing sufficiently right, then." I explained, that their operation was set to their clients, being wholesalers in the U.S.A., Europe and Russia. Wholesalers buy flowers per box and judge them per bunch. If by chance they put flowers in a vase, they always do so per bunch. Excellence bunches are excellent. But TRUE. roses are judged by perfection and sold per stem. Florists also sell other varieties per stem, but because their voices are seldom heard and this is the way it has always been, they just search for a good one in a bunch or cover up the absent foliage.
Their confidence restored, they instantly picked up the challenge and by the end of the afternoon German and Luis Ernesto reappeared with the plan to build a special cart in which the flowers are to be hung during harvesting (so not putting them on top of each other) and training a few ladies to do the bunching (with extra care to the foliage) in the greenhouse, thus minimizing the handling. Great to see that, despite each being in charge of his own section of the process, they tackle problems from a shared responsibility.
In the meantime we had installed the Verdict program for the dataloggers to be used in transport had brainstormed about the quality of the boxes, different transport possibilities and the wish to replace the current little lead seal on each flower by something more environment friendly. More homework, en route to perfection.
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)