TRUE. today

Just as I was preparing to go to Colombia next week to finally find out the status of the production, Luis Ernesto calmed my nerves, telling me that things are looking good: the first 10 beds of plants getting in production (some 200 flowers per week) in the second half of November and the other 30 beds at Valentine's.

Expected weekly production then: 800 TRUE. roses. For New York only we expect to need some 5 times this amount.

Well, we need to start somewhere and after such a long runway this will give us the quality take-off we have been waiting for.

Even more reassuring were the photos Luis Ernesto sent: a nice healthy crop and no blackening of the flowers at all!

TRUE. today

Excellence's first box made it from El Rosal (Colombia) into Roses and Blooms (Manhattan). In the 'normal' flower world there would never be any feedback, unless the customer refuses to pay the bill. With TRUE. a whole list of deficiencies was to be expected. We're dealing with a nature product and aiming for perfection. Unheard of in the floral industry.

Jan informed me that the flowers had been cut too tight to be TRUE. , but otherwise they had been bunched and packed properly.

They had been cut at the 'Russian stage', which is more a little more open than 'American' and far more open than 'Dutch'. Shame on the industry of which I have been part for some 20 years and my family for at least five generations. No attention whatsoever for the consumer. Sure enough, European traders want fresh looking flowers (tight buds) and Russian wholesalers want size (open without looking too ripe), but stacks of research reports show that flowers perform best in the vase when they have collected enough sugars, being in the final stages on the plant.

Besides giving the impression of being ripe, open flowers are damaged more easily during transport and handling and are more susceptible to botrytis. Open flowers collect more moisture and may rot. If harvested at exactly the right stage and packed in the right temperature and air humidity controlled conditions, TRUE. roses will not have this. But this is very difficult and takes a lot of patience and professionalism. The experts of Excellence will manage. And I? The waiting drives me crazy, especially when Jan says that he still has customers walking in his beautiful store asking for TRUE. roses.

A Rose Story - Preface

Preface

… and on the seventh day, relaxing in the ozone filtered sunlight, feet in the crystal blue ocean, Jesus’ nikes by his side, He set mankind a challenge by creating a few rosebushes. Thousands of years we have worshipped the flowers, only to be disappointed. The spur of the moment.

‘My love is like a red, red rose’: temptation in optima forma, but prickly when touched and wilting after a few days. A loveless one night stand.

Expensive and falling apart shortly after Valentine’s, rather than making a lasting impression. “Thanks for the flowers, Fred, do you want to come in for a night cap?” Later, Fred banging at the door after having been kicked out.

“Hi Fred, it’s Wilma again, I just came walking in after spending the week at my mum’s. Fred, your roses, they’re still fantastic! Why don’t you come and have a look? I’ll change into something more suitable in the meantime.” The ultimate dream.

Come true.

The time has come to show the Creator that, although it has taken a while, His humble creations have met His challenge.

The cutflower rose is a Renaissance invention, completed in the transition period of the unique old boys’ world of rose breeding into ruthless price competition, infringements of rights, fraud and bankruptcy of old family businesses. Creativity struggling with money. Some weird old breeder goes under in this struggle, but leaves a secret rose seedling, a code, the embodiment of ultimate beauty, the Holy Rose Grail. Strangely, there is little fiction in the story. The rose is the proof.

TRUE. come true.

No Guts, No Glory. No Rose, No Story.

TRUE. today

In a few hours the first flowers of Da Vinci Rose from Excellence will be delivered with Roses and Blooms in Manhattan. Everybody involved is really anxious to learn if they are TRUE.

They were packed at the Bogota farm last Friday under the supervision of Hans of FlorControl, quality experts on behalf of the TRUE. label. Transport and distribution have been organized by Janny of Flower Import Services in New Jersey. For this, Janny works with AllPlants who, in turn, makes use of Flower Transfer in Miami. Flower Transfer flies the flowers into JFK, New York, from which they are picked up by Delaware Wholesale. Delaware trucks them (refrigerated), with their other flowers in the consignment, into their warehouses in Sewell, NJ, from which Janny picks them up for delivery to Roses And Blooms.

Much too complicated, as far as I am concerned, although a much shorter supply chain than customary for Latin flowers. Something to be worked on once we see that Excellence's quality is TRUE. But if you read 'the TRUE. story' in this blog, the history of my quest, you will understand my doubts with today's route. One thing I have learned: true revolution doesn't happen overnight. Neither does TRUE. revolution.

TRUE. today

A week ago Gerco of Van der Deijl Roses called again: two more TRUE. boxes with flowers had arrived in Noordwijk. "Probably bad again and a waste of time and gas to pick them up," I thought, but agreed to collect them later that day.

It would be a nice opportunity to show my visiting Canadian friend Burke and his family what I was doing. After visiting my parents, Burke, his wife Irene and I found the boxes in the impressive cold rooms in the new Van der Deijl premises. Arriving home in time to entertain the next guests, Wilma and her husband Nico, I quickly unpacked the flowers and put them in water. They looked pretty good, but killer botrytis spores were present without doubt.

Burke kept on taking pictures, convinced that he was witness of the turnaround in Qualisa's quality struggle that would set me off to New York to prepare the florists for the TRUE. invasion. I was more reserved, ready for more disappointment. The next days, much to Burke's thrill, the flowers opened nicely, looking good. I emailed Walter to find out if this was a turnaround or just an exception.

Peter van der Deijl's reply came just after Burke had returned to Toronto. Qualisa had decided to stop the production of Da Vinci Rose. They were unable to produce the TRUE. quality needed. He still believed in the marketing concept and was willing to invest in it if I would change to using existing commercial varieties. We had had this discussion before and I had challenged him to send me flowers of varieties that could be guaranteed to open and last. He had sent some. They all failed.

Now, patience again. Wait for Excellence's TRUE. roses.

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.

the TRUE. story

September 2006: the home front

My parents, Pap (my father-in-law) and my buddy Peter all receive a flower from the plants still present in the Preesman greenhouse. All are enthusiastic, although the flower heads are much smaller than TRUE. will be. Ludmilla, a top lawyer of Bulgarian descent, helps me out with the legal issues, at no charge. It is good to have TRUE. friends.