He drove a jeep across the farm located on the steep slope of a volcano. ‘It was quite something to see how they grow, harvest and pack leatherleaf ferns, for example’. Hamifleurs product specialist, John, is responsible for their Green category. Together with Green Connect, he travelled to Costa Rica and Guatemala in September.
Quality and origin
A great deal of the Green the company supplies is grown in these countries, such as Aralia, Aspidistra, Leatherleaf fern, Roebelini and Tree fern.
Together with the owners of the farms, John and the company investigated how to preserve shelf life and quality for as long as possible throughout the entire chain from grower to end customer.
John returned from his trip, filled with enthusiasm. ‘Each green plant is different and has its own charm. It is a beautiful sight to see how all these varieties grow and where their origin lies. What a lot of customers don’t know, for example, is that the hardiness of the product is determined by the elevated location of the farm and the difference in climate.’
Click here to see more photos.
Novelties
In addition to the varieties Hamifleurs already has in stock, John also spotted many novelties. ‘We will first test these to see whether shelf life and quality meet our demands. If so, we will start offering them to our customers’.
Surrounding area and work conditions
In addition to the green varieties, John also paid attention to the way in which the growers deal with their staff. ‘Great to see that much attention is paid to the people working on the farms. Some growers even have special care provisions for their employees.’
In Guatemala, John also visited the area where much damage was done by volcano Fuego when it erupted in June. Many lost their lives there and 6 villages were completely destroyed. Hamifleurs supplier ‘Tak’, a nursery of nearly 350 hectares and 2,000 employees, also has one of its sites on this mountain. They were very lucky and incurred relatively little damage. They want to do something, however, for those on the other side of the volcano who were badly affected. In collaboration with, among others, the Dutch Flower Group, this grower started a special project. For each bunch of green sold, 2 cents will go to those affected for the reconstruction.
For more information:
Hamifleurs
www.hamifleurs.nl