Back in 2018, American Takii held their cut flower Open House for the first time. Unfortunately, the pandemic did lead to the cancelation of the event in 2021, but they were able to reassemble in 2022 and hope to continue each year from now on. This year, the Open House was held on August 16 at their facility in Salinas, CA. "The Open House is a semi-private event that caters to Takii's broker and grower customers and also reaches out to the needs of various retailers and bouquet makers, as those are all important to Takii's success. And this year, we welcomed 60 visitors", says National Sales Manager Mike Huggett.
Mike Huggett hosting a tour.
The Open House Event
According to Mike, the event serves two needs. First, for the American Takii Staff and their Customers, it is a time to gather and connect. Secondly, Takii feels that by providing an opportunity to view their products in a live setting is the best form of marketing that can be done. "You can imagine that in one setting Takii can show its strengths, vulnerabilities, the future, and the past, and by doing so and at the same time, we are building trust and a more solid partnership with our Customer," Mike says.
"The event this year featured both commercial and experimental materials and included classic varieties within our Sunflower, Lisianthus, Flowering Kale lines along with unique items such as Snapdragon and Delphinium. We also did our best to include comparisons within the various categories."
A new and standout variety Takii has recently released is a double-flowered Snapdragon with the series name Legend. "Snapdragon is a fascinating product with a wide range of colors and textures that stand out in any arrangement. Flower Kale is also being utilized more as Kale offers a long-lasting vase life and unique textures and colors. But the bedrock of the American Takii Cut Flower Program lies with our Sunflower. Sunflowers are one of the most recognizable flowers worldwide. Takii takes great pride in the breeding of Sunflower for easy producibility and long vase life," says Mike.
Trends
"Takii is investing a great deal of resources into Lisianthus as the product continues to build a market presence. We also see interest in unique items as growers and bouquet makers look for different ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The number one trend that I see is our Broker network showing up and wanting to participate. Opportunities for servicing the cut flower market and the diverse makeup of the growers involved are wide open. With that said, we emphasize the need to stay close to one another as we move forward in this ever-changing marketplace," Mike concludes.
See below for more pictures of the Open House Event:
For more information:
Mike Huggett, National Sales Manager/Flower
American Takii
301 Natividad Road Salinas, CA 93906
Tel.: 517-524-8295
Email: [email protected]
www.takii.com