Last August, Suntory Flowers launched their BluOcean™ Chrysanthemum, a variety with shades of violet and blue. After its official release on the North American market the following September, demand has been higher than originally expected, and as the flower’s only grower, Suntory Flowers in Colombia, is very happy with these results so far.
Monica Useche at Proflora 2023 in Bogota, Colombia.
“We are very pleased with the product, and the market has likewise reacted very well. People seem to love the colors we offer, especially light colors like Sapphire and Opal, and the different shades of purple and the bluish color of the Sapphire really can’t be found anywhere else on the market. The overall feedback has definitely far exceeded our expectations,” says Monica Useche of Suntory Flowers.
Even in the weeks running up to Christmas, Suntory Flowers noticed that demand has remained high, something they didn’t really expect since purple is not known as a Christmas color. “We know purple and lavender colors are good for Easter, Mother’s Day, and weddings, but we did not expect it to be a Christmas color too.”
According to Useche, the market has not slowed down at all for BluOcean. “We even find ourselves struggling to fill all the orders. The flower definitely has a bright future ahead of it, that is why we will be expanding our production in 2024. Currently, we grow on 3 hectares, but our plan is to produce approximately 5 million stems next year. We are also only allowed to sell in the US and Canada right now due to regulations, but we are working on getting the permits for Australia and Russia as well.”
In the future, Suntory Flowers will also be introducing disbud chrysanthemums to their BluOcean series, so there is still plenty to look forward to.
For more information:
Monica Useche
Florigene
Email: [email protected]
www.florigene.com