Northend Gardens receives 2016 Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation
MPP Jim Bradley, Ted and Carrie Oorsprong (Photo credit: omafra)
And Northend Gardens is boosting Ontario's economic growth with their Medinillas, that they supply all over North America. And their story began with a visit to the Netherlands, where they were searching for a new flower. They found it, but strangely enough, not at the show, but at Ted's uncle in Honselersdijk, the Netherlands. "He had a flower in his living room, which I haven't seen before; it was a Medinilla."
They spent six months communicating back and forth, with the Dutch Rob Scheffers, of Atlantis greenhouse, in order to bring the cuttings to Canada. In October 2011, the first un-rooted cuttings were transported to Canada. They soon found out that the flowers required a very specific light, water and temperature regime as well as a precise growing schedule. With the help of a team of researchers and consultants, 60,000 plants were successfully produced in 2012 and by 2016, annual production hit nearly 100,000. With no shortage of customers, Northend Gardens has staked out a high-end niche, selling their medinillas wholesale for $10 to $17 per plant.
Now, we can say that the Medinilla is one of the most talked about plants in the potted plant market in North America.
The recipients of the 2016 Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation are also helping Ontario meet the Premier's Agri-Food Growth Challenge by supporting the province's efforts to double the growth rate of the agri-food sector and create 120,000 jobs by 2020.
Supporting a strong and innovative agri-food industry is part of Ontario's plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Source: news.ontario.ca