"We were even thinking of expanding even more, but we couldn't find the land", says Carlos Naveda of Tessa Corp, one of the fastest-growing farms in Ecuador. They started on 4.5 ha in 1997 and grew to 102 ha in just 22 years, and now they are expanding even further, to 114 ha. The greenhouses are currently being built and the first roses will be harvested in April 2020.
Carlos Sanchez and Carlos Naveda at the FlowersExpo 2019 in Moscow, Russia - their main export market.
Increasing demand
The reason for the expansion is simple, explains Naveda. "The demand from our export markets, which are Europe, the US and Russia is increasing for our product." But what could be the reason of the increase? According to Naveda, they have been steadily growing over the years, but introduction of the brand name Tessa in 2015 boosted the sales. "And it keeps on growing."
New varieties
Currently at their four farms (Ecuanros, Fiorella Roses, Dali Roses and Tessa Roses), they grow over 80 varieties of roses. In the new 12 ha, half will be planted with new varieties and the other half with existing varieties. "These existing varieties will be varieties of which we know that they are producing and selling well." The greenhouses are currently being built and in April the first flowers will be harvested.
Further growth
And Tessa Corp is planning to grow even further. "We often hear that the industry is dealing with an oversupply of roses which are causing prices to decrease. Therefore, not many are expanding, but what if one cannot meet the demand? That's our story. We are satisfied with the prices and we currently cannot meet the demand. Therefore, we decided to expand and we were even thinking of expanding more, but there was no land available. This will be our plan for the future."
For more information 
Tessa Corp
Carlos Naveda
Email: carlos.naveda@tessacorporation.com
www.tessacorporation.com