44 million stems are processed every year at the post-harvest area of Don Eusebio. This Colombian farm has been growing carnations for 30 years and three years ago, they started supplying tinted carnations. Since then, the demand is growing. “The competition is hard, but I think the market is ready for something else.”
Andres Olier and Carolina Merchan presenting their collection of tinted carnations at Proflora 2019.
Process
The process starts with picking out the carnations that are suitable for tinting. “We do not use only whites, we use different colors”, Andres Olier, sales and marketing manager at the farm explains. “After selecting the best stems, they go for 48 hours of dehydration. Then, we make one or two incisions in the bottom of the stems, so that we get two or four parts. The flowers then absorb the liquid with special combination and doses and will hydrate again for 8 hours.” It is a unique process compared to how others do it, says Olier. “This way of tinting will result in more vase life, up to 20 days.” According to Andres Olier, the process of tinting carnations has been a good development for the farm. “It not only makes more jobs, it also enables workers to earn more money as they need to learn how to tint – it is something different than they used to do.”
Growing demand
"After checking the needs of the markets and finding a special niche that appreciates the quality for the tinted carnations, we started looking for how can we make a difference, using the innovation and offering the best and constant quality for our customers." From 2016, Don Eusebio is selling the tinted carnations and the reactions so far are very positive. In two years, the range of tinted carnations has grown quite a bit. Now, Don Eusebio has 25 different colors, which mainly go to Europe and Japan. “We decided to show our customers that fresh flowers can be nice in tinted colors as well. The market is asking for more and now, almost 15% of our products are being tinted. The competition for tinted carnations is strong, but I think the market is ready for something else. So besides the big range in colors, we now also have a new scent project that we are developing. We try to give a scent to the flower, to make it even more special.”
For more information:
Agroindustrial Don Eusebio S.A.S.
Phone: +57 310 223 6019
Email: exportaciones@doneusebio.com
www.doneusebio.com