Ter Laak Orchids to build greenhouse in Guatemala
Ter Laak Orchids produces six million phalaeonopsis plants a year at its main 78,500-square-meter facility in Wateringen — a town located near The Hague, in the heart of Holland’s fertile Westland region.
But limited growth potential at home is pushing Ter Laak and its rivals to seek out new frontiers, says consultant Ed Smit of Ideavelop in San Ramón de Tres Ríos.
“There’s a tendency in the Netherlands where growers are either going bankrupt or looking for opportunities outside of Holland,” Smit said. “When it comes to Ter Laak and other highly developed companies, you can hardly talk about greenhouses anymore. We are reaching our limits in the Netherlands. But in a country like Guatemala, there’s lots of room to improve.”
Guatemala’s Puerto Barrios is only two or three days to Miami by sea, he said.
In addition, the country’s climate is excellent for phalaeonopsis, an orchid that requires high altitudes and cold nights to grow properly. Potrero Carrillo sits at 1,800 meters above sea level — which is just about right for what Ter Laak hopes to do there.
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