Grower Jan Klusmann:
Europe: The comeback of different orchid varieties
In the greenhouse of Klusmann.
Comeback of the 'other' orchids
The phalaenopsis has been a well-known and popular plant for years now. Also for Klusmann Blumenvertrieb, the standard variety, in a 9cm pot with 2 to 3 stems, is one of their top selling plants in Europe. However, they see an increase in demand for different orchid varieties. "Over the last few years, we have seen the quantities of ‘other’ orchids on the European market decreasing. They suffered a lot from the popularity of the phalaenopsis," says Klusmann. However, in the last one to two years in particular, they see the demand for orchids rising and especially for the new ones with a long shelf life. "The consumer is familiar with the phalaenopsis and its growing habits. They are eager to learn about new orchid varieties, but the shorter shelf life is often the reason why they go back to the well-known phalaenopsis. Now, we try to focus on putting high quality orchids on the market. And it seems to pay off. The demand for the new orchid varieties is increasing."
Putting new varieties on the market
Klusmann is part of NEON Group, a cooperation of 6 orchid producers that exchange know-how and ideas about orchid production and the introduction of new orchids varieties. Together with Hassinger Orchideen, who is specialized in the breeding and production of young plants, Klusmann puts new orchid varieties on the European market. "It is always a gamble when introducing a new product to the market, but together with Hassinger-Orchideen we not only highly invested in the quality of the orchid itself, we also do a lot of market research and sales tests in order to ensure a proper demand," says Klusmann.
Table Dance orchid, Coconut Orchid, Cocktail Orchid.
Popular new orchids varieties
Some examples of new orchid varieties that have been put on the market and that are getting more traction in the marketplace are Table Dance, the Coconut Orchid, and Cocktail Orchid. The Table Dance Orchid with 5 stems are 9 cm orchid varieties with mixed coloured flowers. "It is an exclusive product and the demand for this year's French Mother's Day (May 29, 2016) is high, higher than last year," says Klusmann. In general, there is a good demand for the Coconut Orchid. This orchid is being imported from Thailand and potted by Klusmann. It is only available in May and June and is a bit more expensive this year; "the prices has gone up about 10 percent this year, because of the weak currency value of the euro." In spite of the price increase, the demand for this orchid remains good. "Due to the price increase, we expected a decrease in demand, so we decided to import around 25 percent less. But we still sell everything," says Klusmann. The newest orchid variety of Klusmann is the Cocktail Orchid. According to Klusmann, this new variety, which is created by putting two orchid varieties in one pot, has a lot of potential. "We just did some test sales and we are very satisfied with the results. So, we hope to put this new variety on the market soon," he says.
For more information
Klusmann
Jan Klusman
Email: [email protected]
www.orchideen-klusmann.de
For more information
Hassinger Orchideen
Email: [email protected]
www.hassinger-orchideen.com