"Growing demand for reddish-pink tulip Aphrodite"

The reddish-pink tulip Aphrodite was discovered on the land of trading partnership Laan-Blauw in Marknesse about 20 years ago. Over the course of the years, this mutant from Orange Cassini has developed into a true eye catcher within the wide tulip range. ‘A growing demand.’

Not every mutant you find is a guaranteed success. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. “In the past, my uncles used to keep all the mutants they came across. Aphrodite really stood out from the crowd with its unusual reddish-pink shade. Later they also found Princess Catharina-Amalia”, says Jack Blauw, who runs the Laan-Blauw partnership together with his brother Vincent and his uncle Cees. “We have planted the mutants every year in order to increase their numbers. Six years ago, when there was a growing interest for Aphrodite, we have accommodated this variety at growers association Bulb Select. Nowadays, there are 4 growers who grow Aphrodite. In total, there is 30 acres of this variety, and half of it is ours. Our ambition is to expand to 50 acres eventually. In addition to the bulbs, we also grow 150,000 cut stems of Aphrodite.”

Blauw is very happy with the sales of Aphrodite. “Adrie van Dun from CNB is in charge of the mediation of the bulbs. The sizes 11 and 12 were sold very quickly and we noticed a steady, growing demand from the export. Buyers need to discover a product first, which takes time. But things are picking up fast now.” Including the sales of the cut flowers. “For every trolley, there are at least 6 interested buyers. In order to keep their interest, we make sure that we supply uniform quality and auction daily.”

Source: Premium Varieties