Turcieflor growing location
Tough times
According to Turcieflor's Mark Hodson, the last three to four years have been challenging for French growers. "Customers have been faced with increased prices, an economic downturn, political uncertainty (national elections), European instability, increased competition and so on. It appears that customers have perceived buying flowers and plants as somewhat a luxury item." So, for the ornamental industry it has been a tough period. "Garden centres have also focussed on restructuring their businesses and re-focussing their offer, leaving growers doing everything they can to keep their heads above water."
"From a historical and traditional perspective, France can be slow to adapt to change and in this case, it is taking some time. Growers and retailers alike however are now finally starting to get themselves together commercially", says Hodson. An increased appetite in horticultural products within the big box retailer sector has be noticed as well. "Finally, people are putting gardening, getting outside, and getting your hands dirty back on the family to-do list. There has traditionally been a big focus in France on growing your own vegetables and this concept has been doing very well in particular over the last few years. I hope and think this will be the case for flowers and plants over the forthcoming few years too."
Pauline Beaudoin and Mark Hodson at the IPM Essen.
Spreading the risk
Traditionally, Turcieflor only supplied the French market with its own-bred Alstroemerias and agapanthus flowers and plants. When Mark and his wife Cécile took over the company in 2010, they decided to start exporting as they noticed potential for their young plants in Europe. They also wanted however to spread the risk of having all their eggs in the same basket. "In the UK, where I spent most of my career, people were eager to buy French products which are internationally known for their quality and French ‘savoir faire’. Often however, the language and cultural barriers held them back from doing so. Our team speak multiple languages which allows us to work with many different countries and cultures. We have also established a partnership with an agent, who, through his strong network, promotes our plants in countries even further afield", says Hodson.
Another important factor that contributed to the decision to start exporting was the foresight of the challenging economic period ahead of them. "Business is not easy at the moment, however there are still opportunities – you just have to look further afield for them! Two years ago, we shipped our first young plants to growers all over Europe and the reactions were very positive." Turcieflor exports increase year on year. "We grow the young plants out of tissue culture and we used to produce them in one laboratory here in France, but decided, due to the increased demand, to establish partnerships with three additional laboratories internationally. In this way, we can ensure the demand on production and can export the plants relatively easily."
National Collection holder for Alstroemerias
The broad assortment of varieties is one of the reasons that makes Turcieflor an interesting plant supplier for growers. After 25 years of breeding and 75 years of trading, Turcieflor has been awarded the title of the ‘National Collection holder’ for France, meaning that they have one of the broadest Alstroemeria collections in the World and are considered the ‘French Standard’ for these beautiful, diverse, long lasting and hardy plants. Their collection has over 100 varieties, with 60 being sold commercially each year. The collection is split across four height ranges, compact, Duchess, Dukes and finally the tall majestic garden varieties, which are all heavy flowering and frost hardy as they can stand temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Trends
Like most varieties, alstroemerias are subject to trends, to which breeders and growers must respond. "Traditionally, Turcieflor has been a cut flower breeder and grower. But as demand for more compact varieties increased, we decided to adapt and breed a range that met the new needs of the grower and customer. Over the last 10 years, we have focussed on the breeding of successful compact flowering pot plants. Now, we are seeing more demand for the mid-height garden Alstroemerias allowing gardeners to grow and cut their own Alstroemerias."
As a breeder, it is always a challenge to follow and anticipate trends. "Breeding a brand new variety takes an average of five years, while multiplying a variety that you have in either trial or mother stock takes about 2 years. Of course, as a breeder you have to think ahead and stay ahead of the trends, but it is nice to know that you can introduce a new variety relatively quickly in order to stay ahead of the game if needed”.
We are continuously breeding, trialling and introducing new varieties. "There is still so much to discover. We still do not have a black or perfumed variety yet for example", laughs Hodson.
Compact varieties
Our compact varieties seem to be in high demand at the moment. "The varieties in the Dwarf and Duchess ranges are currently the best sellers. Besides being hardy and heavy flowering, these are the most economically viable varieties for the grower. They stand up straight and show an even crop height, which enables growers to put more plants on a trolley, lowering transportation costs."
For more information
Turcieflor
Mark Hodson, Breeder- Grower
Email: mark@turcieflor.com
www.turcieflor.com