Ethiopia: Lily grower moves into gypsophila

Klaver Flowers has years of experience in growing lilies. One of their first lily greenhouses in Ethiopia however, turned out to have the ideal conditions for a completely different product: gypsophila. Gert-Jan Klaver and his sister Lydia were instantly on the ball. “We wanted to produce the same quality standard in gypsophila as we do in lilies.”

Tangle-free stems
They mainly produce Excellence and in a smaller yield Discovery. “The biggest benefit of these two varieties is that the stems do not tangle. They’re easier to work with than Million Stars for example.” Gert-Jan explains. He flies out to Ethiopia every five to six weeks to personally check on the crop and their development. Every change they make contributes to a more climate neutral operation, which is one of Preferred Supplier Klaver Flower’s corporate goals.

Weighing every stem
Lydia: “In Ethiopia, we make sure that every stem is weighed individually. Most growers weigh their gyp by the bunch running the risk of having two or three unusable stems among the rest of the branches. That’s not how we work. Every stem is weighed separately and therefore always up to bouquet standard.”

FleuraMetz buyer Wilco van Termeij: “They’re a wonderful partner to work with. I don’t have to explain the importance of quality and high standards to them, it comes naturally.”

For more information:
FleuraMetz
www.fleurametz.com