‘Breeding a colorful future.’ That’s the slogan of United Selections that they are eagerly living up to. “We believe it is a collaborative goal, and we aim to make these words ring true to our actions,” says United Selection’s Edwin Kirwa. A bit over a year ago, this Kenyan cut rose breeding company started a strategic partnership with alstroemeria breeder Könst Alstroemeria and more recently, since September 2022, they have become the Official Representative of Difference Pot Roses worldwide, gaining entry into the pot roses world.
Win-win
Difference Roses is a cooperation between Dutch grower HPD and breeding company Agriom in De Kwakel, the Netherlands. And now, United selections has been added and carries out the sales and marketing activities. But why this collaboration? According to Kirwa, it is a win-win situation. “Our strength is in the worldwide network and commercialization, while theirs is in having a proven and commercial assortment in production already. With this collaboration, Difference Roses can focus on breeding and, at the same time, expand markets. For us, pot roses are an excellent addition to our current selections”, he says. Currently, Difference Roses’ varieties are exclusively grown by Dutch grower HPD under the Favourite Roses label, but this collaboration will make the varieties available to growers worldwide. “We will start out with expanding markets in Europe and gradually go more international as we have good international contacts in Africa, the US, Canada, China, and Japan. And last but not least, also in Europe and the UK.”
USP’s
“The pot roses from Difference Roses stand out because of their growth characteristics. They grow compact, uniform, and are well-branched plants with many shoots and buds. Their shelf life is at least 18 days of flowering, and they are disease and pest resistance. The bright colored blooms, uniformly colored foliage, and the nicely shaped and well-filled flowers”, he says.
Five commercial varieties and more in the pipeline
Together with the breeders of Difference Roses, the commercial team of United Selections selected five commercial varieties and ten codes out of the 10,000 codes of Difference Roses. “The five commercial varieties we selected are straight colors, namely red, yellow, white, hot pink, and pink. The other ten varieties, we will introduce gradually.” At the IFTF that took place in Vijfhuizen, the Netherlands, last November, United Selections already showcased them at their booth and received positive reactions. At some upcoming events, of which IPM in Essen is close by, they will again present the varieties to the industry. You can find them at stand 1C30 in Hall 1.
For more information:
United Selections
Peter Schrama
Email: pschrama@united-selections.com
+31 (0)6 53 85 77 16
https://united-selections.com/pot-roses/
Difference Roses
www.differenceroses.nl