“With our placement in Türkiye, we have easy access to the rest of the world”

Did you know that most of Queen® Genetics’ succulents are being bred and produced in Türkiye and shipped to growers worldwide? Aloe hybrids ‘Abenaki,’ ‘Caddo,’ and ‘Pima’ are new in their succulent assortment. But why are they bred and produced in Türkiye, on what criteria are they and the other succulents in the assortment selected, and how does Queen Genetics support growers to thrive? Director Frands Jepsen and Queen Genetics succulent and sales expert John Nielsen will answer these questions in this article.

Queen Türkiye
Queen Türkiye was founded in 2010 as a joint venture between Danish Kalanchoe nursery A/S Knud Jepsen (Queen Genetics) and Agrico. “It enables us to keep up with the growing demand for cuttings, young plants, and finished plants,” says Jepsen. Since its establishment, the company has grown significantly in size and assortment and currently has over 170.000 m2 of production of various cultures in the region of Izmir and employs around 400 people. 

Breeding criteria
So, how is breeding organized? “At Queen Genetics, we are continuously developing their assortment and are specialists in utilizing their our experience and knowledge to produce a variety of strong and durable crops, including succulents,” says Nielsen. “With our set-up in Türkiye, it has been possible to perfect our breeding of Succulents, and we have a team of professional succulent experts overseeing the production of succulents.” According to Nielsen, the Queen Succulents are selected based on the following criteria: 

• Striking shapes and colors
• Predictable availability
• Robust, healthy cuttings
• Heat tolerance verified in production
• Excellent shelf-life
• Amazing retail- and consumer experience.

“We are thorough when deciding which new varieties to continue with, and in this process, we are prioritizing aesthetics and excellent longevity. The Queen Genetics Succulents have fantastic heat and drought tolerance, and thus, they are easy to maintain for both growers and end-users. Still, we also ensure that our final succulents can be transported without damage. With our placement in Türkiye, we have easy access to the rest of the world, whether in North America or Europe, and with our close attention to detail, durability, and transportation options, we are a reliable supplier of succulents worldwide.”

Images from Queen® Türkiye, where most of our succulents are being bred and produced.  

Knowledge sharing with our customers
At Queen Genetics, they are proud of their succulent breeding, and they have gathered – and continue to gather, a broad spectrum of information and knowledge about their cultures. “However, we do not want to succeed alone and prioritize sharing our knowledge with growers,” Jepsen adds. “With our digital platform SmartGrowerTM, we offer our customers a seamless, digital ordering system and provide Growing Guidelines and specifications on how to succeed with our succulents, with all information always accessible online. On SmartGrower, we are also sharing product images and inspirational images of our succulents, and by doing so, we are ensuring the success of our products long after they have left our greenhouses.”