Kenyan flower grower Red Ice Flowers will supply Dutch auction FloraHolland Aalsmeer with high-quality roses, as of the June 30.
Red Ice Flowers is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya, Kenya’s highest and Africa’s second highest mountain. Its 80-hectare farm lies at 2100 meters on the equator and, due to altitude and light intensity of that area, the colour of the flowers is more vibrant and bud sizes are larger.
A total of 25ha has been set aside for the production of roses for the auction and 17ha is already in production of both t-hybrids and intermediate varieties, and another three hectares will be added by the end of the year. Currently the farm is growing 10 varieties: Mariyo, Marie-Claire, La Belle, Duett, Aqua, Belle Rose, Red Calypso, Classic Duett, Viva and Valentino - all of which are sought after by the buyers of FloraHolland Aalsmeer.
The remaining 55ha of the farm will remain untouched forest and wetlands, as part of Red Ice Flowers’ commitment to the environment. The water needed for production comes from boreholes, as well as from a rainwater reservoir and filters wastewater through wetlands.
The FloraHolland co-operative offers growers and customers a network of six locations ¬- Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, Rijnsburg, Venlo, Bleiswijk en Eelde, a single national intermediary organisation FloraHolland Connect and a centrally managed import department.
