Por La Mar builds on mini-rose line
SANTA BARBARA, CA — Por La Mar Nursery is an example of a company that found a winning niche and built a business around it. Its patented mini-roses became hugely popular in the mid-1980s and it became one of the first to sell potted roses to supermarkets. Now it is adding a line of indoor plants in three-inch terra cotta and tin pots with “smart care tags” carrying real-time care information on QR codes.
Past experiences drive fall container trends
Muted tones of purples, greens, yellows and even browns are expected to be winners as consumers long for that earthy feel to bring a relaxed mood into their homes. These colors are considered natural and organic, reminding your shoppers of places they have been and more settled times. You don’t need to search farther than your local coffee shop or trendy grocery store to see these tones already in action, driving sales.
Albert’s Organics promoting organic Chilean blueberries and Peruvian mangos
“We offer a complete and full selection of organic produce — from cactus leaves to broccoli — in our line,” said Simcha Weinstein, director of marketing for Albert’s Organics, headquartered in Santa Cruz, CA. “We handle well over 300 produce items in all.
Great-looking crop of organic garlic for Christopher Ranch this year
Patsy Ross, vice president of marketing for Christopher Ranch in Gilroy, CA, said that the company’s organic garlic “looks great this year, and we have a very good supply. Look for a lot of domestically grown organic garlic from Christopher Ranch this year.”
Specialty flower growers select Northwest for annual show
Specialty cut-flower growers from across the county will flock to the Pacific Northwest Nov. 12-14 for the national conference and trade show of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers in Tacoma, WA. The theme of the show is Learning to Grow Together.
Tough times at California flower farms bring new focus on strengths
In the good old days, leaders would assess an employee, a business unit or a company, identify weaknesses, and set about to fix them. Nowadays, the idea is to find the strengths and build on them. That’s what the recent economic recession forced a lot of leaders in the floral industry to do. Three California flower growers are a good example.
FlorEcuador show to draw U.S. exhbitors
More than 200 exhibitors are expected to have displays at the cavernous exhibit hall at Cemexpo exhibition center when the FlorEcuador show (Agriflor 2012) opens Oct. 3-6 in Quito, Ecuador, according to the organizer, HPP International in Amsterdam.
The list of exhibitors, updated in late August, totaled almost 200 firms and included a handful from the United States.
Things are likely to be different with buyers. At the last Florecuador, in 2010, U.S. firms were heavily represented with about 250 buyers out of a total of 613.
Westerlay Orchids becomes ‘one of the big boys’ with expansion
Westerlay Orchids is positioning itself to be ready when the economy recovers with an ambitious expansion program that will make it one of the major players in the orchid industry, according to Toine Overgaag, president.
Mr. Overgaag took the corporate reins at Westerlay when his father retired three years ago. Expansion plans center on acquiring additional facilities nearby that will take the Westerlay holdings up to one million square feet of greenhouse space.
PMA Floral Council guides Fresh Summit floral offerings
The 2012 Produce Marketing Associaiton Fresh Summit floral offerings will include a special registration package and a networking reception. Other show items that include floral are a new products showcase, a packaging design contest and education workshops covering supply-chain technology, marketing and sales, innovation, leadership and global trends.
Progressive Produce sees continued growth in organics
Concentrating on four core products — potatoes, onions, yams and asparagus — Los Angeles-based Progressive Produce Corp. has seen significant growth in its organic sales over the past couple of years.