International flower breeders Interplant and Royal Van Zanten are collaborating to bring a number of strong varieties of popular flowers to growers in East Africa. Interplant will be an agent for Royal Van Zanten and represent their varieties in the region where Interplant has had a strong presence and network for years. Interplant’s test facilities in Kenya will serve as a location for flower trials with Alstroemeria, Statice, Chrysanthemum and Limonium.
‘We actively seek collaboration with partners in the value chain. The partnership with Interplant strengthens our activities in East Africa and our services to growers in this region,’ says Royal Van Zanten’s Commercial Director, Rick Kroon. ‘There is an abundance of flower farms near Lake Naivasha in Kenya.’
‘We value shared know-how and a close relationship with our customers. In turn, they benefit from a larger choice in high quality varieties. The partnership with Royal Van Zanten will grow our portfolio and our expertise,” confirms Interplant Summerflowers & Seeds CEO,’ Robert Ilsink. ‘The objective is to make strong varieties available for our expanding network of growers.’
The two companies both have a long history of successful pioneering in the field of flower and plant breeding.
‘We have made it our mission to pass on the passion that has defined Royal Van Zanten since its foundation in 1862. It’s reflected in our flowers and company culture. I am very excited about the opportunity to share our passion and products in new areas of Africa. We look forward to working with Interplant.’ Rick Kroon adds.
Chosen for its suitable micro-climate in the flower growing region of Kenya, the test facilities in Naivasha are strategically placed in the heart of this flower growing region. In view of the fact that there is an increasing demand on Kenya’s natural resources, care has been taken to recycle much of the water used by the facility that operates mainly on solar energy.
About Royal Van Zanten
Royal Van Zanten is an international leader in breeding and propagation of cut flowers (Alstroemeria, Charmelia®, Statice, Freesia Chrysanthemum and Bouvardia) and pot plants (Aster, Alstroemeria, Celosia, Chrysanthemum and Multiflora). Our shared mission can be defined by five values that represent our company culture: Passion, Quality, Better every day, Ambition and Royal.
This last value was inspired by the Royal honours that were accorded the company in 1901. Today, the value stands for customer focus and the respect that we have for the people around us. Royal Van Zanten has over 1000 employees that work from our home base in the Netherlands and in our international breeding and production locations in Uganda, South-Africa and Colombia.
About Interplant
Interplant has been breeding flowers for 60 years and is a prominent rose breeder. Innovation is at the heart of our business. Within our location in the Netherlands, we make over 150,000 crossings a year, creating exciting new varieties. The initial testing of all varieties takes place in our greenhouses in the Netherlands where we hybridize new varieties.
The most important element we add to this constant quest for optimization, is our know-how and skills obtained over many years of breeding.
Interplant operates from various locations. Our head office and main breeding facilities are located in Harmelen, the Netherlands. In Kenya we operate a testing facility as well as a showroom.