As a large flower grower, it is always a vision to work with the best, easily marketable, and premium varieties that stand out, and those that always wow potential customers and buyers. Such is the case for Shalimar-Maitri, a Kenyan grower located in Naivasha, who extensively works with rose varieties from the renowned breeder, De Ruiter.
Shalimar Maitri is not just your typical grower; this is a grower with a mission. Only less than a year old, the grower has already demonstrated great development in the short period of its being. And its success, by all means, is driven by the breeders it chooses to work with. Among them, De Ruiter plays quite a significant role.
A Cooperation That Continues to Stand the Test of Time
Maitri Farm is part of a group of five farms under the umbrella of Shalimar Fresh Ltd — previously called East African Growers Limited Group Company — which was established in 2000, and all along, has been working with De Ruiter in its roses’ production; for at least the last 24 years.
The group initially started as East African Growers Limited, its parent company, in 1966, and was a fruit and vegetable exporter. It has, since, grown into one of Kenya’s leading horticultural specialists, with more than 55 years of expertise in growing, processing, and exporting horticultural produce to more than 40 countries across the world.
Shalimar diversified into flower production in the late 90s — and early 2000s — with the establishment of its farms including Shalimar-Mahee in Ol-Kalau (in Nyandarua County), Shalimar-Mwanzi in Rumuruti (a town in Kenya’s Laikipia County), Shalimar-Kabuku in Thika, a small municipality near Nairobi, as well as Shalimar Farm in Naivasha. The focus has largely been on growing both flowers and avocados.
Also based in Naivasha, Maitri Farm is the latest addition to the group. Its name, Maitri, literally means friendship in Hinduism, and the farm shows great potential, seeking and enhancing partnerships and collaborations with other players in the industry. And being closer — in proximity — to several flower establishments, more so De Ruiter East Africa (DREA), is one among numerous other reasons that would, perhaps, explain the close working relationship between DREA and Shalimar-Maitri. Roughly 80 hectares and employing at least 1000 people, it is quite a feat for a flower farm slightly less than a year old!
Natarajan Ramu, the Shalimar's General Manager for the flowers division explains that the working cooperation between the grower and De Ruiter is based on a continually growing understanding of each other’s business visions and the need to complement each other to actualize their goals.
Natarajan Ramu:
“We grow around 75 varieties and on this farm alone, at least 14 varieties are from De Ruiter. We are a fully certified flower farming group. Think of Fairtrade and all other required certifications; we have them all! As a group, we are spread across different regions of Kenya, each region has its own unique conditions for the cultivation of different flowers.”
Growing Different Rose Varieties From De Ruiter
Shalimar-Maitri largely grows different varieties of summer flowers. But it also focuses on roses. Well, just so you know, incidentally, Shalimar-Maitri is one of the largest growers of Rose Ever Red, a globally popular red rose variety bred by De Ruiter. And many more varieties rose aficionados would fancy.
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Other varieties grown at the farm include Spray Rose Pink Dimension, Spray Rose Coral Bubbles, Spray Rose Peony Bubbles, Spray Rose Lavender Bubbles, Rose Trivia, Rose Fair Lady, Rose Furiosa, Rose Comanche, Rose Pink Ice (which is still under propagation), Spray Rose Sweet Dimension, and the new red variety named Rose Revolution, which the Naivasha-based flower grower prides itself in being the first farm to grow in the region.
Natarajan Ramu:
“Now and then, we always visit De Ruiter just to keep up with the latest trends and varieties that we fancy and believe our customers will love. And we are never disappointed by the large assortment available because the breeder has a good understanding of the flower world and how it works. And that’s pretty much what we need to be successful.”
Such is also the case for Arun Mishra, the Flower Marketing Head at Shalimar Fresh Ltd. He believes it is the good working relationship that the flower grower group has with breeders like De Ruiter, that drives its success. This is along with all the sustainability efforts in place at the flower group’s several farms spread across different regions in Kenya.
Arun Mishra:
“At De Ruiter, there is always a good chance of getting the most premium varieties which are, after all, what many growers always look for. An expert of many years in the flower industry, De Ruiter has a knack for producing premium and easy-to-market varieties that a grower will, with no trouble, sell because of their high demand.”
Whenever new varieties are coming up at De Ruiter, according to Rohit Patil, the Sales and Marketing Manager at DREA, he always discusses them with the team at Shalimar; just to inform the grower about these new flowers and how the flower group can benefit from them. In essence, there is always communication between the team at Shalimar Fresh Ltd and De Ruiter; the kind of correspondence and networking that firm the working partnership that the two flower companies share.
Still Planning to Grow, With De Ruiter in Support
Shalimar Fresh Ltd still plans to grow. For the flower group, growth is an inevitability. It is an ever-continuous process. In that context, the grower plans to grow the acreage of its flower farms significantly throughout the remainder of this year, and continuing thereafter.
And even as it grows, still the collaboration and correspondence with its key partners remain key. Therefore, De Ruiter will continue playing an important role in that growth and development as Shalimar Fresh looks into the future.
