For Fernando Saenz, a successful businessman from the middle of the world, his main goal in life has always been to share the power and beauty Ecuador holds when it comes to its flowers. For this, he created a magazine, 'Ecuador y sus Flores, which aims to share and connect the Ecuadorian floral industry by sharing important moments, new products, and event highlights among many other interesting things. Tune in to know more about him!
Owner of ‘Ecuador y Sus Flores’ Magazine, Fernando Saenz Shares the Ecuadorian Spark With the World
Join Fernando Saenz, the owner and driving force behind 'Ecuador y sus Flores' magazine in an insightful interview highlighting the Ecuadorian flower industry and its importance. With years of dedication to promoting the country's floriculture on the global stage, he shares more of his journey, challenges, and triumphs in cultivating an industry known for its passion. Whether you're a seasoned professional or simply fascinated by the beauty of flowers, there's so much to know about this beautiful country and its flowers!
Q: Please tell the world more about yourself. Share more about the most important moments in your life which led you to create your own magazine 'Ecuador y sus Flores'. When did you start your involvement in the floral industry, why, and who inspired you to do so?
Fernando:
"I grew up in an environment where nature, the land, and the countryside were an essential part of my childhood and youth. My grandfather was a great enthusiast of garden flowers, and together with his friends and relatives, they competed to achieve the best rose to exhibit each year at the Feria de las Flores y las Frutas in Ambato."
"I worked in the floriculture sector for a few years through my brother Francisco's company, where we served more than 40 flower farms by implementing administrative accounting software. The magazine 'Ecuador y sus Flores' was born when the country had already established itself as a benchmark in flower production. Among several names we analyzed, this one fulfilled the idea of telling the world about the benefits of Ecuadorian floriculture, and thus the specialized magazine Ecuador y sus Flores was born in September 2003."
"When we went out to market with the first issue, we turned to friends we already knew in the sector, among farms, suppliers of inputs, breeders, agencies, and cargo airlines; the support from everyone was immediate and we were amazed by this.
The first challenge was to be present at the Amsterdam fair in November 2003 after NIRP hired us for the cover and set that goal for us. We achieved it, and from that moment on, we focused on publishing an edition of our magazine every quarter. It wasn't always easy, but little by little we became the benchmark in the floriculture sector, maintaining our independence and focusing on promoting this business from our niche. After the third year, my partner left to work in another industry, and I took over the entire management of the magazine."
Q: What is your magazine 'Ecuador y sus Flores' about? What makes it so unique in the market and what type of content and information do you share in it?
Fernando:
"The main objective of the magazine is to promote Ecuadorian floriculture worldwide. We developed a strategy to publish articles of interest for farm owners and managers, commercial and technical staff, suppliers of inputs, and breeders of varieties, and thus cover most areas of interest in the floriculture sector. We also seek to include contributions from cargo companies. It is important that they share the processes developed to better serve their clients who buy flowers and hire them to handle all the logistics of the flowers purchased from Ecuadorian farms.
It was a great challenge to get the engineers in charge of the crops to write about their daily tasks on how to face and control diseases, how to nourish the plants, how to manage the climate inside the greenhouse, and how to improve post-harvest so that the flower reaches its destination. Another important piece of information we cover, which is of great interest to our readers, is the events held in our country, such as open houses by breeders and farms, technical talks, and local supplier fairs where new techniques or products are shared."
"One of our greatest successes in gaining the trust of our advertisers has been distributing the Ecuador y sus Flores magazine for free at major fairs worldwide in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Bogotá, Moscow, Brussels, Amsterdam, etc., where Ecuadorian flowers are exhibited to buyers from around the world. At the same time, the graphic coverage of these international events highlights the importance of Ecuadorian farms. We formed alliances with several companies to allow the distribution of our magazine and reach the largest number of farms, a task we continue to do by continuously updating our databases.
From the beginning, it was a priority to ensure that the print quality was the best. The flower expresses the beauty of nature, and the work of breeders has been to enhance that beauty, so when publishing a magazine about flowers, it must be sober and elegant."
Q: What do you like the most about working in the flower industry?
Fernando:
"What I admire most about this industry is the resourcefulness of flower growers. Not being directly involved in cultivation or commercialization myself, I enjoy observing how each challenge and problem is faced. We live in a wonderful country, but with significant shortcomings that have led us to face political and social problems, natural disasters, political corruption, and drug trafficking."
"Over these 21 years, I have seen companies grow, witnessed the improvement in the quality of life for many families working in this industry, and observed how my friends in the flower business have faced challenges, which has been remarkable and something we have constantly highlighted in our pages. We have made very good friends and have continuously received their support."
Q: Why is the Ecuadorian flower industry so important to the rest of the world and how do you show/share this through your magazine?
Fernando:
"Being on the equatorial line, hence the name of our country Ecuador and our magazine Ecuador y sus Flores, we convey to the world that our flowers are grown in a wonderful place with twelve hours of sunlight each day. In addition, our fertile valleys lie on the slopes of the Andes, ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 meters above sea level, which increases the intensity of the sun's rays. Because of these particularities, we produce the best flowers in the world—stronger, larger, with more intense colors, and greater resistance to travel and vase life. This combination of attributes is what makes buyers from all over the world prefer them."
Q: How do you unite people in the industry and what message do you wish to convey to the world through 'Ecuador y sus Flores'?
Fernando:
"The flower business is based on a chain of actors. Each one is an important link, and our magazine aims to consider each of them. Our role is to keep this chain united to strengthen the industry. We strive to cover most sector events, reach the majority of farms, and get to know their players. We continuously visit them and share experiences through talks or seminars held for the industry. This has kept us close and accepted. Being present at international fairs allows us to be the link between many flower buyers, who are our clients and friends, and the exhibiting farms."
"I would like to keep telling the world that Ecuadorian floriculture companies have gone through a maturation process and that the certifications they have obtained represent a significant effort in terms of time, economic, and human resources, which guarantee the delivery of top-quality flowers. We want this business to be considered an opportunity to work under the win-win concept, so we can ensure sustainability over time and continue to offer the best flowers in the world to delight the eyes and hearts of as many people as possible."
Q: What is your goal in the coming year or two when it comes to the magazine?
Fernando:
"Our objective is to continue being the most important medium from Ecuador to the world so that globally, the industry can know and be part of the story behind our flowers. We aim to share the latest developments in the world of flowers and the work done on Ecuadorian farms and want to be the platform where local producers can share and tell about their work, and the positive impact this industry has on Ecuadorian families and the country's development.
On the other hand, we want to expand our vision worldwide so that, in addition to having our flowers, people can learn about the work behind their production and recognize the professionalism of our country. We aim to cover new digital spaces (social media) to reach young people involved in the flower business and consumption. Additionally, we wish to be globally recognized for bringing the stories of our industry to the world."
Q: If you had one message to share with the rest of the industry, what would it be?
Fernando:
"Continue introducing the best technology into the crops as much as possible to maintain quality and improve productivity, always taking care of the environment and enhancing the quality of life for workers."
Q: Last but not least, share your favorite quote!
Fernando:
"Express it with flowers! For every emotion, a rose speaks from the heart."
Photos courtesy of Fernando Saenz.
