Located among the vast tea plantations that define Kericho, a region in the highlands west of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, is Murara Plants Kenya Ltd. This is a subsidiary of the renowned Netherlands-based breeder and young plant producer HilverdaFlorist. Sitting at an altitude of approximately 2,100 meters above sea level, the company produces and supplies young plant material for cut flowers, pot plants, and garden plants.
With an average annual rainfall of between 2000 mm, a constant 12-hour average daylight, and temperatures ranging between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius during the day, and 10 to 12 degrees Celsius during the night throughout the year, the location’s conditions are ideal for the propagation of high-quality young plant material meeting all international phytosanitary standards.
Inception and Its Working with HilverdaFlorist
Initially started in 1994 as a joint venture between Hilverda and Finlays, a producer of natural and functional tea extracts from fresh leaves, the company was back then an in-house propagator for Finlays Flowers.
However, with the exit of Finlays from the cut flower scene, the propagator was later reestablished in 2019 and registered in Kenya as a limited company, now Murara Plants.
Basically, due to the growing demand for planting material for flower cuttings, HilverdaFlorist sought to extend its operations across the African continent. It, thus, started the propagation division in Kenya to serve Africa, in a location focused exclusively on the production and supply of young plant material.
The 18-hectare Murara Plants Kenya now collaborates closely with its parent Dutch company — which has a strong global presence in the floriculture sector — to deliver growers young plants to produce cut flowers, pot plants, and garden plants. It, essentially, is the specialist propagator for the production and delivery of the complete assortment of HilverdaFlorist products continentally, leveraging the Dutch company’s decades of experience in floriculture.
The Elaborate Processes Involved in Young Plant Production
Murara Plants play the key role of propagating, rooting, and multiplying the young plant material for supply to growers across the continent. For starters, the company receives the mother stock of cut flower products and pot plants, from HilverdaFlorist. Young plants propagated and rooted before supplying them to different growers across the region. In addition to these responsibilities, Murara Plants also works closely with India-based KF Bioplants Lab — a joint venture between HilverdaFlorist and the Kumar Group — to deliver tissue culture material which the Kericho-based company also roots for supply to clients.
A Wide Assortment of Floral Products, Produced With a Focus on Sustainability
Ever since its establishment, Murara Plants Kenya has experienced growth into a leading supplier of ornamental plants, cut flowers, and propagation materials, and focuses on the production and supply of Alstroemeria, Dianthus (Standard Carnation, Spray Carnation, Raffines, and Solomio), Gerbera, Gypsophila, Helleborus, Limonium Sinensis, Limonium perennials, Statice and Scabiosa. Just so you know, the famous Alstroemeria Fashionista Pink can be found at Murara Plants Kenya Ltd. You can read more about this variety!
Even so, sustainability remains a key element in Murara Plants Kenya’s operations. During the company’s recent open days, for instance, Billy Chege, the sales representative pointed out this, noting that practically all of the plant and floral products showcased are sustainably produced.
For starters, the company which currently has 350 employees, mainly uses organic fertilizer and follows an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy that prioritizes long-term pest prevention using biological control and organic products. This approach guarantees that Murara Plants' operations are environmentally conscious and sustainable and have no adverse impact on the environment.
Its other sustainability ideals include water management, energy conservation, and enhanced environmental protection. It also has a corporate social responsibility (CSR) element in its activities, through community projects. Such ensures not only the welfare, safety, and healthy working conditions for the employees but also the implementation of eco-friendly practices. Alongside these, Murara Plants Kenya Ltd runs some other projects that benefit individual employees and members of the community at a much more personal level.
In this context, Murara Plants Kenya provides periodic farm training and a dedicated surrounds department that ensures general farm hygiene, it recycles waste in the camps used as collection points for different items, employs 70% use of IPM which is friendly to the environment thus cutting on the use of chemicals, and has waste collection points for waste in all the villages where the employees dispose their waste. The company, also, holds an annual program for planting indigenous trees in the villages as part of its environmental conservation measures.
Acknowledged and Accredited for Its Numerous Sustainability Efforts
Thus, for these, the Kericho-based flower propagation and rooting facility has been certified and accredited in different aspects. It is, for instance, certified under the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) Silver Standard (GLOBAL G.A.P. 3) and adheres to the KFC Silver Code of Practice which dictates that registered and certified members adopt responsible and safe production measures for cut flowers and other related products while respecting the interests of the community and the environment. Its CSR activities are also enshrined within the Kenyan legal regulations.
The company is, in addition, accredited by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), enabling its employees to boost their expertise and skills by affording them training from certified bodies. The same is the case for the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services accreditation, which guarantees that a safe and conducive working environment is provided for the workers.
Thus, with the growing need for young plant material for cut flowers, pot plants, and garden plants, continentally and elsewhere across the world, HilverdaFlorist’s decentralized operations through Murara Plants Kenya is a strategic move that has come with numerous advantages in terms of logistics, efficiency, and the use of local expertise.
This guarantees a consistent and high-quality supply of plant material for the market. You should, therefore, check out and experience their range of floral products!
Photos courtesy of Murara Plants Kenya Ltd.
