The 22nd annual Coop Bank Naivasha Horticultural Fair (Naivasha Hortifair 2025) took place from September 19th to 20th, 2025, at the Naivasha Sports Club grounds in the small town known for its vast flower production. This fair brought together hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors for two days of agricultural, horticultural, and innovation showcase, networking, and ultimately community support.
This year's event continued the fair's strong tradition of combining serious business with societal impact, and of course, some fun. As Africa's largest horticultural trade fair of its kind, Naivasha Hortifair 2025 showcased a wide range of agricultural sectors, including horticulture, floriculture, and general arable farming. Its goal is always to give back to society. All profits go to supporting local community projects that make a difference in the locals’ lives.
Horticulture and Floriculture Leaders Showcased Their Innovations
The exhibition, held on the open grounds of Naivasha Sports Club, with exhibition tents, marquees, pavilions, and stand builds, featured displays from leading companies in the horticultural industry. Each one of them had something to show.
Flower and plant breeders had their new and best varieties on show. Machinery and equipment companies had their tools and implements. Pest control product companies showcased their goods and services. Even financial institutions claimed their place. The diversity of participants and their offerings gave visitors a comprehensive look at the current market trends and even what to expect in the future.
Breeder United Selections, for instance, had quite an impressive collection of roses, featured alongside Alstroemeria developed through their strategic partnerships with Könst Alstroemeria and Chrysanthemum varieties from Icon Selections. Their CEO, Jelle Posthumus, was particularly enthusiastic about the positive response from visitors and the strong interest in their new varieties. Many growers, he said, were looking for new varieties, and they had just what the clients needed.
Jelle:
“The show has been good. We have had so many visitors from different countries. It has also been beneficial that we have had both the show and our Open Days ongoing at the same time, which allowed them to sample our varieties both here and at our show house.”
The breeder showcased its varieties, including those from the Blossoms Series, like Spray Rose Snowy Blossoms, Spray Rose Fancy Blossoms, Spray Rose Velvet Blossoms, Spray Rose Golden Blossoms, Spray Rose Rossana Blossoms, and Spray Rose Speaking Blossoms, among numerous others. There were also standard varieties like Rose Juicy, Rose Hot Wave, Rose Rise & Shine, Rose Nova Vita, Rose Celestial, and Rose Red Promise, alongside established favorites, Rose Madam Red and Rose Jumilia. These gave the visitors plenty of options to consider for their growing operations.
From the Alstroemeria selection, there were varieties like Alstroemeria Cordoba, Alstroemeria Purple Rain, Alstroemeria Debby, Alstroemeria Superstar, Alstroemeria Cinnamon, and Alstroemeria Bianca, and several others. Chrysanthemums from Icon Selections also featured prominently.
Breeder De Ruiter East Africa (DREA) presented their extensive rose collection, drawing significant attention with their popular Dimension® series, with a lineup that included Pink Dimension®, Sweet Dimension®, Juicy Dimension®, and Special Dimension®, alongside others. These spray roses, according to the breeder, were developed to meet specific market demands and growing conditions.
DREA Managing Director Rob Letcher was, even so, satisfied with the weekend's results, noting that during the weekend, the visitor traffic to their booth was satisfactory, and since they also had an in-house show ongoing at their facility in Kongoni, just outside Naivasha Town, more traffic was directed there, resulting in even greater visitors accessing their flowers.
Rob:
“We have had visitors and growers from different regions, including Ethiopia, and others sampling our varieties. And since DREA has invested a lot in the past years, there were a lot of varieties that attracted their attention. For the show this year, it has been good for us. It is growing. It is only bound to get even better in the coming editions.”
The event also provided an excellent platform to showcase De Ruiter’s other varieties like Rose Mia, Rose Morning Light, Rose PomaRosa®, AlpinaRosa®, Rose Revolution®, Rose Mandala, Rose Playa Blanca, Spray Rose Constellation, and Spray Rose Orange Star, while Rob also emphasized how the event's focus on community building, support, and development feels like a natural extension of their work.
John Pouw, of Viking Roses, also led his team, attending the show for the first time. He was impressed as well. While initially, he expected that it was only a funfair event, he was surprised that serious business could be conducted at the Naivasha Hortifair. John was, however, particularly impressed by the relaxed ambiance; everyone seemed to be in a relaxed mood, and importantly, quite unlike other shows, at Naivasha Hortifair, the grower sampling the varieties is the main visitor.
French breeder Meilland International, known for its focus on beautiful colors, garden shapes, fragrances, and disease resistance, also brought its selection of standout varieties. Regional Manager Rowan Godfrey was pleased with visitor interest in their offerings, which included Rose Alina Perfumella, Rose Alexandre Astier®, Rose Lady Forte, Rose Sabrina, and numerous others.
Rowan:
“It has been a good show. A decent number of visitors. A good level of attendance from growers, and our new codes have attracted quite some attention. For those who cannot make it to attend shows like the IFTEX or IFTF, perhaps, this fair is just as perfect.”
Also present was Select Breeding, whose Managing Director, Michael de Geus, likewise, noted that the event was well-attended and had a generally positive atmosphere throughout the weekend. Select Breeding featured their eye-catching varieties like Rose Orange Spice, Rose Red Impact, Rose Lotus, Rose Pink Star, and Rose Suncatcher, alongside proven performers like Rose Red Bentley, Rose Grand Select, Rose Glamour Select, Rose Twister Select, Rose Blue Lagoon, Rose Firefox, Rose Bloosz, Rose Camaro, and Rose Classic Select. Michael was particularly excited about the company's enhanced rose breeding and development.
Ball Horticultural Company, represented through Ball Floriculture Kenya Ltd, likewise brought to the show some of their varieties in an impressive range of Gypsophila, Dianthus, Delphinium, Helianthus, Petunia, and Limonium. Mildred Anyango, Ball SB LLC, Sales Representative for East Africa, was also impressed by the visitor traffic and appreciated the networking opportunities that the event provided, creating leads for prospective customers from around the country and even beyond.
Other participants included Nakuru-based Van Kleef Kenya Ltd, which displayed their numerous varieties. Propagators like ProRoot and Stokman Rozen were also present, showcasing their services and showing how different facets of the industry work together. Institutions like Kenya Flower Council (KFC) participated as well, emphasizing how collaborative Kenya's horticultural sector is and the important role that they play in supporting industry standards and development. Chrysal Africa was also present at the exhibition, showing how innovation in areas like plant and flower nutrition and post-harvest care contributes to the flower industry's general success.
An Event Built on the Foundation of Giving Back
The Naivasha Horticultural Fair’s charitable focus is its defining characteristic, as emphasized by many of those who attended it. It funds several important initiatives throughout the Naivasha region. For instance, it supports the Safe House, a rescue shelter providing care for abused children, offering them safety and hope when they need it most. It also supports the Nacohag Community Health Center in the Karagita area of Naivasha, which provides essential healthcare services to residents who might otherwise go without proper medical attention or travel distances.
Perhaps most impressive is the Nyamathi Adopt-a-Village project, developed in partnership with the Naivasha Rotary Club, which has brought clean water to thousands of people in the region, supports secondary school education, and operates a health and maternity clinic. The project also includes the Children's Protection Unit, built in 2015-16, with efforts to expand educational facilities at Nyamathi Secondary School.
These, and several more, are just some of the causes achieved through the success of this horticultural event, benefiting communities and improving their lives. Event chairman Richard McGonnell was also pleased with this year's turnout and participation, building on the strong success of the 2024 edition, which saw hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors from across Africa and beyond.
The 2025 event, Richard noted, maintained the fair's reputation as a must-attend industry gathering for those keen on horticulture, floriculture, and the general agriculture industry. "This year's event has been excellent," Richard said. "The attendance was great, and it is wonderful to see how the exhibitors genuinely support the event's charitable cause. Everyone understands that we are doing something important here."
