In January, I traveled to Ecuador on behalf of Thursd, commissioned by De Ruiter Innovations. The highlight of this journey: visiting the growers of Born Free, a promising red rose with exceptional qualities. During my stay, I explored farms in two of Ecuador’s key rose-growing regions: Cayambe and Cotopaxi. In this report, I’ll share my experiences, impressions of the cultivation process and introduce you to the people behind this powerful rose.
The Power of Born Free
Born Free is a strikingly elegant red rose that’s quickly earning a strong position in the market. Its deep, refined color and slow, graceful bloom make it a favorite for vases. Practically speaking, the rose excels in logistics and production: long vase life, compact shipping size, and high productivity per square meter. In short, a rose with serious potential—definitely one to watch.
Cayambe: Quality at Altitude
My journey began in Cayambe, located around 2,800 meters above sea level. I visited top growers like Agrivaldani, where the color intensity and freshness of Born Free roses stood out immediately. The stems ranging from 60 to 70 cm were especially impressive. Each farm we visited welcomed us warmly and showed incredible attention to detail in their post-harvest processing. Roses were packed with exceptional care—something we captured beautifully while filming promotional reels for Born Free on-site.
Another highlight was visiting De Ruiter Ecuador’s breeding greenhouse in the area, where I had the chance to explore both existing and new varieties. And here’s a little teaser: I had the honor of naming a new X-Pression rose! Stay tuned for more in my next De Ruiter blog.
Cotopaxi: Strength in Elevation
Next, we headed to the Cotopaxi region, where some farms are as high as 3,000 meters. Here, we met passionate growers from EQR, Star Roses, and Native Blooms. Roses grown at these altitudes developed longer stems and larger heads—a testament to the region’s ideal growing conditions.
Born Free thrived here thanks to its excellent shipping characteristics and strong yield. At Star Roses, we were treated to a visually stunning display: a large tunnel greenhouse filled exclusively with De Ruiter varieties, especially the many vibrant X-Pression types. It was a powerful visual endorsement of the genetics line’s strength.
A Nice Collaboration That Highlighted Rose Born Free
My trip to Ecuador was truly inspiring. Beyond the stunning roses, what moved me most was the dedication and craftsmanship of the growers. In the following video, I take off the leaves from the stem, and you can clearly see it's thornless. So Rose Born Free has awesome specs and is more than just a beautiful flower—it’s the result of deep passion and teamwork. It’s a privilege to tell its story and shine a light on the incredible people growing it, through Thursd.
