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What a great life to live! Being able to visit the most wonderful and exotic growers in the world, the best Vanda Orchid grower, Ansu Vanda, is a true gem in this world. The owner and founder, Steef van Adrichem is one of the most enthusiastic and passion-driven people I know, and I am very thankful to him for spending some time with me in his company.
Vanda Orchid
As a specialist in ornamental horticulture, Ansu vanda focuses exclusively on unique varieties of Vanda orchids and special plants. The company is known as the vanda specialist, the gem of the orchids, which is unique due to its air roots. Vanda orchids are a bit fragrant and they are best known for being one of the only orchids that produce blue flowers, though they also produce many other colors. When visiting Thailand to search for new orchid crops to grow, seeing the Vandas, Steef was really enchanted. But everyone told Steef that the Vanda was not possible to grow in the Netherlands.
Oh, how he proved them otherwise!
Steef van Adrichem talking about Vanda Orchids
It has taken Steef just a few years to develop into a global market leader for. The Vanda Orchids are cultivated with a lot of care and love. The quality of the Vandas is excellent with strong, and long-lasting flowers.
Ansu Vanda
Vandas originate from the rough southern flanks of the Himalayas, from India to southern China. There the Vanda grows high in the trees, with aerial roots that attach themselves to the trees. Vandas grow almost invisibly as an epiphyte high in the tree. The plant lives on morning dew and raindrops. To attract insects for pollination in an inhospitable place like this, the Vanda has to stand out and it does so through its special colors. They occur throughout Asia. In Thailand, they have been cross-breeding Vandas for over 100 years. The breeder Ansu Vanda works with is Suphachadiwong from Thailand. Anco merged with them some years ago. Steef van Adrichem:
"I am very proud of the Ansu brand, we developed a strong brand for business-to-business, but now we also want to go directly to consumers."
Over the years, Steef and his team developed a very recognizable brand with top-quality products. He is working on a brand that if you leave out the name, people will still recognize it.
Suphachadiwong's Kitchen
They have expanded the range with specialty plants for some years now. Ansu Vanda has several varieties of highly exclusive Caudex plants, including Adenium Ansu Baobab, Stephania erecta, Phyllanthus mirabilis, and Firmiana colorata.
Recently they added Aglaonema in many different colors, tillandsia, and many other unusual plants. It is always different at Ansu. Steef explains that there's much more possible after fusion, everything special comes from Suphachadiwong's kitchen in Thailand.
Florists & Favorite Flower
So, what does the florist thinks about Vandas? We all know the answer: florists who like to create special designs are more than often crazy about vanda.
Favorite flower?
Vanda Magic Blue is his first love. Steef is still marveling that nature can create something like this. And it is still his greatest variety and still one that can't be improved. I see that Steef is living his own dream. For him, the future is now, a healthy grower, creating new things and ideas all the time.
Listen to Steef's explanation of how the Vanda Orchid pollinates. You can click here.
