Ayana Farm, standing 2,600 meters above sea levelBook: After Sale
Perfume De Grande
I selected new varieties we should plant.
Two of my favorite roses from my selection were Perfume De Grande and Creme De Grande, both by Interplant Breeder.
Both are beautiful, large-headed (approximately 7cm Hybrid-T) roses carrying an intoxicating perfume scent.
One was a soft, delicate pinkish blush, the other a rich, luminous cream. Gathered together, perhaps with only a tender touch of dark green leather fern like shadows against moonlight, these weren't merely flowers.
They were a quiet conjuring. A tangible sense of magic bloomed outward from them, the air around alive with luminous freshness, a palpable atmosphere that brought an involuntary smile, like sudden warmth after a chill.
Creme De Grande
Anya: limited series, great success
I There was another planting project I never included in my book—small in size, but unforgettable.
At Subati Flowers, I selected a variety we planted only on a modest plot, shared with just a handful of customers who understood its rarity.
It became one of my dearest selections.
Gerbera: Smart Packaging, Smarter Sales
“ I met with the manager of our main box manufacturer, Ahia.
Our factory was located in Haifa, Israel, about 50 km from our offices, but Ahia was always ready to meet at any point.
When I showed him my redesigned box, he was genuinely impressed, especially considering his factory was one of the largest box suppliers in Israel, with about 90% of our growers sourcing their boxes from him.
While I didn't manage to reduce the overall Penal size, by cleverly relocating and redesigning the holes in the flower trays, I managed to create space for one more layer of Gerbera. And by slightly lowering the side borders, one more tray could fit into the Penal.
The result was revolutionary: the actual weight of such a new Penal was now virtually identical to its volumetric weight. This meant we would no longer pay for empty space.
Those 7 kg of emptiness were now filled with profitable flowers. Make your own financial calculations: the final price of Gerbera could either go down for the client, or companies like ours and the growers could significantly increase their profit. The smart approach was a balance of both”.
A Number of Success
Flowers do not arrive with names.
You first meet them as numbers—simple trial codes tucked into the breeder’s greenhouse, lined up in long, quiet rows of possibility.
Each number carries a secret future.
You study them one by one: the curve of a petal, the promise of color, the strength of the stem. You look for what others might overlook. You imagine how it will open in the hands of someone far away, in a vase, in a life.
Only after a variety is chosen does it earn its true name—a name that must match its spirit if it hopes to survive in the world.
Because in the flower business, success isn’t just about beauty, cost, or disease resistance.
A name can lift a variety into demand or leave it forgotten in a greenhouse. It becomes its identity, its invitation, the quiet story it carries into the market.
Kenya Fresh Cut Industry: Before and After
This brings me to a crucial business principle: “if you want to truly improve, get up from your chair, visit your final client, see what they see, feel what they feel, and then improve based on their actual needs “.
Back in 2006, and I'd argue almost up to 2012 when I relocated to Kenya, the local paper production was far from international standards and presented a very poor image.
The Single Faced Kraft (SFK) paper, used to wrap flower bunches, was an ugly brown color, incredibly soft, and lacked any moisture resistance.
As it absorbed humidity from the flowers during shipment, it would quickly degrade, looking precisely like a used napkin after you've blown your nose. Sorry for the blunt analogy, but that's precisely how it looked upon arrival after a 14-day journey.
MAO Flowers ltd
Ultimately, the MAO Flowers Ltd. perfect branding was ready. Of course, it took time, and I couldn't wait for all components to be ready simultaneously. But the first look—the boxes and improved, plain SFK (Specialized Flower Keeper) with sleeves—were ready in a few months, just before the September 2012 International Flowers Expo.
Unseen Threat
“ Sometimes the threat isn’t what’s visible—it’s what’s hiding in plain sight. And that threat has a name: Botrytis “
Botrytis doesn't respect boundaries; it can spread rampantly during transport, cross-contaminating entire shipments, potentially destroying everything in its path and turning a multi-thousand-dollar cargo into a total loss.
A Taste Of Home Kenya
“ Understand your product at a granular level, from physical traits to yield under varying conditions. Align production with market-specific preferences—because higher volume doesn’t always mean higher profit. Value comes from insight, not excess “
My experience in founding a food production line, The Taste of Home Kenya, was not an act of magic but a direct application of this evolving mindset. It was a potent combination of creative vision, practical business experience gleaned from flowers, and a profound desire to make a tangible change in people's lives by addressing a deeply personal need.
The Taste of Home Kenya was a testament to this philosophy: the beauty of a flower, infused with the comforting scent of raspberry, evoking the missing taste of home
