A. There are thousands of different varieties – we can grow some that are 12 feet tall, but these are not necessarily the best for bouquets. For us, it is best to grow at an eye level for the harvester – when it’s at eye level, I can inspect the flower as I am cutting it. If the flower is looking at me right in the face, I can tell it is of the best quality, and do it quicker. But what is also important here is protecting the health of our team. This height minimizes having to bend down and do that hard kind of labor. That literally saves the backs of our team members.
Q. What is the one most important factor in growing the highest quality flowers?
A. Customer satisfaction all the way is job one for us. I’m a really picky person when it comes to our flowers. If I wouldn’t give them to my mother, I’m not satisfied. My standards are incredibly high. Customer satisfaction is what it is all about. No matter what color it is – it has to be beautiful on arrival, has to be unique – either in color or quality.
Q. Any current or future technologies?
A. We do a lot of things differently than other people. We really are Different by Design and that means not only the designs of our bouquets. It’s the different herbicides we use, harvest techniques, post techniques, hydration fluids, cooling—a lot of tools that we use to produce the highest quality. We’re using things we put into irrigation system to benefit during growth cycle. There are too many to mention. You learn it with trial and error.
Q. What new flower varieties are growing this year? Any new surprises?
A. This year to give you an example – we have about 8-10 that I know I can grow in all the different microclimates. I can plant and know when to harvest at a particular time. This year I’ve tried 110 sunflowers from 3 diff countries, and I selected only 4 that I’m even interested in. It’s based on color, strength of the product, post-harvest life – if it fits within the system of what we grow. It will take me 3-5 years to figure out which I can grow consistently. This year we’ll introduce 3-5 varieties that customers can use. We’re looking at plum variety, white center, buttercream etc.
Q. How long they live?
A. When our customer receives it, the flowers should last 7-10 days. We’re trying to get it to the customer the fastest way possible. We make sure the quality is such that this can be done. A lot of experience is needed. I know what works and what doesn’t.
Q. Last thoughts?
A. I think there’s no one better than Dos Gringos Farms (Sun.Flowers) at growing sunflowers, but I am bias. It’s this experience and dedication to Sunflowers that sets us apart. When Jason hired me he said we want to be the best in the world at sunflowers, and I think we are really close. We have an excellent team and I’m really proud to be part of it.
A Frozen Sunflower
The Dos Gringos family goes all out for Halloween!
No comments:
Post a Comment