"There’s never a dull moment in the flower business,” says Robert Quak of SQ Flora. “And there’s always something happening in Kenya.
Robert, who used to be a buyer at Spinneys, is now one of our partners. He heads up SQ Flora, a joint-venture with Kenyan producers AAA Roses, that is owned and managed by Ariff and Farah Shamji. The company not only supplies Spinneys with top-quality blooms but it also works with 20-25 boutique floral suppliers – with Robert managing existing relationships and looking out for new varieties to introduce to us.
Why is Kenya such a valuable source market? It’s the perfect place for growing flowers because of its proximity to the equator, which provides daily sunshine and mild temperatures year-round. And the country’s roses are known throughout the world for their high quality and large heads due to the high-altitude locations of its farms.
In addition, growers are increasingly investing in innovation and dynamic varietals, which is encouraging.
“It’s an upcoming country,” says Robert. “And there are many opportunities there, which keep me inspired, every single day."
AAA Roses’ highly-trained staff handle all flowers with the utmost care
Highness roses have unusually long stems and large head sizes ranging between 6½-7cm
AAA ROSES
As mentioned, AAA Roses is owned and managed by Ariff and Farah Shamji. They’re also behind AAA Growers – which has supplied us with pre-packed and baby vegetables for many years. The couple has always offered products grown in Kenya with a difference – such as large-headed luxury roses – which they saw as a gap in the market.
“We thought people would appreciate something that offers more value,” explains Farah. “Spinneys was one of the first retailers to connect with us on this,” she adds.
Their Bellissima collection, grown at Chui Farm (which is Fair Trade and MPS-A certified), is a collection of T-Hybrid Rose varieties that are unique due to their large head size. The farm sits at 2,500 metres above sea level, at the foothills of Mount Kenya.
Their most famous variety is arguably Highness (named by Farah). With a stem length of one metre and a stunning head size of 6½-7cm, it stands out as one of Africa’s exceptional roses.
“Our next best variety is called Silantoi – it’s an orange-yellow hybrid, and it’s stunning and opens well in the vase,” says Farah. “But, my personal favourite is Pink Floyd. It is dark cerise, it opens beautifully, and it’s magical in a vase.”
Another of AAA Roses farms is Simba, near the Aberdare mountain range in Kenya. There, production is split into different varieties that cater to different markets and tastes.
Farah is passionate about regenerative farming and is championing this movement with her team. “We’re starting to see that there’s a possibility to do things differently,” she explains. “There’s been a big focus on soil and soil health, inter-cropping, putting good fungi, nematodes and good bacteria back into the soil – and thinking if we can encourage the soil to be healthy, we’ll need less fertilisers and pesticides. The results over the last seven to eight months of doing this, on a more shall we say scalable level, have been dramatic. Crops are healthier, products are better, and pesticide usage is down – so far the start has been in the right direction.
RED LANDS ROSES
Located in Ruiru, 35km northeast of Nairobi, this boutique company (helmed by Aldric and Isabelle Spindler) specialises in growing spray, garden, mini and T-hybrid roses in a range of close to 200 varieties. All roses are grown hydroponically, in relatively small numbers, in greenhouses set on 28-acres of non-arable land. And, Red Lands Roses is internationally recognised for its green horticulture (it achieved Carbon Neutrality in 2020) as well as the exemplary promotion of its team and neighbouring communities.
Bert Louwerse of Blooming Innovations
Limoniums
BLOOMING INNOVATIONS
Renowned for its hydrangeas, delphiniums and limoniums, Blooming Innovations, run by Bert Louwerse, is situated northwest of Nairobi – close to lake Naivasha.
“The excellent growing conditions in this region enables us to produce flowers year round,” says Bert.
And all of them come guaranteed with a long vase life. Holding Global G.A.P. certification means this producer goes the extra mile when it comes to the environment and employee welfare. It also goes without saying that their products and processes are of outstanding quality.
AFRI CALLA
Neighbouring Blooming Innovations is Afri Calla – owned and managed by Geert and Emily Rooijakkers. While they’re known for their calla lilies, they grow a variety of niche flowers, all outdoors, too.
“We started the company from scratch three years ago,” says Geert. “And it was important for us to bring people from different backgrounds in growing together.”
The team at Afri Calla trials its cut flowers extensively before any decision is taken to grow new varieties on a larger scale. This way, only top-quality contenders remain.
Spinneys Flower Buyer - Halimul Salam Munna says...
“It’s important for us to visit our Spinneys’ producers, and I enjoyed our recent trip to Kenya. The countryside there is so green, all the farms are beautiful, growers are becoming increasingly innovative, and I found an assortment of new varieties to add to our product portfolio. For example, the 90cm single-head and spray roses are outstanding. As we have multiple nationalities in the UAE, I must keep different preferences in mind whenever I select flowers from our producers. I ensure we have a range of bright and pale colours always. Yellow, orange and red are among the most popular colours for our customers.”
