Over the past few weeks, we have been following Formula 1, Euro 2020 and Tour de France. The soccer tournament held some surprises. The performance of the Dutch national team and other big teams fell short of expectations. Mathieu van der Poel was the big surprise in the Tour de France. Max Verstappen keeps performing well.
Just like in the Tour de France, there fell be enough rain here this summer, on June 25 even 75 mm in 12 hours. On the sandy soil, that amount of water quickly disappears. Fortunately, we were spared the heat wave from the west coast near Vancouver. Due to reasonable temperatures, the demand for Bromeliads remains good.
In terms of vaccinations, Ontario 38% of the population has been fully vaccinated and 68% received their first shot. Nevertheless, the border will remain closed for unnecessary travel for the time being, in order to limit the spread of the Delta variant. Also, shops can use 25% of their capacity and restaurants can only serve outside.
We are approaching the climax of selling our business. On September 2020 we signed a purchase contract without conditions. If all goes well, the company will be sold on September 30, 2021. Until then, we are busy selling out the last plants. Because monthly potting means emptying out space monthly at the end. Because the new owner will not be growing potted plants, but marijuana, the planting of Bromelias, Hibiscus and Ficus was discontinued last year. There was no interest from third parties to continue the cultivation of our crops.
Until a month ago. Then an interested grower called and asked if we could talk about the possibility of taking over the business plan. After a few conversations, it looks like he will continue the cultivation of our drops in his own greenhouses. It is very satisfying to see that the cultivation plan may be continued. We will make arrangements to transfer all knowledge.
Job satisfaction
In addition to all the technical cultivation information, we have also gathered a lot of experience and job satisfaction over the past 33 years. Some of the phrases that came up often: “Grading, grading, grading!” This improves the quality of all plants. “Large plants in the middle!”, both in the rooting zone, in the plant bed, and in the delivery box. This gives the smaller plants the advantage of the light on the outside. “A customer for every plant”; a customer can also be found for every quality. “Another happy customer!” with every plant that is sold.
“Happy when the orders were shipped”, even on busy days, because that frees up space in the packing area. “Together the two of us go three times as fast.” Collaboration encourages greater performance when you focus on that. And finally, “at the end of the day, looking back at what we’ve accomplished this day” and give ourselves and the team a pat on the back.
In this way we regularly look back on what we have experienced in the past years. We are excited to see the new challenges ahead. We want to keep busy on our new land with woodlot. Sitting still is not an option.
Angelle van Kleef,
Colourful Gardens, Ontario Canada
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