The floricultural arm of the illustrious Sunland Roses, sits like a jewel in the crown of the multi-faceted conglomerate. One of the leading farms for rose cultivation, Sunland Roses is a success story built upon years of dedication, and focused expansion.
Sunland Roses’ over decade-long stint as premium rose cultivators has constantly seen up gradation and expansion. With an employee base of over 700 professionals and an export base of global reach, Sunland Roses continues to further its expansion plans in the floriculture business.
A growing demand and increase in popularity has helped Sunland Roses constantly propel itself to capture newer horizons. Mr. Harry Kruger said, “We are keenly looking at acquiring many more new varieties and technologies to add to its cultivation base and produce as well as invest in land conducive to the cultivation of high quality roses.”
Background
What began as an idea in 1996, on the northern slopes of Mount Kenya, at 2,350 meters above sea level, has grown into a state of the art flower farm. Then known as Lobelia farm, today it has developed into an expansive business enterprise selling roses under the brand name Sunland Roses. Though a twin family business of Mwiti and Viljoen families, it is spearheaded by Peter Viljoen. He has seen it shoot into the limelight, attracting the attention of its vast clientele and showcasing a distinct growth rate within a short time.
A much sought-after brand, The Sunland Roses has sped towards instant popularity through its production excellence and mutually beneficial business partnerships that have borne fruition under the guidance of Mr. Peter Viljoen. A businessman of sharp acumen and vast experience, his perseverance has ensured a steep growth rate for Sunland Roses and a global demand that exceeds that of the well-established Lobelia brand.
Immense attention is paid to the cultivation, production and presentation processes of Sunland Roses. The flowers today commands a premium price due to its excellent crop production quality and visionary customer service, a milestone whose credit goes to the diligence of Mr. Kruger.
The Tripod Values of Success.
The company is built on the core of key values namely; enthusiasm, being involved and being connected
.• Enthusiasm: the Company has real passion for everything they do. More than growing roses, it has the love for Africa, its people, its nature. They truly live by their believe: We make the best roses under the best conditions.
• Being Involved: Sunland Roses does not sell products; they create opportunities to brighten every body’s life and make people happy. They cherish and deeply respect what is created by nature. This starts with the ecosystem like the earthworms in our soil, goes through the roots to the flower. You see it in the workers, real involvement is connected, creates pride and a good product quality, that’s real beauty.
• Connected: Embracing several product groups: flowers, fruit and wine, they connect consumers with a product that make them happy. They produce local with local people from several tribes, but act global in a worldwide market. Mr. Peter Viljoen says, “Floriculture is a capital intensive business that requires a strong vision to bear fruit. It is imperative that innovation and cutting-edge technology go hand-in-hand to ensure returns, limit spoilage, maximise time and minimize effort. Know-how isn’t limited to technological advances either.
We, at Sunland Flowers place a premium on manpower training and sophisticated processes along with nurturing a work culture that propels mutual growth; that of the worker and the business as well as the industry as a whole.” with this vision in mind Mr. Viljoen now looks for a bright future in the sector.
Operations
Internal set standards at Sunland Roses have set out overall responsibility including management, guidelines on GAPS, minimal use of pesticides and fertilizers, environment policy, social responsibility and staff welfare.
To comply with this, the farm undertakes frequent internal audits in order to identify and document any risk assessment on regular basis and prepare a time bound action plan.
The company also monitors the whole process to ensure targets are met while reversing the action plan in the light of changing circumstances in the dynamic industry.
The overall objective is to reduce the pesticide usage while at the same time ensuring responsible and safe use. This takes place within the guidelines set out in the company policy and statutory regulations. Application of pesticides is determined by scouting and identification. Spot spraying with pesticides that are friendly to the environment as opposed to blanket spraying is practiced. Accurate and timely uses of remedial measures in crop protection reduce the impact to the environment. All scouts undergo an in house training to enable them identify all the disease and pests found in cut flowers.
Sunland Roses aims at fertilizer reduction and better plant quality through the practice of better techniques among them, the fully computerized irrigation system that ensures only the needed water is used. Recycling of water also ensures minimal soil erosion and contamination hence preservation of water catchments areas and environment conservation.
Certifications
A winner of several awards and certifications, the Kenya-based, Sunland Roses brings to the global horticultural business a winning edge of advanced technology, crop management systems, high quality control systems, excellent quality and sensitized professional ethics.
With two rose farms – Sunland Roses-Lobelia and Sunland Roses-Timaflair, today exports millions of stems to Russia, Australia in addition to the traditional auction and European markets Over the decade, Sunland Roses has won several accolades and awards of global recognition.
It is also boasts of several labels for ecologically conscious cultivation and business practices. It has been recognized by a number of international audit firms for high quality rose production and received compliance certifications from them.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Sunland Roses has dedicated itself to better the lives of the people living in and around Timau and the Mount Kenya region – by providing much needed support and actively seeking new opportunities for them.
The farm is mainly involved in:
• Child Care: Sunlands Roses is actively involved with St Stevens Children’s Home. This orphanage was established by Lobelia Farms in 2004 for disadvantaged and orphaned children from the Timau area. It is currently home to 34 children.
• Nature & Protection: Sunlands is a member of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF). This organisation supports, coordinates and facilitates conservation and natural resource management within Kenya’s Laikipia region.
• Sport & Pride : The North Kenya Mountain Bike Club. This club brings young people together from all walks of life. It introduces youths to the sport. Engages them in training, and sponsors entries into competition.