Royal De Ruiter East Africa, Closing the year on a high note

An atmosphere of enthusiasm greets us when we arrive at the Royal De Ruiter East Africa farm in Naivasha Kenya. Our visit comes when Royal De Ruiter is just fresh from the unveiling of their new corporate identity.

At a ceremony held during this year's IFTF show in the Netherlands, the company represented by its directors Henk de Groot and Oscar Peters was presented with Royal designation by Mayor Drs. MM van 't Veld. The ceremony also marked Royal De Ruiter's 100 years since establishment.

A new promotional campaign by AAA roses, for the rose Ever Red

It was also during the centeniall celebrations that the company asserted their vision... adding that their knowledge and experience are closely intertwined; with their current expertise proving to be an excellent seedbed for future development.

"We are excited about the achievements we've made in 2015 and look forward to a more fruitful 2016," says Edward Manning, Director at Royal De Ruiter East Africa. "The drive is evidently there, and we promise growers in the East African region that we will offer them more quality products through our breeding programs." he added.

For the third concecutive year, Royal De Ruiter East Africa has been honored among the top 100 mid-sized companies in Kenya. The awards recognise mid-sized companies that have sound financial governance and growth as integral components of their everyday operations.

Royal De Ruiter East Africa was named among Kenya's Top 100 Mid-Sized companies

Royal De Ruiter new royal blue corporate color and Identity.

Director at Royal De Ruiter East Africa Edward Agg-Manning (right) with GM Fred Okinda

Royal De Ruiter has also developed breeding programmes for hip roses, field-cut roses, pot roses, patio roses, garden roses as well as cut and pot Hypericum. Among their current rose varieties, Royal De Ruiter has a good selection of new introductions that have been received well in the market. We sampled four among the new market introductions, these are; Ever Red, Lovely Rhodos, Pink Rhodos and Whitewash.

Whitewash®

Whitewash®
Whitewash® is a relatively new T hybrid with a large head and a production of 150-170 stems/sqm. She has a headsize of 5-6cm and a good head to stem ratio which makes her good for transport. Whitewash is also a healthy grower with deep green glossy leaves and a stemlength of 50-70cm.

Admiring Whitewash®: Edward (Middle) joined by Clement and Nancy from Sian Roses during a past Open Day in Naivasha

Ever Red®

Ever Red
This rose has a deep red color that compliments her huge head and long stem. Ever Red is a vibrant introduction that according to DREA's MD Edward Manning, many growers are enthusiastic about. Ever Red grows a stem of 60 - 90cm and has a flowersize of average 5cm - 5.5cm.

Lovely Rhodos®

Lovely Rhodos®
Another mutation of the popular red rose Rhodos, Lovely Rhodos has average lengths of 60's, and Headsize of 5 in 1900 altitude. The rose has good opening and marketability performance with current production of around 120 per square meter in 1900m altitude. Strong disease and pest resistance and good vase life performance will set this new mutation up for a successful introduction in 2016 early 2017.

Pink Rhodos®

Pink Rhodos®
Pink Rhodos® has a unique shade of Pink and grows a large attractive head with an average size of 5cm at 1700m altitude. The rose is currently being handled by Optimal Connection in Aalsmere as the primary agent. The rose is a good choice for rose growers in high altitude areas. The stemlength can reach 80cm and above while the vaselife is an average 15 days.