Best Roses Biotech: Roses are forever
Navsari, 37 km off Surat, is home to scores of nonresident Indians, or NRIs, with their eye-catching bungalows and lavish lifestyles. But if you bump into Kumar Patel, you will not be able to guess that he has spent seven years in California as a student.
Navsari, 37 km off Surat, is home to scores of nonresident Indians, or NRIs, with their eye-catching bungalows and lavish lifestyles. But if you bump into Kumar Patel, you will not be able to guess that he has spent seven years in California as a student.
Patel's family had been in the diamond-polishing business for three generations. But, after five years in the business, he saw that it was getting too uncertain. In 2002, he convinced his elders to get into flowers. He had vivid memories of California's booming floriculture industry, and was convinced that Navsari had the perfect climate.
Patel started growing roses at greenhouses near Navsari, and exporting them to Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The first shipment to Japan is fresh in his memory. He took the flight that carried the consignment, all of 20,000 roses, got it cleared and stayed on in Japan for three weeks asking for more shipments and understanding the quality requirements.
Japan uses fumigation as a nontariff barrier. At the slightest trace of a pest or disease, the entire consignment has to be fumigated. This not only costs money but reduces the shelf life of the flower. Patel claims only seven per cent of his shipments were fumigated last year.
Misato Flower Trading Co., the first buyer of Best Roses, is today its largest customer, accounting for half its exports. "Best Roses understands the culture of Japan and what the customers need," says Atsuhiro Kushida, Misato's President.
Patel has moved away from production to marketing. Last year, he exported four million cut roses, and wants to export 10 million this year by tying up with growers across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Best Roses has also formed a joint venture with Malaysia's Fasih Laris to set up greenhouses for growing Dutch roses. Next stop: Uttarakhand.
"Logistics is a challenge, but then it is not easy to be in the perishables business," says Patel.
-Rajiv Bhuva
Patel's family had been in the diamond-polishing business for three generations. But, after five years in the business, he saw that it was getting too uncertain. In 2002, he convinced his elders to get into flowers. He had vivid memories of California's booming floriculture industry, and was convinced that Navsari had the perfect climate.
| Main markets Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand Differentiator: Has a strong focus on quality owing to which their roses are sold and respected as an Indian brand Customers: 30 Business: Exporting cut roses First order: 20,000 cut roses in April 2004 Total income: $900,000 |
Japan uses fumigation as a nontariff barrier. At the slightest trace of a pest or disease, the entire consignment has to be fumigated. This not only costs money but reduces the shelf life of the flower. Patel claims only seven per cent of his shipments were fumigated last year.
Misato Flower Trading Co., the first buyer of Best Roses, is today its largest customer, accounting for half its exports. "Best Roses understands the culture of Japan and what the customers need," says Atsuhiro Kushida, Misato's President.
Patel has moved away from production to marketing. Last year, he exported four million cut roses, and wants to export 10 million this year by tying up with growers across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Best Roses has also formed a joint venture with Malaysia's Fasih Laris to set up greenhouses for growing Dutch roses. Next stop: Uttarakhand.
"Logistics is a challenge, but then it is not easy to be in the perishables business," says Patel.
-Rajiv Bhuva
