During 2003 in partnership with Greenmount College of Agriculture
and Horticulture, we experimented in growing stock as a cut
flower, to assess whether we could extend the season of this
difficult flower.
After successful trails, Greenisland Flowers was formed in 2004.
In 2004 we won an order from Marks
& Spencer’s to fill in their shortages through out the season and
also to extend their stock season into late August, by 2005 this
extended into late September.
After our first year
of full commercial production we sat down with M & S and set out a
plan of action for 2005. During this meeting we found that there
was a great shortage of supply during the month of June, which
needed filled. With detailed programming we found that Greenisland
Flowers could fill this gap in production for the whole of the UK.
Greenisland Flowers
grows in the region of one million stems of stocks each season.
And because of the normally cool climate in Northern Ireland
during the summer months, we find we can extend the season of
stock by up to three months, over our English and Dutch
counterparts.
In 2006 we built a new state of the art pack-house to enable us to
meet our requirements as an expanding commercial cut flower grower
and packer. |
