Gradual changes in our orchid product......

[MrCym]

As any preceptive enthusiast knows, the orchid world is changing rapidly. Some of the changes might be hasty but they are nevertheless occuring.
For example, Floricultura are no longer offering cut flower Cymbidium varieties. OK, that´s their choice but who is going to breed and vend new cut flower types? It would be extremely incautious to think that improvements could not or should not, be sought in the current lineup! We are still breeding some cut flower standards, if only for Colombian customers right now.

Potted Cyms are still very much in demand. Floricultura supplies millions of young clones and much of the balance is pirated. The potted Cym market in Japan is rejuvenating and the potted Cym market in China is exploding. Our wholesale nursery in Australia (Leaf and Limb) cannot come close to meeting the demand. In the US, potted blooming Cyms are almost scandalously undersupplied. I would be willing to be that fewer than 50,000 pots are produced annually throughout the whole 50 states. Finding a one spike Cym at retail for less than $50 is a lesson in futility!

So how is New Horizon adapting? Well, we are making a pretty clean cut division between the hobby and commercial market. Fewer and fewer hobby seedlings and probably no clones will be produced by New Horizon. We are at a quality level now in say pendulous that it would take at least 15 years for anyone else to catch up. Presuming of course that the competition has a broad selection of quality parents, which must be questionable at best. Certainly we must increase the cost of hobby flasks as fixed costs like maintenance of breeding plants, shipping costs for pods to Thailand etc are all increasing rapidly.

For commercial customers, we will do some clones but any seedling crossing we might supply in their area of interest will attract a Royalty Agreement. That agreement will be in three parts. Firstly, any clone they select from our seedling flasks that will only be supplied to commercial growers, proven honest, will attract a royalty X. This will be higher for cut flower types and lower for potted plant selections. The commercial growers will be granted exclusivity on any clone they propagate though they would have the right to sell clones to the SH if they´re in the NH and vice-versa. If a commercial grower only wishes to buy clones from NH, they will have to pay a slightly higher royalty and they will not be granted exclusivity for any specific variety. Finally, any seedling bloomed from our crosses which is, for any reason, not cloned but hybridized with, will attract a smaller usage fee for any of its progeny that are selected for cloning. We will make written agreements for each specific commercial customer but you can be sure, we know most of them well and already are confident they are trustworthy!

[richardb]

That is a really interesting read, Andy, to understand the background to commercial thinking. Like all businesses it is essential to look and plan forward for what commercial entities perceive to be developing market trends. Something like orchid development and production from initiation to the finished product is a long term journey so perhaps viable succession planning is as important as product development itiself.

[MrCym]

Thank you Richard, you understand. No family interest from my tribe but we´ve got several really genuine enthusiasts here in Colombia, a couple in California, a handful in Australia, one or two in China and a crazy keen young man in Japan. Am meeting a young man (they´re always younger than me now!) in The Netherlands after Easter. He asks all the right questions and has that orchid vision which suggests he will be a hybridizer of the future.

[CarlS]

Andy,
Sarah just remarked that while looking for a B'day present for a friend she saw a few Cyms in 3" pots, under a foot tall--price $50.
I wonder what our recent bloomer with 18 large spikes would fetch if for sale, not.
Carl

[MrCym]

Carl, it´s vendors like that who ruin the Cym hobby for potential beginners!

[wolfman]

Well, Andy, that kind of thought process makes tremendous sense and will future-proof NHO for many years to come. What I always wanted to ask, but never had the guts to do it (until now) is: what will happen to all the accumulated knowledge, the nursery, the stunning hybrids etc. when you croak ? Have you line up someone to take over, does it fall into a Trust’s or Charities’ hands (like eg the EYOF, or Mathers), or what else will eventuate ?

I admit that I have a certain self-interest in learning your answer, as I am currently thinking about what to do with my rapidly growing collection of Odont.s. when I pass away - wife & the kids are not interested.

Any suggestions (also from others, please ?) ?

[MrCym]

No idea Florian! The royalty attracting product will outlive me by around a decade so that will fall to my wife. Hopefully the best hybrid will be the last one l make! If l tip over in the greenhouse that would be perfect, the thought of some lingering illness that kept me from the orchids is a genuine fear. Realistically l should die in Colombia, l would hope that one of my younger friends here will pick up the stud books. Of course l’ll be past worrying about anything by my cremation (prepaid) so the longer l hang around, the better that deal made 22 years ago, will be. I am 50% Scottish ancestry after all!

[Diane56Victor]

I don't claim to have any show winning orchids nor any plants a hybridizer would be interested in but I have told my husband and daughter should anything happen to me they should ring my local orchid club and offer my plants and records to them.
At the very least the plants will go to someone who knows how to grow them and raise money for the club.

[MrCym]

Diane, very sensible but of course because you enjoy your orchids, that will ensure a long life with them too!

I am seeking out and finding, real keen younger folk that I can share plants and pollen with. There´s nothing as exciting as one´s first hybrid and in my case, the realization that successful hybridizing was not as easy as I thought. Despite kind comments from my mentor, Keith Andrew, I realized that great color and lousy shape was not going to cut it! However, I still hold that color is much more important than shape and commercial customers have confirmed my bias.