Denmark: Importance of adopting trends in Kalanchoe's
Knud Jepsen is a Danish breeder and grower of Queen® branded Kalanchoe pot plants and cut flowers. The Queen® branded cut flowers are known for their large flowers with strong bright colours and guaranteed vase life of at least three weeks. Moreover, the variety is ethylene resistant, which extends the shelf life in the supermarkets.
As every breeder has to deal with trends and adapting to trends, this is also an important aspect for Knud Jepsen. "Even though, we have almost every colour available, forecasting the trends is still necessary", says Jepsen. Therefore Knud Jepsen made a 'trends team' which consists of three people; a production manager, salesmanager and Jepsen herself, the creative manager. Firstly, Jepsen, looks at the current and future trends. Then, the production manager investigates the possibilities to implement these trends in the breeding process. Finally, the sales manager puts the new varieties on the market.
Next to breeding the cuttings, which are produced in Vietnam and Turkey, Knud Jepsen also grows Kalanchoe plants. These exclusively Queen® branded plants are grown in a 120 000 m2 greenhouse in Denmark and distributed throughout the EU.
"Besides adapting to trends by developing new colours and shapes, pots and vases are also an important way to adapt to trends", says Jepsen. All Queen® varieties are supplied with fitted pots or vases with a 'Queen® Watering System' - base lining of absorbent oasis that keeps plants moist for longer without drowning the roots.
At the moment, the Kalanchoe is mainly known amongst the older generation. In order to generate a broader public, Knud Jepsen is putting efforts in consumer focused marketing in Denmark; they are visible in print magazines and TV spots.
For more information
Knud Jepsen a/s
Louise B. Jepsen
T: +45 87 64 15 32
Email: louise@queen.dk
www.queen.dk