After our morning hike to Cotopaxi Volcano Refuge, we wanted to see something exclusive to Ecuador and asked our guide Lincoln to take us to a rose farm.
We read that Ecuador was the world’s second-largest exporter of roses and the world’s third-largest flower exporter after the Netherlands and Colombia; so we were eager to understand the reasons for its success in growing this specific flower.
By 2:45 pm, we were at the gate of the Rose Success Farm located in Tanicuchi in the Cotopaxi Province. We paid $5 each for the entrance fee and started our private tour of the farm.
We learned that thanks to its equatorial climate and high altitudes, the roses grown in Ecuador receive intense natural sunlight year round which increases the production cycle and results in high-quality roses (with longer, heartier and thicker stems).
We walked through the green houses where the roses are grown. There were different sections with different varieties and colors of roses as well as areas with roses at different life cycles. Workers were checking out each plant in order to remove multiple buds and keep only one rose bud on each stem. Some buds were protected with a fabric to avoid opening too fast.
We were also surprised to hear that this farm was not growing roses that had a (good) smell and preferred focusing on the appearance of the flower. People apparently select roses for their aesthetic rather than their perfumes.
75 workers were employed at this location but Rose Success had other plantations in the area. All the roses were harvested manually and gathered by variety in special net bags. All bags were stored in basins with water until the roses were individually inspected.
Then, we went to the warehouse where the roses were calibrated based on the length of their stem. We were told that Russians prefer to offer roses with long stems. Roses that did not have a perfect straight stem were sold locally for a lower price. A bouquet of 25 “imperfect” roses would go to Ecuadorian resellers for $2.
Export prices are calculated based on the length of the stem; and they add 25 cents for the bud. So a rose with a 75 cm long stem (30 inches) will sell for US$1.
Roses were packed in batches of 25 units based on variety and length and labeled for distribution. They were stored in a refrigerated room where a team was preparing them for delivery. They couldn’t stay there for more than 2 or 3 days and time was of the essence. This farm exports to hundreds of countries worldwide.
As we could have guessed it, the peak seasons are of course Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
They also have a fascinating process to modify the colors of roses and create other appearances like for the rainbow rose; First, it consists of drying the rose to remove its water, then cutting the base of its stem and putting it successivelly in vases of different colored waters so that the rose will absorb them, which will ultimately change the color of its petals.
Another treatment consists in spray painting the roses in silver, gold or metallic blue to give them a “festive” appearance or a “special” look for celebrations like Halloween.
We ended our visit at the store where we tasted a Rose Chocolate and had a shot of Rose Liquor. They were selling all types of souvenir items made with roses including the Eternal Rose (which can be kept for 2 or 3 years).
A very informative visit that will definitely change our perception next time we go to the florist to buy roses!
We drove back to Quito and Lincoln dropped us at our hotel by 5 pm. We will definitely call him again if we happen to come back to Quito as there are more volcanoes worth exploring in the area.
We went back to Los Geranium for dinner in nearby Calle La Ronda and went straight to bed after our long and active day.
David started to have a headache during our lunch a couple of hours after the hike and took an aspirin. For me, it happened in the middle of the night and I had to take an aspirin too. It is a common symptom after hiking at high altitude but in the morning we were both fine and eager to explore more of Quito.
Time to smell the roses...Sur les Chemins du Monde... 