Souvenir Photo Studio, by Al Bourassa: Thursday April 24, 2014 Trebol Roses

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Thursday April 24, 2014

I finally broke down and joined the "Cuenca For Expats" group that is run by the local Chamber Of Commerce. They do several trips per year for members only and today was my first such trip.

We went out past Biblian to visit the Trebol Roses operation, run by Juan Carlos and Rosana. Their website is www.trebolroses.com. Few people know that, besides bananas, Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of roses! When Mother's Day comes very quickly, those roses you buy could very well come from nearby here.

The story is fascinating and the growing process is complex ..., from micro-organisms to irrigation and fungi, there is much to know to be successful and profitable.

It is odd to stand next to 6-7 foot stems of roses in greenhouses containing thousands of buds waiting to be harvested. Varieties and colours are strictly enforced and few growers take the gamble to bring out new varieties. Just like fashion, rose colours have their cycles of popularity.

The growing operation is on the site of their family dairy operation (handy fertilizer) which has been here for over 100 years. After the tour of the greenhouses we were invited for a delicious lunch, juices and dessert in their magnificent hacienda, which is just their weekend home I am sorry to say, and which houses many, many collected antiques. We were just drooling over many artifacts contained here.

Thank you to Veronica from the Chamber Of Commerce for organizing this trip, and to Juan Carlos and Rosana for being such personable and lovely hosts.

Hope you enjoy the photos. That was the day's excitement, Cheers, Al