When did the business start ?

The business dates back to the days of the Les Halles wholesale market in Paris when it was called Mottier. It was founded by Xavier's parents, who were specialists in French roses, and it later became Maxi-Fleurs. I used to be a client and a friend of Xavier and we became partners in 1995 to import roses from Ecuador, a niche market opportunity because there were no more roses in France. Just before that, I had met the Vice President of Ecuador at a big Paris hotel where I did the floral decoration. He spoke to me about the roses in his country, unknown in France at the time, and I saw that there was a potential market. So we went off to Ecuador to visit the producers.

How did the business grow?

First we opened an office (Maxi-Flor) in Quito, then we set up an international sales network, which I managed, while Xavier dealt with the logistics and orders. By 1998 we had developed the product in Europe with some success and we were the first to sell it at Rungis. We supply large clients like the "Au nom de la rose" retail chain (7 million stems/year), the European rose specialist. Our reputation was made by the Ecuadorian rose. It has an excellent life in vases (28 days) and it is very resistant because it grows in a more or less natural atmosphere and is not forced. The conditions for high volume production with no price variations are met. In 2002, we signed some agreements with Alain Meilland (rose breeder) to cultivate the garden rose in Ecuador rather than sticking to the hybrid tea rose. By 2005, we had already produced the famous "Yves Piaget" variety for "Au nom de la Rose". We have 5 hectares planted with greenhouses and we employ 60 people. We then began producing in Ethiopia, at Menagesha (40 km from Addis-Ababa) at 2 400 m altitude, where the conditions are ideal for roses. This is a 12-hectare farm with 200 employees, 85% of whom are women, with another 5 hectares planned. We produce over a hundred varieties there. We also contributed to the town's social life by building classrooms and a free canteen for the staff. We have over 250 varieties between Ecuador and Ethiopia. We produce 1 million stems/hectare/year in Ethiopia and 900 000 in Ecuador, particularly garden roses. Our flagship varieties are "Espérance" (pink/white), "Red Paris" (red), "Forever Young" (red). Red roses account for 30% of our production. Over the next few years, we will be developing varieties that are rounder, broader, more abundant and fragrant, more like the peony rose, and double varieties. We also sell the "stabilized" rose ("Rose Amor" depositary, with a share of sales going to UNICEF). Much sought after by Asian clients, it can last eight years. It represents 4% of our turnover and the demand is growing.

Who are your clients?

In France, 95% of our clientele is composed of upmarket retail florists and 3% wholesalers, and we deliver. We also deliver to wholesalers all over the world via our company "Gallica Flowers" based in Ethiopia (USA and EU) and "Maxi-Roses" based in Ecuador (Russia and EU) for a total turnover of €12 million. We also have a branch office in La Louvière (Belgium) run by Sylvie, which has about 250 clients.

What do you think of Rungis Market?

Rungis Market is a wonderful, great showcase, a nursery of talent, know-how and top quality products and the Dutch monopoly is tending to decrease in the face of competition from other countries with lower prices. However, it needs to be more dynamic. With the help of Semmaris, we are going to organize a trade show in the C1 pavilion, with the goal of attracting new clients and building awareness of its very high potential among florists. Furthermore, we need to attract more operators to C1, which means lowering the rents, which are highest per square metre at Rungis. Lastly, we should set up grouped delivery services to lower the operators' costs.