LADIES, THIS IS FOR YOU

Why David Austin roses rule the wedding world

By Collins Ogola

A wedding is every woman’s dream. When your man proposes to you and you say yes, your mind quickly shifts to how you will walk down the aisle your parents holding your hands as you approach the man of your dreams but less do the bride and bridegroom focus on the flower they will hold during the wedding.

According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya horticulture industry (vegetables, fruits and flowers) exports 136 tonnes to Europe bringing the country a total of Kshs. 108 billion annually in foreign exchange. Of this, flowers account for Kshs. 54.8 billion. Kenya is among the three countries in the world that export flowers together with Ecuador and

David Austin is a type of a rose flower renowned for wedding. It is named after the breeder – David Austin from United States of America. This scented rose is appreciated as a wedding rose worldwide and is associated with royal weddings. Take for instance the royal wedding between the Queen and King of Sweden and in Kenya the wedding of Nakumatt owner.

“David Austin takes 14 weeks from the time of planting to harvest. Subsequent harvests take 10 weeks. The flower is then stored in cold rooms with temperatures ranging between 5 and 8 degrees. The flower then takes at most five days from the day of harvest to reach the customer,” Rebecca Muthiani who is a roses manager at Tambuzi Limited says.

David Austin is unique in its own way. It opens like a cabbage and thus is referred to as a garden rose. They have soft colours that make them work harmoniously with each other and with other seasonal cut flowers, to capture the essence of an English country garden.

David Austin collection of garden roses has some favourites from the beginning and six new varieties that capture the beauty and charm of David Austin’s famous garden shrubs.

David Austin is only grown in Africa. Tambuzi Limited in Kieni East, Nyeri County is such a farm in Kenya. Sitting in a land of 67 hectares with 23 hectares dedicated to flower planting, Tambuzi Limited is a pioneer in Kenya flower farming. The farm started with roses and oriental lilies in small capacity but then decided to concentrate on roses.

The land is 1800 metres above the sea level and this provides a suitable condition for flower growth. The business in November, 1996 but established itself fully in 1997. The business has been certified gold by Kenya Flower Corporations. This means it has attained golden standards in labour, environment, procedures and practices that conserve the environment.

“We sell these roses to the outside market especially. This is because they are very expensive. One stem goes for 1 Euro which translates into between Kshs. 110 and 115 depending on exchange rates. If you are not rich or from royal family then it is unlikely you will buy the roses,” says Jackson Waweru who is the Sales and Export Manager at Tambuzi Limited.

Mr. Waweru says that the market for David Austin is mainly in Europe and the Middle East but some countries in Africa like Zimbabwe and South Africa are starting to recognize the beauty of the flower.

“Wedding organizers and florists are enamored by the rose. They prefer it for its scent, designer style and vase life. In peak season which is from May to October in Europe which is in summer presents the best sales of David Austin as it is the time preferred for weddings by couples. Off season is in winter (November to April) sees little of the rose being sold,” Mr. Waweru quips.

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FOOTBALL

Gor Mahia has to dominate commercially in order to challenge continentally

By Collins Ogola

Gor Mahia is waiting for its coronation on Saturday after winning this season’s Sportpesa Premier League at a canter. K’Ogalo as the club is popularly known has dominated the league winning the trophy three times in a row. Amid this celebratory mood, let us not forget the precarious state that the club is operating in.

There is no denying that Gor Mahia has been a cut above its competitors in football terms locally. The club has shown an itch to return to the echelons of football it had occupied in the late 1980’s culminating in winning Mandela Cup in 1987, but for this to happen it has to tap into the commercial potential it carries.

Gor Mahia should be mentioned in the same breath as great football clubs in Africa such Al Ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe, Esperance among others who have dominated the continental club football scene and also boast massive following. These clubs are stable commercially and this is what Gor lacks.

Having been without a sponsor since the contract with TUZO elapsed has not helped the club in its continental operations. Signing players late cost the club progressing farther in CAF Champions League. The executive has to tap into the massive following the club enjoys while working on the image the club has that has been scaring away potential sponsors.

What happened to the drive to register fans? Does the club know that Bayern Munich is owned to a percentage by its fans and this stability has made the club successful? What happened to the medical insurance contract signed last year?

K’Ogalo has been surviving on goodwill from the fans, passion among the players and loyalty of the technical bench. This state is precarious and if left to fester it will turn Kenya’s most successful club into a mediocre team that cannot challenge locally let alone in the continent.

Gor Mahia has a name and a following that any company will salivate at. The club has had a successful season so far in all sectors. There has not been any incident of hooliganism to reported, players staging go slows or walk outs have also been heard in whispers. The executive need to build on this newfound clean reputation to woe companies to come on board for the coming season and beyond, dangling the carrot of selling them continentally next season and also offering a massive market for their products through its massive fan base.

The club has to look at models of commercially successful clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United who have made billions of revenue from their commercial potentials. These clubs have branded their training kits, match day jerseys, watches and all the ‘brandable’ aspects of the club taking advantage of their standing in the game.

Gor can also follow suit by having a sponsor for its training kits, match day jerseys and carry their sponsors name on its jersey. Manchester United has DHL a carrier company branding its training kits, Adidas as their shirt/jersey manufacturer and Chevrolet as the shirt sponsor.

Lawyer Ambrose Rachier has done well at the helm of the club but K’Ogalo with its current squad can challenge in the continent and that should be the vision envisaged by the executive. For this to be a reality, the clubs needs stability in all aspects of its operations by exhausting all the commercial avenues the club possesses.

END