NEWS


Going East Selecta Japan


By Nils Klemm S


electa started to sell carnation cutting in Japan in the early 1980s. It was a time when Japan was rising as an economic giant, becoming an


export nation to many markets and the world’s sec- ond largest economy. Also in the world of ornamen- tals there were already powerful and internationally active breeding companies such as Sakata and Takii. However, there was hardly any breeding of carna- tions practiced in Japan. Thus carnation breeders from Italy, Holland, and Selecta from Germany used this void to introduce its varieties to the Japanese market. Many of those suppliers and breeders have ceased to exist. Some got acquired, like West-Se- lect/West-Stek of Selecta or not too long ago, Kooij of Hilverda. Others went belly-up, lacking the re- sources and skills to withstand in markets that have been quite affected by globalization’s becoming more and competitive. Also in our industry, times do change.


U


sually, there are two options once we face changes: to look for opportunities and adjust according to market changes, or to complain


focusing on things that are beyond control: the weather, the rising cost of energy, globalization, etc. None of us can change these things that from time to time we use as excuses as to why our business is not performing the way we like. But none of us can


change them. So we are better off focusing on what we can change. In some cases it might mean to break with old habits and go new ways.


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his is what we did in setting up a Japanese dis- tribution company. Paul Pepping joined Selecta Japan as General Manager. Paul is a Dutchman


married to a Japanese, and has been living in Kyoto for the last 20 years. He has been working with Japa- nese growers for over 12 years. Paul is supported by Komei Fukamizu, an industry veteran having many years of experience in crops like carnations and chry- santhemums among oth- ers. With this setup we do want to make a change, a change for the better: Listening and learning directly from growers, of- fering the right genetics at affordable pricing, pro- moting our varieties at wholesale and retail level, and giving after-sales ser- vice to those that matter most to us: the growers that grow our product.


Paul Pepping, General Manager of Selecta Japan.


www.SelectaCutFlowers.com FloralNews 17 12


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