I’ve been in Ecuador for two weeks now working with a company that has an organic flower farm located about an hour north of Quito. The company is called Organic Blooming and they grow Calla Lilies on about six of their 900 acres of land. It’s a very small and basic operation. About five people work the land and they often have to transport their flowers to the main road by donkey. When I first arrived in Ecuador, I thought I was going to help the farm grow their revenues through improved production and sales, as well as to figure out alternative sources for their unused land.

Brian will be returning to the continent he fell in love with in 2002 to work at an organic flower farm in Quito, Ecuador, called Organic Blooming. The company is looking to grow their business through e-commerce and is also interested in exploring alternative uses of their unused land.

Please describe what the organization/company you work with does, how it is set up and where it is located?
Terrafertil is an agricultural company based in Quito, Ecuador that dries and markets tropical fruit either in wholesale format for the export market or retail products for the domestic market. They do conventional, 100% natural and organic [...]

In some respects the work has been a little frustrating. We’ve had to share a computer, which has meant lots of time spent in internet cafes for one of us. And I have not been able to get hold of any samples of our products (except what I have bought in the supermarkets) which constrains my ability to write a marketing plan a little!

Terrafértil is in the business of producing and exporting high-quality natural and exotic products, while maintaining an artisanal culture in the productive processes. Their products are intended for both the final consumer and the food industry, which may use them as intermediate raw materials.