Member Stories

Club Africa members share their business experiences with you! How did they get their start? What were their key learnings in setting up their business in Africa?

A quality product for the world to enjoy

Carzan: fresh flowers from Kenya

Take a good look at the flowers on your desk or in your living room. If there are summer flowers and carnations in the bunch, chances are that they have been hand-picked earlier this week at a farm in Kenya. That is where Carzan Flowers grows its beautiful products. “Top quality is our main focus. There is no room for average”, says Carzan’s director Zaine Manji.

At about a two hour drive from Nairobi, north of Nakuru (altitude: 1,800 meters), women are singing their song in a large field of Hypericum flowers. Not far from there, another group of Carzan employees is harvesting Limonium, another popular summer flower that is used extensively by florists all over Europe. Near the town Kipipiri, east of Navaisha (altitude 2,300-3000 meters) it’s all Craspedia, Astrantia, Agapanthus and Carnations, as far as the eye can see.

Largest producer in the world

Carzan Flowers is the lifework of Zaine and Carol Manji, who started this business almost 20 years ago. “With an annual production of 100 million flowers we are one of the largest producers of standard carnations and summer flowers in the world. Our 1,300 employees harvest flowers on our three farms of more than 200 hectares; in the peak season we export over 10 tons of flowers per day to Europe via Nairobi airport”, says Zaine.

To be able to compete with local growers in The Netherlands and other countries, Carzan flowers need to be top quality, all the time. The high altitude creates ideal, stable growing conditions, but that is not enough. Actively preventing diseases and parasites and looking for excellent long-lasting blooming qualities is all-important. Zaine and Caroline Manji both have an academic background in disease management, but Zaine claims it is truly a team effort. “We have strong quality procedures in every part of the company, ensuring that attention is paid to the smallest details that may affect quality and production. In addition, we have gathered unique expertise. We know exactly what to plant where to plant, how to plant."

Strong European partners

Carzan Flowers can only flourish with strong partners in Europe. This is where Blooming Forever International, near Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, comes in. This company handles Carzan flowers after arrival in The Netherlands and distributes the products to wholesalers and flower auctions. Through these channels the flowers are exported to destinations all over Europe.

Mark van der Poll, director of Blooming Forever International (BFI): “We are the logistics partner that makes the chain complete and strong. We provide the processing, unpacking and the final quality check. BFI also provides the Kenyan counterparts with inspiration and information about what wholesalers and florists in Europe want. Internationally renowned breeders then supply the base material, but Carzans growers in Kenya take over from there. BFI markets, promotes and sells Carzan’s products on a daily basis through her extensive network. Together, we make Carzan successful in Europe with a fresh, top quality product that is flown in daily from Kenya!”