2013 CIOPORA Chronicle

ducive and supportive of creativity
and out-of-the-box thinking.
Creative individuals
Having worked in product development
and breeding for over three
decades, I have seen time and time
again how products that almost
everyone thought had no commercial
value whatsoever became huge
crops in the floriculture industry
thanks to the vision and ideas of
creative individuals. Drab roadside
species that one would normally
tread upon without sparing a
second thought in their natural
habitat, will often develop their true
potential in the breeder's skilled
and patient hands, and can flourish
if the right niche and application is
found for it in the marketplace. In
many cases, well-known products
can be re-vitalized and re-vamped if
presented in a different manner or
for a different use.
Audacity
A breeder has to have the audacity
to try crosses and breeding
strategies that would normally be
scoffed at as "impossible". Our
categorization of plant genera and
species has until now been based
on morphological characteristics
only. With the advance of DNA
technology, we are beginning to
realize that many of the plants we
have arbitrarily lumped together
in one genus are in fact far less
related than they are with species of
other genera. Once we realize that
interspecific and indeed intergeneric
crosses are not out of the realm of
possibility, bright new horizons for
plant breeders present themselves,
along with the potential for myriads
of previously unthinkable and
exciting new plant products for the
future.
That said, breeders can only
be commercially successful if
their innovations are indeed
accepted and embraced by the
marketplace. Hence, breeders
and product developers always
have to ask themselves: Will this
product work for the grower?
Can it be propagated efficiently
Some of the
biggest brands
in horticulture
owe their
success to
precisely this
combination
of exceptional,
innovative
genetics
with a wellexecuted
and
comprehensive
marketing
campaign to
drive the message
to a broad
audience
of growers,
retailers and
consumers.
and economically? Will it present
itself well at retail? Can it be shipped
successfully? And, most importantly:
Will it work for the consumer?
Challenge
Many truly innovative products that
have real benefits for the consumer do
not readily reveal their positive traits
at retail. Indeed, many products with
exceptional vigour and enhanced
consumer performance often pale in
comparison with flashier, yet inferior
product lines on the retail bench.
Such products require a great deal
of communication, specific POP
material and extensive PR campaigns
on consumer level to convey the
benefits to the consumer. This is a true
challenge, since such communication
requires a great deal of resources and
a professional marketing strategy
to effectively bring the message
across. Some of the biggest brands
in horticulture owe their success
to precisely this combination of
exceptional, innovative genetics with
a well-executed and comprehensive
marketing campaign to drive the
message to a broad audience of
growers, retailers and consumers.
Holistic approach
Ideas really do have the power to
transform the industry and truly
change the marketplace but they
require perseverance, tenacity,
resources and the right platform
for successful implementation. But
sadly, a new variety, a new concept
on its own will not get very far.
Moreover, a holistic approach that
takes all aspects of commercialization
into consideration is needed. Most
importantly, industry leaders have to
be willing to embrace and effectively
transport the innovation into the
marketplace. The power is yours. |||
About the author
Garry Grueber has been involved in product development for over three
decades. He has worked closely with many breeders from around the
world, and has been involved in the successful introduction of many new
product lines, varieties and marketing concepts over the years. He is now
a managing partner in Cultivaris North America LLC, an idea- and projectmanagement
company based in San Diego, CA. (www.cultivaris.com)
CIOPORA Chronicle April 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com 13