After meeting up with his photography group, Kongo woke up to smell the roses and headed out to learn about the Ecuadorian rose industry and sample some local fare in a 300-year old Hacienda. Ecuadorian roses are renowned for their vibrant, large blooms and extra-long stems, thriving in the country’s high-altitude Andean climate, volcanic soil, and consistent equatorial sunlight. As the “Rose Capital of the World,” Ecuador’s rose industry significantly contributes to the country’s economy.

Kongo visited the Rosadex Rose farm outside downtown Quito that cultivates and exports flowers to over 48 countries across 5 continents. The farm is located outside Quito, and spans approximately 29 hectares (about 72 acres). Rosadex ships around 25 million stems each year. As we were getting close to Valentine’s Day, the rose farm was working in overdrive.

The roses are grown in a greenhouse environment with rows and rose of plants growing straight and tall. The location of the rose farm on the Equator means that the sun is always directly overhead and the roses don’t have to bend themselves to catch solar energy. The location also makes for exceptionally long stems, which is a characteristic of Ecuadorian roses. Rosadex is situated in the Andes Mountains, benefiting from fertile volcanic soil, high altitude, and consistent equatorial sunlight. These conditions contribute to the roses’ quality, including thick stems and long-lasting blooms.

Juan Martin, whose lovely wife Alegria’s family owns Rosadex, invited our group to tour the facility, learn about roses, and then have lunch at the magnificent 300-year old Hacienda Campania nearby. We were given free run of the place. Juan Martin seemed to know everything about roses, soils, production, marketing, and taking care of the Rosadex employees. The company employs 270 people, with 70% being women. The company also provides employees with food, medical care, and transportation.

Kongo was amazed to learn that the roses at Rosadex are designed specifically for each of its many markets. Since Rosadex ships flowers all over the world, different countries prefer different colors and styles. At the Rosadex farm, some roses are actually painted different colors and even daubed in glitter.

Juan Martin explained that their location on the equator meant that there were no seasonal changes. It is always rose season! Roses and other flower grow year round. This enables Ecuador to be one of the largest exporter of roses in the world and thanks to growers like Rosadex, the country is the fastest growing rose exporter in the world. Last year Ecuador exported more than a billion roses to the United States alone. That’s a lot of rose petals!

After the rose immersion, Kongo and his group headed over to Hacienda Compania for lunch. The historic hacienda, owned by Alegria’s family, also serves as a showcase for the Rosadex products. We were given free roam of the grounds which included an attached chapel and barn that date back over 300 years. As a bonus, some of the Rosadex staff in traditional dress agreed to pose as impromptu models for out photography group. Joe McNally guided us in working with the models using the fantastic interior light from the many windows in the hacienda.

The models were lovely ladies. Joe McNally is the undisputed master of light and working with him to photograph these women was an unforgettable experience.

If you want to visit Rosadex and the hacienda, visit their website for more information or contact them here. You need to make an appointment, and if you have time during your next visit to Ecuador, this is one of those places that you really need to put on your “must see” list.

Stay tuned to hear about Kongo’s visit to Otavalo Market where he tries (and fails) to match Mrs. Kongo’s shopping expertise.

Travel safe. Have fun.

“Take time to smell the roses. Appreciating the little things in life really can make all the difference.”

~Andy Puddington

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