Growing Globally
Needing space to produce the quantity of cuttings required to fulfill production demand in the United States and Canada, in late 2003 Fischer Worldwide
began looking for a new site for offshore production. Alon Barr, manager of the sales office in Fischer Asia, who has lived in China for several years, called his contacts at the Shanghai Flower Port Enterprise Development Co. Ltd. (SFPED).
SFPED is a corporation, established in September 2002 with 50 million RMB (Chinese currency, $6.25 million) of registered capital. The core area occupies 246 acres of land with 69 acres set up for display gardens and future expansion of up to 99 acres of greenhouses. Companies from Holland, Germany, Israel, Japan and China Taiwan have joined together to invest and construct the Shanghai Flower Port. Currently seven corporations operate within the Flower Port, including Asia Eastfields Corporation Ltd.
Eastfields is a joint venture company owned by Asia A.D.C.Ltd. (Israel), and Shanghai Flower Port Enterprises Development Ltd. (China), which Fischer Worldwide has contracted for large-scale commercial production of high quality unrooted cuttings, primarily for the North American market. In turn, Eastfields uses Fischer's complex ordering and production systems and Fischer supplies technical assistance. Eastfields is currently the only USDA-certified Asian nursery to export plants to the U.S. market, and Fischer is the only company that purchases material from Eastfields. Eighty percent of current production is exported to the United States, while 10 percent is exported to Europe and 10 percent stays in the Asian markets.
Eastfields started with 12 acres (E1 location) to produce Fischer geraniums and poinsettias. After Fischer USA partnered with Goldsmith Seeds in March 2004 in an exclusive agreement to produce, market and distribute Goldsmith-bred vegetative varieties, Fischer needed more space to build up stock and produce cuttings. An additional 12 acres was built to accommodate the partnership. The new range, named E2, incorporates some different growing techniques and technology changes based on experience gleaned from producing cuttings in E1 (see "Production In Detail" for more).
began looking for a new site for offshore production. Alon Barr, manager of the sales office in Fischer Asia, who has lived in China for several years, called his contacts at the Shanghai Flower Port Enterprise Development Co. Ltd. (SFPED).
Eastfields is a joint venture company owned by Asia A.D.C.Ltd. (Israel), and Shanghai Flower Port Enterprises Development Ltd. (China), which Fischer Worldwide has contracted for large-scale commercial production of high quality unrooted cuttings, primarily for the North American market. In turn, Eastfields uses Fischer's complex ordering and production systems and Fischer supplies technical assistance. Eastfields is currently the only USDA-certified Asian nursery to export plants to the U.S. market, and Fischer is the only company that purchases material from Eastfields. Eighty percent of current production is exported to the United States, while 10 percent is exported to Europe and 10 percent stays in the Asian markets.