Trebol Rose Plantation Tour

The tour to the Trebol Rose Plantation was organized by the Cuenca Chamber of Commerce. We took about an hour bus ride into the country north from Cuenca. It was a rainy, cloudy day and an exciting bus trip going uphill on the muddy dirt roads--but we made it. Our gracious hosts were Juan Carlos and Rosanna. Although their land has been in Rosanna's family for generations, the rose operation is only 15 years old. Most of the land is reserved for its historical use of dairy production.

Juan Carlos took us on a fascinating tour to help us understand many of the advantages and challenges of growing roses at 10,000 feet above sea level, all the while balancing the changing needs and markets of customers around the world. Their nitch in the market is the harvesting and selling of long stem (70-90cm) roses. In addition to the greenhouses we saw the sorting of the roses by length and the packaging operations. Needless to say, the rose business is a daily beehive of activity with shipments going out daily (Russia being one of their biggest clients). After the tour we were invited into the plantation house for a reception, and an overview of the customer base and revenue. Before we left, Juan Carlos and Rosanna presented each of us with a bundle of 24-90cm long stem red roses. Just gorgeous.

Everyone was fascinated by the tour and the chatter in the bus on the way back was of a tour like no other we have seen. Thanks to Lorena for organizing the tour, and to Juan Carlos and Rosanna for their gracious and kind hospitality.

We are really enjoying our 48 long stem roses!!