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Our motherstock is like our own mothers

Olaf Kunert is General Manager at Florensis Ethiopia PLC. Here is our motherstock location that produces the unrooted cuttings of the Florensis lavender. Olaf is assuring a smooth operation of the motherstock location at Abyssinia with continuous improvement of the staff that produces our Lavandula cuttings with so much passion.

How important is the motherstock?
A healthy and well-grown motherstock is the basis for a successful young plant production that begins with a strong and healthy root system. Long before the build up of the motherstock it takes more than a year of planning and build up of different stages in Elite and Propagation. I almost dare to compare the importance of the motherstock for young plants with the importance of our mothers for our families.

How do you ensure the reliability of the motherstock?
There are several factors but there is no silver bullet to ensure the level of reliability that we expect from ourselves and that our customers deserve.

• Responsible and frequent evaluation of production coeficients that we adjust on long and short terms when necessary
• Monitoring of the upcoming order volume and comparing with the actual performance of the motherstock
• Careful management of early availability based on the performance of the basic material in our Elite pipeline

“I almost dare to compare the importance of the motherstock for young plants with the importance of the mothers for our families” - Olaf Kunert

What are the most important things to watch out for?
All the little details because each of them could become a limiting factor for the next delivery week or season. So perhaps there is not one most important thing, but many important things. Thinking twice, probably a good communication between the different departments that are responsible for all these details and that work as a team on the best possible outcome.

How important is your team?
Together we work hard on each of our crops to deliver unrooted cuttings in the highest quality and that applies also for our biggest individual cultivar which is Lavandula Essence Purple. Due to the extreme importance of Lavandula cuttings where we produce huge numbers that we ship almost year round we are about to establish a Lavandula focus group. This group will consist of people that are enthusiastic and driven to make the best motherstock for Lavandula year round.