Today’s world is being dominated by social media, celebrities, and so-called influencers. Even though social media didn’t really take off until about 10 years ago, we can think of scenarios where similar situations occurred more than 15 years ago. For instance, in May 2003, when Oprah Winfrey put the Rose Esperance on the cover of her magazine. It marked the beginning of a brand new movement where a famous mainstream celebrity made a major mark on the flower business. The Esperance variety became insanely popular, not just because of the Oprah article, but also for its pure beauty, large head size, and great performance.
Today, we could have history in the making once again, but with another variety this time: Cupido. It is widely known that Freedom is dominating the red rose market, which before Freedom was controlled by varieties such as Charlotte, Classy, and Madame Delbard. Many breeders tried gaining momentum in the red rose segment of the market, but Freedom always ended up keeping its popularity. There are several breeders attempting to make their mark these days, but DeRuiter is doing an outstanding job with their “Cupido”. A premium, romantic, red rose, this variety has been planted by a lot of growers in Ecuador already, which means there is pretty good availability in the marketplace.
Please enjoy the video, and let’s see what Oprah Winfrey, Esperance, and Cupido have in common in years to come.
