Gordon Flint
General Manager Winchester GrowersMy greatest satisfaction within the UNIVEG group is the room that my team and I get to take initiative
Gordon Flint holds a degree in horticulture and he received his doctorate on the physiology of the narcissus. Gordon’s PhD led to a career in horticultural research and then to his job as General Manager of Winchester Growers in the UK. “I’ve been working here since 1987. We cultivate, harvest and pack flowers, potted plants and bulbs for the British retail sector. Our company joined the UNIVEG group in 2000. Since then, the company has grown by a factor of 4.”
Winchester Growers is a major player in its home country. “In surface area, we’re the world’s largest producer of narcissus – good for about 135 million flowers on over 800 hectares. Another important activity is the cultivation of tulips, with nearly 40 million individual flowers.” The narcissus, tulips, lilies and other seasonal flowers are grown chiefly in the UK. Daffodils are grown in Cornwall in the far southwest of England – where, thanks to the Gulf Stream, it freezes less in the winter. “When the rest of the country is frosted over in January, we’re harvesting narcissus.” About 90% of the flowers are reserved for UK retail businesses. Some 10% of the narcissus go to the US and Europe, and that volume will grow.
For some time now, the company has also been leasing agricultural land in Portugal to extend the growing season and increase production. This also saves on heating and lighting – which reduces the company’s carbon footprint and benefits the environment. “There’s room for expanding the volume of flowers grown by Winchester Growers, because the supply of UK grown flowers is smaller than the demand. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that we can easily raise our prices: purchasers in the retail sector are sharp negotiators, but of course we always seek the best deal.’’ Growth requires investment in infrastructure as well, and UNIVEG helps with that. “At the same time, we’re given free rein for initiative. My greatest satisfaction as General Manager in the UNIVEG group is that I can conduct the business in the way that my team and I think best.”