Kenya

Alongside Finlays’ tea estates in the Western Highlands of Kenya, we have developed a sustainable flower growing business. In 2007, the farms reached a total of 92 hectares of flowers under greenhouses on four sites, including three diverse growing locations at Kericho, Londiani and Koru.

Experimentation with different growing conditions, greenhouse design and hydroponics has led to consistent quality and high production levels and enables Finlays to take full advantage of the unique climatic conditions of this fertile area. In Kericho, for example, average annual rainfall exceeds 2000mm, providing a valuable water resource for the production of cut flowers.

Thanks to modern growing techniques afforded by the use of hydroponics, we are able to ensure the most efficient application of water to each plant. Any excess water is then collected and recycled, after UV treatment, in order to maximise conservation in the interests of sustainability and to avoid the loss of valuable nutrients.

The floriculture sector is Finlays’ second largest foreign exchange earner after tea, bringing in more than US$250million per annum and employing 100,000 people directly and more than two million indirectly.