For grower of the month May we’ve visited Vilosa, a passionate kalanchoë grower in the heart of the Dutch floriculture, the Westland. Since 2018, two ambitious growers have merged, Solis and de Veranda, and continued under the name Vilosa. They now have 3 locations. Account manager Loek Ammerlaan took us for a tour.

Assortment and brands
Vilosa is known as the specialist in kalanchoes, this is reflected in the diverse range that they offer in various pot sizes, in the mini segment (8cm) and the middle segment (10.5cm). These are offered in two brands, Le Chic and Catchy, both can be found in the OZ Planten range. Both lines stand for top quality. As a third Kalanchoe segment, Vilosa has a wide range of special kalanchoe types in 12cm and 14cm pots. For all three segments, in addition to the standard product version, there are also conceptual options available that match the theme, such as overpots and side cutters. In addition, two product lines have been added in recent years aimed at the summer, 6-packs for the mini segment and ton-sur-ton balcony boxes to brighten up the garden or terrace.

In addition, the Le Chic range has been extensive to surprise the customer all year round: the celosia Twisted line is available from the end of spring to the end of summer in 10.5 cm and 14 cm and is available in the colors red, purple, yellow and orange; the princettia will be available from the beginning of autumn in pot sizes of 8cm and 10.5cm in the colors white, light pink, bright pink and red.









Specialties
The special kalanchoes are grown at the Honselersdijk location. You will be amazed by all the special species. They also have a separate department where hundreds of new varieties are tested every year, of which only a few remain, which meets the high quality requirements of Vilosa. One of the best known specialty is the Magic Bells. This plant grows in height and has special flowers in the shape of grapes. A tougher variant is the Desert Suprise, the leaves have an animal pattern and it has minimalistic flowers that grow upwards. We can't choose… Which one is your favorite?

Automated work
Vilosa has implemented automation far in the activities, an example is the advanced WPS system. Once a plant has been cut, almost no human hand is involved. Cultivation, spacing, sorting, sleeving, everything is done fully automatically, which not only saves labor, but also makes optimal use of the available space. For example, there is a cultivation layer in the top of the hall, where the kalanchoes are grown in the best conditions.

Sustainability
Vilosa generates part of the energy itself, for this they use a WKK. They heat the crop and generate electricity for lighting. The CO2 is reused and they have obtained many sustainable certificates, including various MPS certifications, eco-label and Planetproof. They also thought of the plant packaging. For example, they pay attention to the plastic use of the covers and they even have a Le Chic ECO line. These trays and covers are made of paper!

Novelty
New at Vilosa from week 20 is the 10.5cm kalanchoe Mozaic, the concept of the “color changing kalanchoe”. The varieties in this new concept have a play of colors of 3 different colors, whereby the plant changes color from creamy white to pink and yellow. Mozaic is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. In outdoor conditions, the more light the plant receives, the more intense the colors will be. This unique concept is exclusively available at Vilosa. Be first, be happy!
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