Growing gerberas in a volatile market

In this second article of a three-part series, florist Carol Sutherland spoke to Tania Henkel, who runs Imbali Cut Flowers in Gauteng, about the challenges of producing gerberas, also known as Barberton daisies.

- Tania Henkel

Imbali Cut Flowers has fetched top prices for its gerberas (also known as Barberton daisies) at the Multiflora Flower Market in City Deep, Johannesburg, for at least three decades.

Apart from the quality of its flowers, Imbali is well known for its unique presentation, which features a curved cardboard sheet with holes to hold the flowers. This type of packaging is easy for the buyer to transport and is a popular seller.

Imbali is a second-generation family business based in Olifantsfontein, near Centurion in Gauteng. It is managed by Tania Henkel, whose father, Marcus, started the business on its present site (an inherited property) in 1988, giving up a career in architecture to do so. He has since retired.

Henkel is a qualified industrial psychologist and, like her father, also gave up a professional career to pursue farming.

FAST FACTS

Imbali Cut Flowers grows gerberas (Gerbera jamesonii) in six greenhouses in Gauteng.

The farm has been in operation since 1988.

The price of producing and transporting flowers has increased significantly, says Imbali manager Tania Henkel.

A BIG PLAYER, BUT A SMALLER MARKET

According to Henkel, gerberas are not as fashionable as they were when her father started farming. And indeed, judging by this author's experience of the Multiflora Flower Market, it is difficult to disagree.

In the 1990s, approximately eight gerbera growers sold their produce at the market. Today, just two growers are present on a regular basis, and one or two others appear occasionally at the morning auction. Imbali, a mainstay of gerbera production in South Africa, has a row of trolleys on the market every day.

Like so many other businesses, Imbali was hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdowns, and at one point didn't send gerberas to the market at all.