If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at Kolibri Company, this time we’re letting our cultivation specialist Friso do the talking. Did you know he has to check the weather forecast every day? He tells you more about his role and daily activities.
Introduction to Kolibri Company
‘’Before I started at Kolibri Company in 2015, I worked as a painter and ended up at Kolibri through an employment agency. In the beginning, I worked in the sorting department and later as an order picker. There, I picked the right Kolibri Orchids for the orders.’’
New challenge: the cultivation team
‘’After a while, I wanted more of a challenge and spent one day a week shadowing the cultivation team. This team is fully focused on the growth of the Kolibri Orchids. I joined them more and more often and was allowed to take courses to develop further, including obtaining a spraying license. Even though I had no experience, I was still given the chance to retrain. Eventually, I developed further and further in this field and started working full-time in the cultivation team.’’
Activities as a cultivation specialist
‘’As a cultivation specialist, I am involved in, as the name suggests, the cultivation of the Kolibri Orchids. An important task is regulating the climate in the nursery, which we call climate control. This includes setting screens, ventilation systems, temperature and heating settings, and lighting in the nursery to create an ideal climate for the Kolibri Orchids. As a cultivation specialist, you don’t have a nine-to-five job; you work on-call shifts and can be called in the middle of the night because of a malfunction. Besides regulating the climate, I also focus on monitoring diseases and plant resilience, and we ensure the right nutrition.’’
A Kolibri day looks like this…
‘’The alarm goes off early, so I’m often there before seven in the morning. Every day I start at the climate computer to check the weather for that day, because this influences the climate control in the nursery. With the help of computers, I adjust the settings based on the weather forecast. Then it’s time to go into the nursery and walk past various systems. These need to be checked to see if they are working properly, and I also measure the water for various values.
I don’t just check the weather and the systems; the Kolibri Orchids also get an inspection. We call this scouting. During scouting, I walk along the paths with Kolibri Orchids to check if they meet the quality standards. ‘’
What is your favorite Kolibri Orchid?
‘’One of my favorites is the Kolibri Orchids Lausanne. This one has many branches, creating a bouquet full of flowers. What’s striking about its cultivation is that this Kolibri Orchid grows more slowly than the other Kolibri Orchids.’’
Most notable day
‘’Because we work with a smaller team, the holiday period is one that stands out. When a cultivation staff member goes on holiday, you take over their tasks and you’re a lot busier. ‘’
What developments are there within your role and what do you like most about your job?
‘’Soon I will be taking another course on crop protection and business operations. This will allow me to manage colleagues in carrying out cultivation activities. This course will give me a piece of responsibility and help me grow in my position.
I get energy from my job because every day is diverse; one moment I’m working at the computer and later I’m walking around the nursery to perform checks. Recently, I’ve been part of the crop protection front group of Glastuinbouw Nederland. Together with other members, we work on improvements and innovations in this field. It’s an interesting profession where you have to be ready for unexpected situations, but where you also get a lot of freedom.’’
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