Body

Local cut flowers and potted plants were mostly grown in backyards of individual farmers and

small garden hobbyists during the post war era of the late 1940’s to the mid 1960’s. For several

decades, people had to rely on small-scale production to meet the market demands. There was

always a short supply of flowers and potted plants during Valentine’s Day, All Saints Day,

Graduation Rites, and Christmas season. The production methods and farm facilities among

growers then seemed to be on an endless trial and error basis. Then came Mr. Vicente Puyat with

a private initiative in early 1983. He had several sprawling farms scattered across Baguio and

Benguet areas with thousands of quality flowering potted plants in all assortment of colors,

shapes and sizes. This was start of the King Louis Farm, and Mr. Puyat was known as the “King

of potted plants and cut flowers” not only in Northern Luzon, but also across the country. His

project started with an experimental pilot area of 4,000 square meters concentrating on producing

different varieties of roses, carnations, gerbera, gypsophilla in Asin, Baguio. It was planned to

have a modern production area with pioneering greenhouses producing quality-potted plants and

cut flower intended for the local market. These crops were successfully grown in the tropical

highlands of Baguio, but the local folks of Baguio weren’t quite ready back then. King Louis

Farm General Manager and President Mr. Efren Chatto recalls farmers were in search of an

alternative business venture aside from vegetables, strawberries and seasonal souvenir

merchandises.

The largest farm, which is devoted to rearing quality poinsettias, is simply exhilarating. Aside

from the common red poinsettia, which most of us are familiar with, at King Louis there are

three more exciting rare colors – white, pink and a combination of pink and red. They also have

other poinsettia varieties with crinkled flower bracts that are considered as novelty items. The
companies also have their own way of sorting and grading the poinsettias based on the size of the

bracts. Poinsettias coded as B, C, and D command higher price. According to Mr. Chatto, this is

done so that buyers are assured of uniform-sized plants. He stated the demand usually starts as

early as October to December, the peak season for ornamental plants, when three to five large

trucks go down to Manila everyday to deliver the plants.

King Louis Farm’s mission and vision is to be a leading supplier of quality flowers and potted

plants in the local market. While the company motto is “The land is a God given gift, it is our

responsibility to cultivate and preserve it.” Quality and strategy is the name of the game.

“Quality flowers come from quality planting materials,” he emphasized.

King Louis Flowers and Plants is a company which grows, supplies, and sells different flowers

and plants around the country. The company considered a market leader in the industry with 60

to 70 percent of the market share because of it being a large supplier all over the Philippines and

are the producers of cut flowers.