Japan Engineers New Rose Business
2009-11-17 9:8
Roses may be red and violets blue, but that's about to be turned on its head by Japan's Suntory Flowers.
Debuting this month in the nation's $4 billion cut flower market, Suntory's rose, named "Applause", boasts a purplish-blue tint with a single stem going for about $33.
At the International Flower Expo near Tokyo, Suntory's Yasunori Yomo said the genetically engineered rose was the product of 20 years of tinkering.
[Yasunori Yomo, Exec. General Manager, Suntory Flowers]:
"Roses don't naturally have a blue pigment to them, so we used genetic engineering to take the blue pigment of a pansy and put that into a rose to make these blue roses."
Suntory has orders for 6,000 roses already, planning to sell 50,000 next year and 200,000 in 2011.
Consumers, like Kazuko Sakamoto, say the rarity of the color will make it even more appreciated.
[Kazuko Sakamoto, Flower Lover]:
"It's not something I'd rush out to buy immediately, but I think it's nice to give to someone special or for a special day."
Along with the long wait to create the first genetically engineered flower of its kind, Suntory needed government permission to bring "Applause" to market.
Roses make up nearly 10 percent of Japan's cut flower market, which Suntory hopes will quickly blossom into even greater returns.
