A.M.A. + Orchard Park Growers

It all starts with a love of flowers.

For more than 40 years, Orchard Park Growers (Orchard Park), has kept pace with change, delivering select grower and consumer favourites in a variety of formats. For more than 15 of those year’s, A.M.A. has been a proud partner of the Ontario-based family farm, helping them to brainstorm new solutions and sharing knowledge to help ensure success.

Orchard Park’s unrelenting focus on quality, consistency and innovation has earned them a reputation as a trusted brand in North America’s horticulture industry.

“It’s all about trust”

Orchard Park’s story began with a leap of faith in 1969 when Dutch immigrants John and Florie Schouwenaar planted an orchard to grow Niagara peaches in St. Catherines, Ontario. Like a lot of growers in the area, they got their start selling at the Ontario Fruit Terminal where, over the years, they built trusted relationships and established a solid customer base.

“Trust is what drives our willingness to innovate,” said Karl Schouwenaar, Operations Manager at Orchard Park and grandson of John Schouwenaar. “We believe that good relationships – with our customers and suppliers – are key to success and we are thankful for the honest and trustworthy relationships we share with many in the industry.”

By 2000, the farm’s focus shifted from fruit to floral, with state-of-the-art greenhouses ready to usher in a new millennium. The farm was renamed Orchard Park Growers and today it is among Canada’s top propagation, growing and finishing operations in the ornamentals market.

Quality means a long-term outlook

Orchard Park’s focus on quality has steered their strategy to grow a small number of long-term varieties really, really well. They offer an impressive line-up, from Agapanthus to Zygocactus.

“It takes knowledge, consistency and non-stop innovation to bring a plant from propagation to finishing in a way that buyers can count on,” continued Karl. “That’s where A.M.A. comes in. They are more than just a supplier. They have a willingness to be innovative, follow trends and share those ideas with us to enable us to exceed our customer’s expectations.”

Values-driven success

Success means something different for every grower, so how do you measure it? For Orchard Park (and for A.M.A.), success means measuring up to the values you live by.

“Things may change in horticulture, but things also stay the same,” said Gerard Schouwenaar, Owner and Manager of Orchard Park. “We believe that good relationships, consistency and quality are core values that drive success in our industry today, and will continue to do so in the future.”

Learn more about Orchard Park Growers by visiting their website. From all of us at A.M.A., thank you to the Orchard Park team for sharing this story and for your ongoing business.