Women in the Gamtoos Valley:
Canvas Roses, Ingrid Ferreira
Ingrid, a beautiful grandmother of four started a brand-new business at an age where most people are starting to scale down to have a quieter life.
Five years ago, when she and her husband, Niekerk, were making a fresh start in Loerie, Ingrid Ferreira decided to support her husband’s citrus farming with an extra business.
“It was a difficult time with drought and uncertainty. But I knew I had to do something. I got an idea from God that I had received a clean canvas with endless possibilities,” she says.
She has always loved gardening and had already planted a few rose trees when her children suggested she make a business out of it.
“I decided to use what I have: I have hands, I have a love for gardening, and I know how to add colors and predict fashions,” says the former beauty queen who has a wide knowledge of modelling and trends.
She first started with “housewive buckets” that she simply sold to friends and acquaintances just to test the market. Thus began “Canvas Roses.”
“I started processing meat for hunters to make money for new rose trees. Today, the cold room where all the meat was hanging is full of buckets of flowers.”
Her business has grown to more than 2500 rose trees in 20 varieties. She supplies to various shops and florists daily. Her focus market is however weddings. She has also expanded her farming activities to include other varieties of flowers to complement her rose business and stretch the supply season.
“I love roses. It’s a classic flower, and the Netflix series, The Bridgerton’s, made roses and romance fashionable again. The scent of a rose is just as important. It adds to the atmosphere and drama.”
Ingrid says she feels empowered and is proud of herself for building the business from scratch. “I have learned to do everything myself, from spraying, irrigating, detecting pests, pruning and cutting. I can already advise Niekerk, my husband, what pesticides to spray for what pests!”
She ensures a good relationship with her customers and suppliers. “I’m the face of my business and I make sure everyone gets personal attention. My customers trust that I give excellent service as well as taste.”
“Farming is hard work and it is physically challenging. I’ve had surgery done on my hand, but I enjoy getting my hands dirty and being a part of every part of the process. The farm has become like my own gym. I take between 12- and 15-thousand steps every day.”
Ingrid has several permanent employees, Teresa, Mafuzi and Aletha, who help her with everything from pruning to making flower bunches. Damian is responsible for the irrigation and spraying. She recently contracted the services of a manager who will help her with growing Canvas Roses.
“I now understand the stress that my husband always talked about of being a farmer himself and being responsible for your own business,” says Ingrid. “Running your own business is very stressful, even more starting your own business and growing it.”
She believes in empowering others and loves to share her story.
She recently presented her first pruning course to 40 women and plans to host similar events next year.
“People thought I was crazy to start a new business at 54. I thought of giving up even in the first year. But my son, Ronald, encouraged me, he reminded me that business’s first thousand days are the hardest. I stuck with it, made mistakes and learned a lot.”
She believes in not wasting anything. The flowers that are not sold in bunches are made up in smaller bunches and supplied to local hawkers, alternatively new plants are propagated. Rose petals from flowers which do not form part of bunches, are used for confetti. She makes her own compost and covers her rose beds with plastic to prevent evaporation.
“The new varieties of flowers are a new challenge. This new endeavour is a great challenge to me, and I enjoy experimenting. That’s the only way in which one learns what works, and what doesn’t.”
Some of her roses are in propagation tunnels. Two tunnels have been installed for seedlings. The planting of more varieties is planned for the coming year.
“I was always shy to speak up, but now I can’t stop talking about my passion. I want to empower and encourage other women through my story. Women have endless possibilities and talents. Use your talents and the tools you have and get going. At times it will be hard, and there might be different seasons that one needs to face and go through. That is just like a rose bush, at times when you are pruned back harshly there are difficult winters. But then spring and summer comes again, and you produce beautiful and scented roses as you are supposed to.”
Vroue van die Gamtoos Vallei:
Canvas Roses, Ingrid Ferreira
Dié ouma van vier het op ‘n ouderdom wat meeste mense begin afskaal en rustiger wil word, ‘n splinternuwe besigheid begin.
Ingrid Ferreira het vyf jaar gelede, toe sy en haar man, Niekerk, ‘n nuwe begin gemaak het op Loerie, besluit om haar man se sitrusboerdery aan te vul met ‘n ekstra besigheid.
“Dit was ‘n moeilike tyd met droogte en onsekerheid. Maar ek het geweet ek moet iets doen. Ek het ‘n gedagte van God gekry dat ek ‘n skoon skilderdoek ontvang het met eindelose moontlikhede,” sê sy.
Sy was nog altyd lief vir tuinmaak en het reeds ‘n paar roosbome geplant toe haar kinders voorstel dat sy ‘n besigheid daarvan maak.
“Ek het besluit om te gebruik wat ek het: ek het hande, ek het ‘n liefde vir tuinmaak, en ek weet hoe om kleure bymakaar te sit en modes te voorspel,” sê die voormaligte skoonheidskoningin wat ‘n wye kennis het van modelwerk en modeneigings.
Sy het eers begin met “emmers vir huisvrouens” (“housewive buckets”) wat sy sommer aan vriendinne en kennisse verkoop het net om die mark te toets. So het “Canvas Roses” begin.
“Ek het begin vleis verwerk vir jagters om geld te maak vir nuwe roosbome. Vandag is die koelkamer waar al die vleis gehang het, vol emmers blomme.”
Haar besigheid het so gegroei dat sy nou kan spog met meer as 2 500 roosbome met 20 variëteite en verskaf daagliks aan winkels en bloemiste. Maar haar fokusmark is troues. Sy het ook haar boerdery uitgebrei na ander blomsoorte om haar seisoen te rek.
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“Ek is mal oor rose. Dit is klassiek, maar die reeks The Bridgerton’s het onder andere gehelp om rose en romantiek weer mode te maak. En die geur van ‘n roos is net so belangrik. Dit dra by tot die atmosfeer en drama.”
Ingrid sê sy voel bemagtig en is trots op haarself dat sy die besigheid van niks af self opgebou het. “Ek het alles self geleer doen, van bespuiting, besproeiing, tot siektes, snoei en sny. Ek kan nou al vir Niekerk sê watter gif om vir watter peste te spuit,” lag sy.
Sy maak seker dat sy ‘n goeie verhouding het met haar kliënte en verskaffers. “Ek is die gesig van die besigheid en sorg dat almal persoonlike aandag kry. My kliënte vertrou my diens en my smaak.”
“Dit is baie harde werk en fisies uitdagend. Ek moes al operasies aan my hand laat doen, maar ek geniet dit om my hande vuil te hê en deel te wees van die hele proses. Die boerdery is soos my eie gim. Ek kry elke dag tussen 12- tot 15-duisend tree in.”
Sy het ‘n paar permanente werkers, Teresa, Mafuzi en Aletha, wat help met alles van sny tot rangskikkings maak, en nog ‘n werker, Damian wat besproeiing en bespuiting doen. Sy het onlangs ‘n bestuurder aangestel om haar te help met die groeiende besigheid.
“Ek verstaan nou die stres wat my man altyd van gepraat het – om self ‘n boer te wees en verantwoordelik te wees vir jou eie besigheid,” sê Ingrid. “Maar ek is mal daaroor om te sien hoe iets uit niks gegroei het.”
Sy glo daaraan om ook ander te bemagtig en deel graag haar storie van ‘n nuwe begin; en dat almal iets het waarmee hulle iets kan doen en ‘n sukses kan maak.
Sy het onlangs haar eerste snoeikursus aangebied waar sy vir 40 vrouens gedemonstreer het hoe om roosbome te snoei en sy beplan om volgende jaar soortgelyke geleenthede aan te bied.
“Mense het gedink ek is mal om op die ouderdom 54 ‘n nuwe besigheid te begin. Ek wou al in die eerste jaar moed opgee. Maar my seun, Ronald, het my aangemoedig en gesê ‘n besigheid se eerste duisend dae is die moeilikste. Ek het vasgebyt, foute gemaak en baie geleer.”
Sy glo daarin om niks te mors nie. Die blomme wat nie in bossies verkoop word nie, word kleiner gesny en deur plaaslike smouse verkoop, of hulle maak saad daarvan. Van die rose wat nie gebruik word in ruikers nie, se blare word gestroop vir bv. konfetti. Sy maak haar eie kompos en gebruik plastiekbedekking vir blomplantjies om so water te bespaar.
“Die ander blomsoorte is ‘n nuwe leerskool. Dit is ‘n groot vreugde vir my en ek geniet dit om te eksperimenteer. So leer mens wat werk, en wat werk nie.”
Sy het van haar rose onder net, het twee tonnels aangebring vir saailinge en ander blomsoorte en beplan nog verskillende variëteite in die volgende jaar.
“Ek was altyd skaam om te praat, maar kan nou nie ophou praat oor my passie nie. Ek wil ander vrouens bemagtig en bemoedig deur my storie. Dat elkeen iets kán doen. Almal het iets in hulle, weet van iets en kan die “tools” wat hulle het gebruik. Doen dit net. Daar is swaar tye, en verskillende seisoene waardeur mens gaan. Maar dit is ook net soos ‘n roos. Daar is swaar wintertye wanneer jy gesnoei word, maar dan kom die lente en somer wanneer jy werklik tot jou reg kom en blom soos wat jy veronderstel is.”