The coveted ‘Gold Rose’ award was presented to La Gaitana Farms by Daan de Vries, CEO of Headline Sponsor MPS, at the AIPH IGOTY Awards Ceremony 2025 on Tuesday 28 January 2025 at IPM Essen, Germany.
Founded in 2009, the AIPH IGOTY Awards recognise best practice in horticulture by the top ornamental production nurseries from around the globe, celebrating the expertise and energy they give to horticulture.
La Gaitana Farms cultivate a wide variety of blooms with the utmost respect for the environment and communities. The family-owned, independent company grows carnations and produces bouquets from its 43 hectares of cropping area. Their commitment to sustainable practices, technological innovation, and social responsibility has positioned them as a trusted supplier in international markets.
Camilo Bleier of La Gaitana Farms said: “It’s a big challenge to step into these shoes and keep improving every day, but we’ve done our homework. It’s a pleasure to be in this industry, it’s fun every day, and you can never grow tired of nature.”
In addition to the Gold Rose Award, La Gaitana Farms also won the Cut Flowers & Bulbs category, presented by Remko Muntinga, CEO of Chrysal, and the Sustainability category, presented by Sarah von Fintel, Key Account Manager for GlobalG.A.P. and G.G.N. Label.
The IGOTY 2025 Jury commented: “Growing in Colombia and distributing globally has pushed La Gaitana Farms to elite status in the production of Carnations. The company’s focus on sustainable practices in everything they do will help lead them to a strong and successful future. La Gaitana Farms utilises strong selection, implementation, and evaluation processes to ensure quality products. They continuously adopt new innovations in all areas and their efforts towards sustainability and adapting to climate change have borne results.”
The IGOTY 2025 category winners are:
Young International Grower of the Year
- Winner: David Marin (Colombia)
- Finalist: Thomas Reeves (Brazil)
- Finalist: Stuart van Staalduinen (Canada)
Cut Flowers and Bulbs
- Winner: La Gaitana Farms (Colombia)
- Finalist: Soex Flora PVT. LTD. (India)
- Finalist: Yunnan Yuntianhua Huajiangpu Technology Co., Ltd (China)
Young Plants
- Winner: Plant Select (Belgium)
- Finalist: Könst Alstroemeria B.V. (Netherlands)
- Finalist: Qianxinan Green Edge Animal and Plant Technology Development Co., Ltd. (China)
Finished Plants and Trees
- Winner: VIVERCID (Spain)
- Finalist: Stolkbrothers (Netherlands)
- Finalist: Taizhou Suzhong Horticulture Co., Ltd (China)
Sustainability
- Winner: La Gaitana Farms (Colombia)
- Finalist: Fitoralia (Spain)
- Finalist: Yunnan Yuntianhua Huajiangpu Technology Co., Ltd (China)
- Finalist: Taizhou Suzhong Horticulture Co., Ltd (China)
In addition to the category winners, AIPH recognised the efforts of three producers with Certificates of Merit. Although these entries did not reach the finals, their commitment to the industry is worthy of acknowledgement.
- Chengdu Lvwo Agriculture Co., Ltd (China)
- Javoy Plantes Pepinieres (France)
- Kaset 32 Farms (Thailand)
For more information about each of the winners, take a look at the digital Winners Brochure.
AIPH thanks Headline Sponsor MPS, Host Partner IPM Essen, Category Sponsors Chrysal, GLOBALG.A.P., and Verticalle, Event Sponsor Vitro Plus, Support Sponsors Landscape Istanbul Fair and MyPlant&Garden, and Founding Partner FloraCulture International for their continued support of the awards.
Entry for IGOTY 2025 is now open! Find more information and begin your entry here.
