ANSU Vanda

ANSU Vanda is an orchid nursery in Wateringen, South Holland. Every week the com-pany sells a quarter of a million flowers and plants, a large proportion of which go abroad. ANSU is Europe’s only supplier of the Vanda, the world's most exclusive or-chid. With breeding and propagation in Thailand and marketing and sales in the Netherlands, they have an attractive and reliable concept.

The exclusive orchid: the Vanda

The orchid, the queen of the jungle, comes in many different species! The Vanda is one of the most exclusive orchid species. With its spectacular aerial roots, extrava-gant colours and opulent appearance the plant is a stylish addition to any interior. The growth habit of this plant is very special, as it does not grow in the soil but on a tree. The aerial roots hang freely or wrap themselves around the tree. You can read more about the Vanda on our product page about this orchid.

The history of ANSU Vanda

The Vanda is grown exclusively by the Ansu nursery. This company's history is a great story. Decades ago, grower Steef Adrichem visited Thailand, where he saw the Vanda Blue Magic. He thought it was such a beautiful flower that he contacted Tam-long Suphachadiwong of Suphachadiwong Orchids, breeder of Vanda orchids. As a child, Tamlong helped his father grow orchids. Years later he came across a special type of orchid, the Vanda. He bought this Vanda and started his own business in Thailand to focus on breeding, selecting and exporting orchids, including the Vanda. When Steef and Tamlong met up, they decided to work together. Steef became the exclusive grower of the Vanda in Europe. He started by growing some Vandas in his father's rose nursery in the Netherlands. Soon he was selling lots of orchids, and the roses were banished from the nursery. The Vandas became such a success that Steef and Tamlong together developed and cultivated further varieties through breeding. Because the business was doing so well, Steef acquired a partner in 2010 - his neigh-bour and former pepper grower Ed Helderman.

The company in the Netherlands was previously called ANCO. This was changed to ANSU in 2019. The first two letters refer to the former company name. SU refer-ences the first letters of Tamlong's orchid nursery Suphachadiwong Orchids. Their motto is 'Standing out Together', and they certainly do that by cultivating the beauti-ful Vandas.

Hanging Vandas in the greenhouses

Thousands of Vandas hang in ANSU Vanda's greenhouses, spread over 6 hectares. The Vandas are grown in Thailand. After five years they are shipped to the Nether-lands. In the Netherlands they hang for at least another year, so that the plant de-velops a perfect flower. New stems with flowers then develop constantly; some of the plants hanging in the greenhouse are 15 years old! They offer a wide range of Vanda plants and Vanda cut flowers all year round. ANSU's greenhouse is filled with a riot of colour, from white, yellow, pink, blue to purple and even brown. They focus on unique varieties, such as the popular Blue Magic, with which it all started in Thai-land.

Breeding

There are now more than 100 Vanda varieties. Continuous breeding means more and more varieties are coming onto the market, each even more beautiful than the rest. Breeding takes place in Thailand. The breeding focuses on lifespan, productivity and new colours or patterns. Such a breeding process can sometimes take up to 15 years.

Socially responsible cultivation

Sustainability is very important to ANSU. Initiatives include using as little energy as possible thanks to solar panels, maximum utilisation of water through recirculation, and minimal use of chemicals. The Vandas are sustainably lit by a combined heat and power system. All these sustainable initiatives have earned the grower multiple cer-tifications from Global Gap, MPS-A, MPS-SQ and Plant Proof. The video below shows what this socially responsible cultivation looks like.