KOCHI: Zynah Orchids is a leading cultivator and seller of the orchid plant in Kochi. The establishment which began with 100 plants in 2012, today has over 6,000 plants of different species and a big clientele. It all started when the then senior stores assistant at SFO Technologies Pvt Limited, Muhammad Shani decided to start cultivating orchids and today five years later his business generates an annual turnover over of around Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh.
“I began orchid cultivation as a hobby. However, once I gained enough experience, I left my job and took up growing the plants on a large-scale. The move proved right and I earned a profit within a year. Now, I grow 6,000 orchids,” said Mohammad.Shani said, his previous job helped him a lot in his new venture.
“The arrangements, the tagging process of the plants and storage are important. The things that I used to do as a store assistant helped me to devise a foolproof system which streamlined my business. Every plant in my nursery has a tag attached to it. These tags help the customers to differentiate them even at the seedling stage.”
“We also sell plants online. The online site helps us to cater to the customers who don’t have time to visit a nurser. It also makes us more visible.
We already have 1,200 registered customers and have delivered plants to almost all Indian states,” he said.According to Shani, the climate is the determining factor in the orchid business. “One has to be aware of the climate and its effects on the plant they care for. In Kerala, humidity has to be taken into consideration while caring for an orchid or any other plants,” he added.