The Rural Voice, 2001-04, Page 44BUSI)1 s Is
Arnold Wiegersm or days
then n lily far of his ow
By B nie ropp
As a young boy in Holland Arnold Wiegersma loved
lilies. Today, that love has been turned into an
agricultural business.
Employed full-time at his father's pig farm, across the
road from his RR1, Bluevale home, Wiegersma, along with
his wife Margy, wholesales and retails Village and Farm
Brand lilies and bulbs. Margy, though an occupational
therapist by profession, shares her husband's love of
horticulture, and the summer after moving into their house
they started growing lilies outdoors.
The next step, says Arnold, was a decision to propagate
them and sell them through retailers. This meant
establishing contacts. "It was difficult to find wholesalers.
It took two years to find our way around the business," he
says which he describes as "closed and very protected."
Once all the groundwork was completed a greenhouse
was built. The supplier of their bulbs from the Cambridge
area is an international company so the bulbs they receive
come from all over the world, primarily Holland and South
America. All are graded in Holland, however.
"The bulb supply helps us learn about new varieties,"
says Margy.
The business at Wiegersma Greenhouse is two -fold,
those grown indoors and those out. Their contract for
40 THE RURAL VOICE