{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='The queen of orchids blooms amidst poverty and natural destruction' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c1add8eafeecae153f9a' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c1add8eafeecae153f9a' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nThe queen of orchids blooms amidst poverty and natural destruction\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eThe cattleya orchid.It's a welcome beauty in a land crushed by poverty and natural disaster. Antoine Assali, or Toni as he prefers to be called, is a Haitian of Lebanese descent.He's achieved the unexpected with his orchid-export...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eThe cattleya orchid.\u003cbr/\u003eIt's a welcome beauty in a land crushed by poverty and natural disaster. \u003cbr/\u003eAntoine Assali, or Toni as he prefers to be called, is a Haitian of Lebanese descent.\u003cbr/\u003eHe's achieved the unexpected with his orchid-export business.\u003cbr/\u003eIt's nestled in a 14,000 square metre property in the valley of Kenscoff just outside the capital Port-au-Prince.\u003cbr/\u003eInside the nursery, his 28 employees organised in day and night shifts, tend to the growing of  the cattleya. \u003cbr/\u003eAlthough there are 25-thousand types of cattleya this beautiful bloom is considered to be the queen of the orchids. \u003cbr/\u003eOf delicate colours and light fragrance the flower can grow up to 8 inches (20.3 cm) across.\u003cbr/\u003eAssali says the flowers were his passion long before they become a source of income.\u003cbr/\u003e\"My ancestors from my father's side have been textile importers since the end of the 19th century, quite big ones. I took over my father's business, but since the economy, importing, and trading in the capital started not doing too well, I can't say they were falling apart, but let's just say businesses wasn't doing great. I decided to start a business around what has always been a great passion of mine: orchid collecting. Since I was a teenager I have been very interested in this flower, you know, we are born with passions and we don't know why, like Bach was born with a passion for music,\" he says.  \u003cbr/\u003eWith a bold strategy for a young man - he was 25 years old at the time - Assali borrowed money, bought some land without even having a partner in the US and finally secured a deal with a New Jersey company.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Kenscoff valley benefits from a cool micro climate, far away from the heat, excessive humidity and pollution of the capital, which makes it ideal to cultivate this kind of orchid.\u003cbr/\u003eCattleyas are short-lived and they demand a lot of work, but they benefit from a loyal fan base.\u003cbr/\u003eThese are the ones used as accessories, in buttonholes, as well as used in funerals and marriages. It is this kind of orchid which sticks in the mind of the public,\" says Assali. \u003cbr/\u003e\"There are really big orchid producers in the world, like Thailand, which is the largest exporter of orchid clusters in the world. We produce something different. The difference between these orchids  is that the Cattleya require a cool climate to grow. It must be around 16 - 17 degrees Celsius (60.8 - 62.6 Fahrenheit) at night and no more that 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) during the day, and here we have the ideal climate to grow these orchids,\" he adds. \u003cbr/\u003eIn the 60s, when Assali began to export cattleyas to the US, flowers in general and orchids in particular were a common accessory in women's fashion.\u003cbr/\u003eDuring those golden times, Assali sent 2 shipments a week to a flower broker in Miami.  Nowadays that's reduced to just one a week. \u003cbr/\u003eBut Assali's orchids have not fallen victim to fashion or indeed global circumstance. \u003cbr/\u003eFor 26 years this entrepreneur guided his business through the end of the Duvalier family dictatorship in Haiti, a military junta, an economic embargo, the turbulent 90s and the first decade of the 21st century which has seen  political and social turmoil.\u003cbr/\u003eEvery week Assali and his workers cut and meticulously package the delicate cattleyas in boxes before driving to the international airport to pack their load safely off to Miami.\u003cbr/\u003ePort-au-Prince is not very far from Kenscoff, the rim of mountains surrounding the capital. \u003cbr/\u003eThe road is uneven to say the least and if caught in traffic the 15 kilometre (9.3 mile) journey  between Assali's property and the airport  can take up to an hour or more.\u003cbr/\u003ePower cuts, lack of infrastructure and difficulties repairing equipment are the main challenges he faces in his everyday work.\u003cbr/\u003eAssali believes persistence, tenacity and hard work as the reasons for the success of his business, but he also has a profound belief in destiny.\u003cbr/\u003eWith no children to take over his orchids, he's looking for another way to assure their future. \u003cbr/\u003e\"I am interested in transforming this place into a foundation in order to assure its durability. I want it to remain and either to belong the the country or to a foundation so that it stays one of the few valid, worthwhile things that remain in this country, and continues living, continues giving jobs, continues to export - this is a country that exports almost nothing, but it exports the most fragile flower in the world, which is an extraordinary paradox. In a degrading environment, without infrastructure, we get to grow a flower, a difficult flower to grow, with a very short life span and we export it to the richest and most demanding country of the world, the US,\" he says.  \u003cbr/\u003eCattleya orchids might not be a priority for the impoverished Haitian state, but foreign foundations, such as the Open Society of George Soros, have already made contact with Assali.\u003cbr/\u003eBut that is still in the future.\u003cbr/\u003eAssali's most immediate concern is the nearby carved out sand mountain which looms over his orchid nurseries. \u003cbr/\u003eHis greatest fear is that a landslide caused by tropical rain or by the tail of a hurricane could cover the valley and its hidden treasures.\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television \u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 11 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e1. Close up of lilac Cattleya orchid\u003cbr/\u003e2. Close up of white Cattleya orchid\u003cbr/\u003e3. Wide of interior of greenhouse, workers watering orchids\u003cbr/\u003e4. Medium of worker watering orchids\u003cbr/\u003e5. Pots with Cattleya orchids hanging from ceiling\u003cbr/\u003e6. Pan of the greenhouses at Antoine (Toni)  Assali's property\u003cbr/\u003e7. Set up shot of Haitian entrepreneur Toni Assali\u003cbr/\u003e8. SOUNDBITE: (French) Toni Assali, Orchid Exporter:\u003cbr/\u003e\"My ancestors from my father's side have been textile importers since the end of the 19th century, quite big ones. I took over my father's business, but since the economy, importing, and trading in the capital started not doing too well, I can't say they were falling apart, but let's just say business wasn't great. I decided to start a business around what has always been a great passion of mine: orchid collecting. Since I was a teenager I have been very interested in this flower, you know, we are born with passions and we don't know why, like Bach was born with a passion for music.\" \u003cbr/\u003eAP Television \u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 14 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e9. Various of workers in the process of cutting the Cattleya orchids for export\u003cbr/\u003e10. Other workers placing the orchids on special trays\u003cbr/\u003e11. Close up of how one worker places a white Cattleya orchid on the tray\u003cbr/\u003e12. Workers carrying trays\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television \u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 11 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e13. SOUNDBITE: (French) Toni Assali, Orchids Sxporter:\u003cbr/\u003e\"The Cattleya is the biggest orchid and it is considered the queen of orchids. These are the ones used as accessories, in buttonholes, as well as used in funerals and marriages. It is this kind of orchid which sticks in the mind of the public. There are really big orchid producers in the world, like Thailand, which is the largest exporter of orchid clusters in the world. We produce something different. The difference between these orchids  is that the Cattleya require a cool climate to grow. It must be around 16 - 17 degrees Celsius (60.8 - 62.6 Fahrenheit) at night and no more that 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) during the day, and here we have the ideal climate to grow these orchids.\" \u003cbr/\u003eAP Television \u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 14 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e14. Close up of a lilac Cattleya orchid\u003cbr/\u003e15. Close up of a white and lilac Cattleya orchid\u003cbr/\u003e16. Close up of a white Cattleya orchid\u003cbr/\u003e17. Medium of main warehouse with workers preparing the trays for more orchids\u003cbr/\u003e18. Woman preparing small tubes with water where orchids will be placed\u003cbr/\u003e19. Man at another table preparing orchids on the trays\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 11 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e20. SOUNDBITE: (French) Toni Assali, Orchid Exporter:\u003cbr/\u003e\"I am interested in transforming this place into a foundation in order to assure its durability. I want it to remain and either to belong the the country or to a foundation so that it stays one of the few valid, worthwhile things that remain in this country, and continues living, continues giving jobs, continues to export - this is a country that exports almost nothing, but it exports the most fragile flower in the world, which is an extraordinary paradox. In a degrading environment, without infrastructure, we get to grow a flower, a difficult flower to grow, with a very short life span and we export it to the richest and most demanding country of the world, the US.\" \u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 14 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e21. Various of process in which worker fills cardboard box with shredded paper in order to protect orchids during trip to the US, zoom in\u003cbr/\u003e22. Medium of hands placing orchids in the box\u003cbr/\u003e23. Medium of same\u003cbr/\u003e24. Box full and almost ready, paper reading \"This side opens to bottom for free inspection\" for the US customs\u003cbr/\u003e25. Worker pairing lid with box and placing it alongside more boxes before starting to package new one\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television \u003cbr/\u003eKenscoff, 11 September 2009\u003cbr/\u003e26. Pan of greenhouses\u003cbr/\u003e27. Medium of the eroded mountain filmed from the plantation \u003cbr/\u003eThe Haitian cattleya orchid is Haiti's most successful export.\u003cbr/\u003eBut in this poverty stricken and storm ravaged nation, these delicate orchids are grown just a stone's throw away from eroded sand mountains where landslides and hurricanes regularly wreak havoc for the local population. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource 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