AUSTRALIA

from THE GREAT CHRYSANTHEMUM CREATORS

IRELAND

Wafex: a growing business success for 30 years

Wafex has emerged from humble beginnings in Australia to become a significant player in breeding, producing, importing, and exporting the world’s finest wildflowers. The family-owned business is celebrating 30 years of trading, and its second generation is aspiring to continue its fortunes.

AUTHOR:CASSIE ERCEG PHOTOS: WAFEX

Wafex has become a household name in Chamelaucium, aka waxflower. Commenting on the firm’s 30th anniversary founder Craig Musson says it’s a real honour to be at the helm of a multi-million turnover business that started from modest beginnings. “Wafex is now Australia’s leading flower company, with offices in the USA (California), Kenya (Nairobi), South America (Quito), Australia (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane), and a global presence across 26 countries.” Musson’s vision was to create a full-service global flower company to produce, source, and export premium quality flowers. That vision became a reality, and success followed. Today, Wafex encompasses more than 150 staff worldwide, 300 customers and over 500 growers. As Wafex continues to grow as a business, the second generation of Musson’s – Ryan and Kerryn - are involved in the import and wholesale divisions.

A TRULY GLOBAL COMPANY

Wafex is a truly global company. The company’s dedicated staff sources flowers predominantly from Australia, California, South Africa, Europe, Kenya, Asia, and South America. Covering all key growing areas in the world, Wafex has a sophisticated import programme. With staff in Africa and Ecuador, Wafex can combine its strengths of global sourcing and flower connection, logistics and quality assurance to provide clients with an extensive range of quality flowers.

OPERATING A VERTICALLY INTEGRATED BUSINESS

Wafex owns and operates a vertically integrated business. It has established a supply chain that provides a steady pipeline of new varieties grown under licence all year round and for the exclusive benefit of growers and customers. The vertically integrated global flower business includes breeding, growing, production, importing and exporting investments.

ENSURING THE FUTURE

In 2007, Craig Musson and Adrian Parsons established the breeding company Helix Australia. Together, they have seen this investment prosper to ensure the continuity and future of Australia’s most popular commercial native flower – the waxflower. To do this, they needed farms to trial varieties and produce mother stock, which they have successfully done. Wafex continues to develop new varieties to ensure an ongoing pipeline of new products is always available to the market.

WORKING WITH GROWERS TO COMPLEMENT WAFEX FARMS

Wafex strongly supports Australian growers and farms, promoting the thousands of native varieties grown locally and globally. The Wafex farms have been developed to complement the range of its grower base and to plant the trials for Helix Australia’s breeding programme. Wafex farms predominantly grow Australian and South African native flowers, and are in the best growing regions, with ideal conditions for the wildflowers Wafex grows.

ON THE GROUND SUPPORT IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Wafex has a team of seasoned professionals, many of whom have been with the company for over ten years. Wafex has on-the-ground staff in the key growing regions of Kenya and Ecuador. Here it can ensure that grower deliveries are quality checked, vacuum cooled and despatched on time with all the necessary paperwork. Wafex USA is one of the very few fresh flower exporters in the USA, specialising in exports of Australian native cut flower varieties grown in the outstanding Southern California climate.

WAFEX IS A COMPANY THAT TAKES THE FUTURE VERY SERIOUSLY

Wafex’s overall company ethos and ethics are about being ecologically, economically, and environmentally responsible and sustainable. The company firmly believes in fair trade for all people and all products. Being a globally connected company, Wafex deals with various cultures and geographical conditions. But no matter which continent Wafex is operating from, the approach to business is always the same – creating relationships and partnerships that assist growers and suppliers in developing and developed countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade outcomes. Wafex’s overseas farms and farmers are at the heart of their local community, whether in Kenya, Ecuador, or South Africa. Many are family businesses that support their local community with programmes for women, wildlife reserves, community infrastructure and schools. Wafex values the countries, communities, and people it works with. Whether it be sustainability, packaging, rainforest alliance, recycling, reducing waste, or supporting farmers with correct economic and social equity, it is all about the current and future.

Wafex is a familybusiness Left to right Ryan, Michelle, Craig, and Kerryn Musson.

•Wafex will be exhibiting at the