Business Monday: Local grower returns to Hilo Orchid Society Show after winning best in show

Former Hawaiian Airlines employee Aubrey Hansen now spends his days caring for orchids and experimenting with breeding hybrids.

He gradually is learning the operation of his father-in-law’s 34-year-old business, Hilo Orchid Farm, in preparation for taking it over.

James Fang founded Hilo Orchid Farm in 1991, starting as a small, local nursery and growing into a major supplier of orchids across the United States. Now, the internationally recognized wholesale nursery cares for about 600 different species of the flowering plants.

Located on 36 acres of land, the farm has five acres devoted to greenhouses that incorporate modern technology and cutting-edge breeding programs to produce high-quality plants at competitive prices.

“I really love the daily work,” Hansen said. “I’m out in the greenhouses every day, working with plants, being around nice flowers, working with my hands and seeing the progress in front of my eyes.

While it can be taxing running a wholesale business, “I have enjoyed the process of working with my father-in-law and learning as much as I can from him.”

Orchid breeding is common for commercial and hobbyist growers alike. It involves controlled pollination of selected parent orchids to combine desired traits, followed by germination of the resulting seeds and the long process of growing the seedlings to maturity.

According to the American Orchid Society, there are more than 100,000 recognized hybrid orchid species, and Fang has created at least 200 of them.

Last year, Hilo Orchid Farm participated in the 71st Hilo Orchid Society Show and was awarded the Grand Champion (Best in Show) and the Reserve Champion (second best in show) for two hybrids, the Aliceara Hilo Gold ‘Hilo Ablaze’ and the Paphiopedilum Armeni White.

“James made the Hilo Gold many years ago, and we’ve been able to cultivate it and make it robust,” Hansen said. “I think it was a proud moment for him. The plant that won was the one we use as a mother plant, so every other Hilo Gold comes from that flower.

“It’s nice to know what we’re providing to customers is appreciated.”

Each of the greenhouses is light- and temperature-controlled to create ideal conditions for the varieties inside. The conditions are so optimal that some of the mother plants are more than a decade old and still used in their breeding program.

Hilo Orchid Farm employs about 10 people who de-flask, repot, and care for orchids before preparing them for shipment to nurseries across the country.

However, the week before the Hilo Orchid Society Show, focus shifts to preparing a display to match the theme, and caring for the flowers that will be featured and sold during the three-day event.

While Fang used to create a display for the Hilo Orchid Society Show every year, at some point, he slowed down and stopped participating as much due to the required amount of preparation.

Two years ago, Hansen decided to participate due to a last-minute dropout in the show.

“You kind of need to have a display to be able to sell during the weekend, and it’s a great time to meet other people in the orchid community, especially since some of them have been growing orchids for 50 years,” Hansen said. “It’s a good experience for the community, too.”

Although Hansen said this will only be his third year at the show, “we’ve seen the same people for the past two years and have been able to talk with them about the flowers we sold them the year prior. It’s rewarding for us, especially since we only wholesale to nurseries.”

Hansen said it takes about a month to prepare the orchids and create a display for the show, which can be challenging on top of normal operations.

“I know some people plan for months in advance to create beautiful displays that really match the theme,” Hansen said. “We usually start planting what we plan to use a month in advance, depending on what is in bloom. About a week before, we start getting the display ready and staking flowers where they need to go.”

Before the Hilo Orchid Society Show opens to the public, the displays and individual orchids are analyzed by about 60 judges, some of whom are certified by the American Orchid Society. Awards are bestowed in two categories: American Orchid Society Awards and Hilo Orchid Society Ribbons. Each category will be coordinated by an American Orchid Society-certified judge who lives on Hawaiʻi Island.

“It really does take 60 people divided into categories to do a full day of judging,” said Thomas Mirenda, Hilo Orchid Society member and American Orchid Society-certified judge. “There are 30,000 different orchid species, not counting hybrids, which is why there are so many categories and so many awards.”

When the show opens to the general public, there will be a large selection of orchids for sale that are suited for growers of all skill levels. The show also features lectures and demonstrations about growing and caring for orchids, and an “orchid doctor” who is ready to answer questions.

“We’re lucky to live on Hawaiʻi Island; it truly is the orchid isle,” Mirenda said. “The quality and variety are unbelievable in Hilo. We’re among the best orchids in the world.”

Education and outreach are a big part of the Hilo Orchid Society’s mission of conserving and preserving orchids around the world. Each year, proceeds from the show’s silent auction go to the society’s scholarship fund for undergraduate and graduate students in the University of Hawaiʻi system.

Scholarships are available to Hawaiʻi students pursuing a degree in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management or in a natural science. Preference is given to students who have demonstrated an interest in orchid conservation and preservation.

“I think it is important to keep encouraging young people to pursue orchid growing, because it is something that is becoming less popular with the younger generations,” Hansen said. “There is a lot to learn, but there is no reason to be intimidated because there are so many experts here ready to share their knowledge for the sake of growing orchids in the future.”

The 71st Hilo Orchid Society Show will run Friday to Sunday aat Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium. The public can attend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.