AREAS OF CONSIDERATION:
The East Orchids is an orchid farm in the campus grounds of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. It was formally opened on May 31, 1989, by Mr. and Mrs. Max Prieto. East Orchids sold both cut flowers and plants. As a typical with orhidariums, the farm has a 3,000 sq. m. Canopy enclosure of green netting that covering a huge inventory of orchids.
HISTORY
The Prieto’s family was one of the prominent families in Davao, where Mr. Prieto was a former mayor. It was during the term of Mr. Prieto that his wife Princess became interested in orchids. The decision to breed orchids was very arbitrary and definitely not for the purpose of putting up a business. The East Orchids was started as a hobby of Mrs. Prieto before it was organized as a business. She got curious when her friends were into orchids. She bought a couple and decided to try to take care of them just for fun until she became obsessed with them. She treated the orchids like her babies that she felt that she just had to take care of them.
Mrs. Prieto’s orchid collection grew. Soon, the orchids filled the entire garden and were running over into their driveway and some of them had to place outside the house. Soon, neigbors and nearby flower shops were offering to buy cut flowers from her. At first, she simply gave the flowers but as the offer increased she began selling these. It was when the orchids alarmed to take over every living space in the home of family Prietos that Mrs. Prieto decided to sell the whole plants. Because of enormous money was coming into their way, they started to think about orchids as a business.
In 1989, when the Prieto’s family moved to Manila due to Mr. Prieto’s commitment, they also made up their minds to lease 5,000 sq. m. of land from University of the Philippines at the lease price of P12,000.00 a year. They invested to clear up the land which was originally the garbage dump and for the net