A team of entrepreneurs in Prekmurje, one of Slovenia’s poorest regions, came up with a daring business idea and made it a reality. They are now well-known across Europe for growing one of the most precious, sought-after flowers in the world.

When Roman Ferenčak and Tomaž Jevšnik worked in the flower business in the Netherlands, they were impressed by the efficiency and success of the Dutch flower growers. After their return to Slovenia, they decided to team up with a group of business partners and begin growing orchids - a symbol of luxury and sophistication since the “Orchid Mania” of the 19th century.

With a depressed economy and a high unemployment rate, Prekmurje has long struggled to attract investors. However, the region is rich in geothermal energy - it has long been famous for its thermal spas - and that turned out to be an important advantage for the fledgling company.

Ocean Orchids, as the company was dubbed, built a large greenhouse near the town of Dobrovnik. The greenhouse, heated to 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit), primarily by using inexpensive and clean geothermal energy, provided ideal conditions for phalaenopsis orchids, which are native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

Many of Ocean Orchids’ new employees had been laid off from failing companies in the area and embraced the opportunity to start careers in a brand-new field. In 2006, the company shipped its first orchids, and it now produces dozens of different varieties of the exotic flower.
Today, Ocean Orchids is the largest producer of phalaenopsis orchids in this part of Europe. The flowers typically bloom once a year, and in that time, more than a million of them are shipped to customers in Slovenia, all four neighboring countries, and beyond. The company also works with a Dutch flower exchange, which purchases orchids and distributes them around the world.

The orchids have been such a success that the company has recently branched out to other exotic flowers and even tropical fruit, while the greenhouse is emerging as a popular tourist destination.

The fragile tropical flowers are proving that even the parts of Slovenia hardest hit by the current recession can benefit from an entrepreneurial spirit – and that Slovenian ingenuity can always find success on the international market.