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 Have
you hybridized or discovered a new plant?
If it's worthy of patenting -
you'll want to read this page. It contains sound advice for plant breeders
no matter what kind of plant you've developed.
1) Don't
sell or give out any plants until you have signed agreement!
Don't
give it to anyone, not your
grandmother, your best friend, a botanic garden or university. You may loose
your option to protect your plant by patent or breeder rights.
When
shopping your plant to potential nurseries or brokers, send only pictures
and clearly state that your not making an offer to sell. Once the first
offer for sale occurs, the clock starts ticking and you have one year to
file for a patent.
Don't
settle for exclusive!
Some
nurseries want exclusive plants that only they can sell. This limits
the number of plants sold to the number that the "exclusive
nursery" grows. Even giving your plant to the largest nursery in the
U.S. will only give you approximately 1% of the U.S. market.
Don't
register or name your plant until you have a plan
You do not want to imply that
your plant is available for sale and you want to leave plant naming
options open until you are ready to begin marketing.
Consider
Proven Winners ColorChoice when introducing your plant
The
patent books are filled with patented plants that cannot be found in the
market. Developers make the mistake of patenting a plant and expecting
growers to beat down their doors to grow it. This rarely happens. It takes
more than just a good plant and a patent to have success.
Proven
Winners ColorChoice
keys for success:
Availability:
You need to grow an adequate number of plants to get it into
market and build momentum. This is critical! With a good new plant we
try to have 50,000 to 200,000 plants before we introduce. We also
utilize the largest network of licensed growers in North America
Distribution:
We have a wide wholesale customer base that is looking for new plants like
yours. We sell to 3,000 customers across the US and
Canada. We work with over 80 licensed growers. We will not keep your
plant exclusive!
As
a propagation nursery we have a distinct distribution advantage over nurseries
that grow and sell large grades of plants. Liners are small and light
weight and easily shipped on a national basis.
Our
large existing customer base is comprised of of both
wholesale growers and retail growers.
Promotion:
Not hype, but quality information and photography that will
showcase the plant and it's merits. It lets growers, retailers and
consumers know about your plant so they are willing to give it a try. A
national marketing program is better than a regional program. Marketing
should be more than just advertising.
Plant
protection: We will help you with US plant patent applications. We
also have agents in Canada, Europe and Japan. We pay all up front
protection costs.
Money:
Successful plant introduction
requires up front money. We cover all associated costs in
introduction. Lawyer fees,
patenting fees, and especially marketing and promotions costs can run
thousands of dollars. We are the one risking this
upfront money, no you.
Spring
Meadow knows that breeders are essential to the process.
Our goal in
working with breeders is to be straight forward, honest and as helpful as
possible.
We also know that we have to work and act in your best
interest, otherwise no one would bring us new plants or recommend us as an
option for introduction.
We
are not the best option for introducing every type of plant. Anyone who
says they can do every plant justice is not telling you the truth. If you
have developed a tree, an annual, a tropical plant, or a
house plant we can help you with advice, suggest some other nurseries, but
we would not be your best option for a partner.
Our
focus is Shrubs! When it comes to shrubs we are confident that we have
a good program to help you introduce your plant and bring you your great
possible return. Our customers look to us for new and improved
shrubs.
Summary
We
have the facilities, the customer base, the distribution system, the
marketing know how, and the experience to help you introduce your shrub.
We
will gladly supply References. Go ahead - find out what other breeders are
saying about ColorChoice.
As
a propagation nursery we can get your plant to market quickly and in the
hands of growers across North America and overseas too.
Our
open licensing philosophy gets your plant to hundreds of growers and
retailers, and provides you with the greatest possible financial return.
Our
unique, but effective marketing can give your plant national exposure to
growers, retailers, and even consumers.
Unlike
a broker, we provide an existing customer base and a production and
distribution system, without the added cost of a middleman.
Our
ColorChoice introduction program provides a built in marketing and
promotion program. Every grower who sells your plant pays into this
promotional program, creating greater sales and a greater return to the
breeder.
Learn
more about ColorChoice.
If
you would like to know more about the potential of partnering with Spring
Meadow Nursery, give us a call.
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