YEREVAN, December 2. /ARKA/. Brothers Aram and Armen were 15 and 13 years old, when they began gathering violets in the forest and selling them on holidays in Yerevan to somehow ease their family’s burdens. They were hard years. The difficulties tempered the boys, making them realize they should commit themselves to tomorrow. The brothers never avoided work.
‘It is life. If there is a problem of earning the daily bread, any work is praiseworthy,’ – they say.
The boys became so proficient that they could gather 500-600 bouquets of violets and sold them for 100 drams each.
A little later they decided to get down to a more ‘serious’ business. Following a friend’s advice, they started growing gladiolus seeds. It was an unfamiliar business, in fact – risky. However, the seeds were successfully sold. It was in 2009. The first experiment was successful, giving confidence to the budding entrepreneurs.
Once a friend approached them offering cooperation. Moreover, he invested 250 thousand drams in the joint business. Sales began to grow. In fact, they did not feel a shortage in demand for gladiolus. They sold the flowers also in the city of Vanadzor.
Three years ago, the brothers jointly with their village fellows founded the first greenhouse. However, that cooperation did not last long. The brothers sold their share and invested the raised 2.2 million drams in a new business. This time, they began growing roses.
The greenhouse, irrigation systems and heating systems were built on a loan provided by ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK on special terms. This was a higher level business and profits began to grow too. In the meantime the brothers married, built their own houses, certainly, next to one another.
The brothers made a division of labor. One of the brothers deals with cultivation, pruning and grafting, while all other obligations are the duty of the other brother.
I was pleased and surprised at the optimism and compassion of the brothers. When asked about the problems, the brothers said they had none.
The brothers intend to build another greenhouse. This, according to approximate estimates, will cost 1.8 million drams.
At the moment, the brothers do not have this amount, “but we have such a partner as ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK.”
At the end of our conversation the brothers recalled when they used to gather violets, they dreamed of building greenhouses, despite not having a penny in their pockets. -0-
