Matsui Nursery

Toshikiyo Andy Matsui was born in Japan in 1935. He was raised on a small farm where his family grew starch products. Matsui decided to join a farm program in the U.S. and moved to Mountain View, California in 1961, where he apprenticed in growing chrysanthemums (the national flower of Japan). He moved permanently with his wife and first daughter to California soon thereafter. In 1969 he bought 50 acres of land near Salinas, California building greenhouses for flowers. He grew chrysanthemums, then roses. In 1998 at age 63, Matsui switched to Orchids when stiff competition from other countries arose in traditional flowers. He is now the world's largest potted orchid farmer.^[1][2]

In March 2015, Matsui's daughter Teresa Matsui became the president of Matsui Nursery.^[3][4]

Matsui Nursery switched from cut flower to potted orchids on a large scale in 1998. Matsui Nursery started the country's first grocery retail program for potted orchids. It grows millions of orchids, with hundreds of varieties, yearly. It is one of the world's largest potted orchid growers.^[5]

It takes two to three years for the plants to grow from sprouts to store shelves. Matsui Nursery has about 10 million potted orchids continuously in production in 75 acres of greenhouse. The orchids are shipped across the U.S. and globally.^{[6][better source needed]}