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"Senhor Pinheirinho"
"Mr LittleFir"
Mr. Hering visiting
Castanheiras Reserve
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Little "Firs" decorate the table of the terrace, the
entrance door,
also the coffee cups served to visitors. The headquarters of the
Castanheiras
Reserve, in the outskirts of São Paulo, has the "tree-symbol" of
Christmas as its main attraction. William Hering (72)
dedicated himself over five decades growing four species of conifers
for
Christmas. These trees decorated homes of several well known
"paulistanos".
The actress Eva Wilma, for example, always purchases one at the flower
shop at "Praça Dario de Barros" - "Cidade Jardim", where
Hering's
Company keeps its only Christmas-tree-display. "Since I moved to
"Itaim",
twenty years ago, I buy Christmas trees there", reports Mrs. Eva
Wilma.
Another faithful customer, the entrepreneur Mrs. Lucilia Diniz, ordered
a 3 meter-tree, "a longtime tradition of my family". Also Clubs, as
Paulistano
and Harmonia, decorate their halls with Agro Castanheiras-trees. |
The secret of success is pruning them properly affirms Hering.
Agro´s
trees grow in a 132 hectars-area, next to the Billings Reservoir.
In order to obtain a spotless cone-format, the trees are submitted
annually
to three prunings, done with real sharp machetes. They only are
selected,
after approximately seven Christmas-seasons. Out of every 1.000 trees
planted
only a small quantity - fifty to hundred units receive a red label, as
approved.
A 2 meters tree costs around 450 Reals. The largest
Christmas
tree available this year is a 8 meter cunninghamia - the
exclusive
variety (the most expensive) priced for 7.900 Reals. The largest one
ever
harvested was a 16 meters tree, in 1982, purchased by the
Association
of Parents and Friends of the Bonanza ones ("APAE").
Hering started his activity as he was 15. Stimulated by his
father,
he had their trees displayed at a "fruit-dealer" by the street
corner
"Avenida Europa" with "Rua França". "I used to
provide
the merchant a 10% commission" remembers Hering. Later, he
developed the business. "As a student I provided my schoolmates a wage
and a part of the profits, for working on December."
In 1962, while taking Law at the São Paulo University
(USP),
he established the "Agro Castanheiras Ltda". He estimates having sold
about
65.000 trees during his activity in the past.
"I'm happy, bringing our customers in contact with nature,
during the
Christmas-Season", said Mr. "Pinheirinho".
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