This summer, four students from the Department of Horticultural Science and Department of E-learning Design and Management, National Chiayi University, interned at Orchid Gene, an agricultural biotech startup located in North Carolina, U.S., with funding from the Ministry of Education and NCYU. The company’s brand, bloomify, specializes in plant-related products, ranging from indoor plants, potted plants, to home plant care products. Known for its innovative technology and aesthetic design, bloomify combines patented technology with horticultural art to allow flowers in bottles and jars to survive for long periods of time, making it easy for consumers to care for the plants they purchased. The company's products are frequent award-winners and ranked among the coolest gifts on Amazon.com.
Wu Nian-Zhen, an intern student from the Department of Horticultural Science, was in charge of producing culture media and tissue culture. Under guidance of the founder, she conducted experiments on staghorn ferns and literature review, manipulated plant growth hormone concentrations, and observed the plants' growth. Gan Zhi-Ning, Liang Jin-Wei, and Lin Jia-Qi, students from the Department of E-learning Design and Management, each handled the marketing plan for a new product. They defined the target customers for the products, wrote copy and took photos tailored to these groups, and successfully launched one of the products on the e-commerce platform.
During the internship, the four students often had meetings and discussions with the staff to share their respective progress. They would review whether the current work was feasible at the meeting, and made adjustments based on the feedback. The sharing of ideas not only helped facilitate the project’s completion, but the students' understanding of market demands. In the end, one of their products was successfully sold after launching, which greatly encouraged the students. This not only boosted their confidence, but helped them realize the importance of teamwork.
Wu said they benefited a lot from the internship at Orchid Gene in the
U.S. They gained practical knowledge about marketing, and insights into
innovative agricultural technologies. Gan also mentioned that the internship
offered an opportunity to apply the skills learned at school, develop projects
and complete assigned tasks. This has enormously enhanced their language skills
and international perspective, and will be of great help to their future
studies and work. She encouraged fellow students to seize opportunities and brave
the world beyond Taiwan.
Photo 1: The students interned at Orchid Gene in the U.S., and one of their
products was successfully launched on the e-commerce platform.
Photo 2: The students posed for a photo with staff from
Orchid Gene.
Photo 3: A promotional photo of the new plant product.
Photo 4: The students developed new plant products at Orchid Gene in the U.S.