Our interviewed is José Luiz Bartolo.
Former Marketing Manager of the Nova América Outlet Shopping, where he has been one of the responsibls for the approach with OrquidaRio, making possible many successful exhibitions.
Nowadays he works at Globo Network.

Small professional profile:


JLB - I wanted to study veterinary medicine, I finally started studying medicine, but, in the middle of the course, I left it to study architecture and I finished to be graduated in Visual Communication.
I always worked in activities concerning marketing, administration and retail trade.
I have been the General Manager of Nova América Outlet Shopping for four years and had the pleasure to promote some OrquidaRio Exhibitions.
Nowadays I am responsible for the License Sector at Globo Network.

- How did you start to cultivate orchids? Which was the magic moment of attraction?

JLB - Since I was young, I have been connected with animals, in general. My father always raised birds, we had many dogs, at a given moment, I started to raise fishes, briefly the animals changed but the mania remained.

I still have some birds but in much smaller quantity.
Fifteen years ago when I moved to the house where I live, I began to be more interested in plants.
My father had a wonderful collection of Platycerium and frequently we went to Exdra (Nursery). By this time, I begin to do regularly the Petropolis circuit - Quinta do Lago, Binot and Florália, with Gustavo Coimbra, from Mania de Bromélia.
I used to buy plants here and there however it still was a discreet mania.

The insanity started to be installed in a intensive way when I visited Nakagima, in São José dos Campos and saw, for the first time, a nursery filled up with white Phalaenopsis. Even today, after visited countless nurseries, I still have the vision of that collection of "butterflies".
I bought many plants (all dead, my mistake) since then I never stopped.

- How many plants do you have?

JBL - I don't know. In front of my house, I have today a terrain where there is a nursery with more or less 400 m2.
As you can see, the madness progressed at a gallop.

- Which orchids do you have more?

JLB - Phalaenopsis.
I went on buying little by little, importing plants from many nurseries and nowadays I have an expressive number of this genus.

I also have Vanda and Ascocenda and even a miscellany of other plants.

- Why this choice?

JLB - I guess that the fact of losing all those plants I bought for the first time has been a challenge. I wanted to learn how to cultivate this plant, many people told me that it is hard but, in fact, it is not.

- How long do you spend taking care of orchids, daily?

JLB - On the average, I spent from 30 to 45 minutes every morning. In weekends, from 4 to 6 hours. In fact, I have automatic watering and the re-plant is made by someone else.


- Was there any inspiration or did someone inspire you to cultivate orchids?

JLB - My father, first of all, taught me to love alive beings and mainly by the lesson he gave to me: - If you opted for having an animal or a plant, take care of them: They did not asked for becoming your propriety. Exdra has also been a very important person to me.

- One said that orchidophilia is the soft manifestation of madness, have you done any "orchidophilic" insanity?

JLB - Many. However I prefer keep them hiding because I am afraid my family can finish to place me in a madhouse and worst of all, I would finish for agreeing with them.


- Thank you, very much, Bartolo.

The photos here presented are own by © José Luiz Bartolo and can not be copied without author's authorization.