by John S. Niblock

Chrysal International, with U.S. offices in Miami, and MAC Technologies Development Corp. in Richmond, VA, have agreed on a working partnership that designates ChrysalUSA to market the patented Arrive Alive horticultural foam developed by MAC Technologies.

“Our products were selling well and our business was growing,” said Wayne Castleberry, chief executive officer of MAC Technologies, speaking by phone in late June from the Chrysal International offices in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Most of his sales were in the United States and Canada, he added, “so when Chrysal came to me this made strategic sense and opened global markets for our products.”

A joint news release on June 1 announcing the agreement said Arrive Alive applied to the stems will hydrate flowers during transport or at point of sale for three days. “It keeps flowers fresh without the need for a bucket or vase with water and is therefore extremely user-friendly,” the statement added.

MAC Technologies has been testing and developing care and handling products for cut flowers since 1998 with customers, suppliers and growers. Mr. Castleberry is also the inventor of Arrive Alive foam. Chrysal International offers hundreds of flower care products, marketed worldwide in 17 languages. Jim Kaplan is president of ChrysalUSA.