How & Why Canaima Orchids came to be:

Michael Sinn was twelve years old and living in Venezuela when he took over the care and culture of his mother’s backyard orchid collection of over 120 plants, primarily Cattleyas and Oncidiums. When he purchased his own first plant, a blooming V. sanderiana, he knew he’d been hit with orchid fever.

Growing up, Michael hiked the jungles of Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela whenever he could in search of Cattleyas in their natural habitats. Following graduation from Universidad Metropilitana in Caracas where he received a degree in civil engineering, Michael worked as a contractor for four years in the Venezuelan Amazon State. The work afforded him the opportunity to observe more habitats of C. violacea. Fired by what he believed was an urgent need for conservation of the precious orchids, he spent personal time teaching local people how to pollinate the plants, impressing upon them the need to let the plants remain in their natural habitat.

During July 1994, Michael took an expedition of a Japanese orchid grower and two Brazilian orchid growers through Canaima National Park in Venezuela searching for C. violacea in habitat; at that time of year the species is in flower. Impressed with Michael’s knowledge, his three friends pressed him with the question, “Why don’t you become a professional grower?” The spark was fired, and Michael knew that’s exactly what he wanted to do. He wondered what to call his company, and they replied, “Why not Canaima?”

Because of the growing insecurity surrounding Venezuela’s political situation, in 2004 Michael brought his wife and three children to Florida, and began work to make the next phase of his dream come true. He created and continues to grow and develop his own nursery business – Canaima Orchids.

Michael’s deep commitment to conservation and preservation instinctively drew him toward the breeding of Cattleyas and Laelias. Witnessing their continuing dwindling numbers strengthened his resolve and endeavors to produce the finest cultivars of Cattleya species possible. His vision remains constant: to conserve native species by creating superior plants from seed-raised populations, producing rare and unusual color forms that were only a dream a generation ago.

Plants from Canaima Orchids are highly awarded worldwide, especially in the United States and Japan. Canaima is proud to have received over fifty quality awards from the AOS, the last awarded at the 19th annual World Orchid Congress in Miami in 2008, where Canaima received gold, silver and bronze medals.

A popular speaker at orchid societies around the country, Michael contributes most of his speaker fees to the continuing efforts of Venezuelan habitat conservation. He is a past Judging Chairman for the Venezuelan Orchid Association, and serves as a Certified Judge with the American Orchid Society.