ORQUIVERDE
ORQUIVERDE
Since 1975
If you love Cattleya Species, you are in the right place!
About Us
ORQUIDIARIO CERRO VERDE was an orchid nursery established in Venezuela since 1975. It was founded by Armando Mantellini. From the beginning, our main objective has been collecting and reproducing orchid from Venezuela and other countries in order to enjoy, preserve, and improve the floral quality of themselves. With our reproduction work we have obtained an improvement in the quality of the species, reflected in the result of our crosses.
Now we have our collection in Miami, Florida. In addition to sharing our hobby with friends and collectors of species, we also offer for sale, plant divisions from our collection in the USA.
It All Started as a Hobby
Armando Mantellini
Orquidiario Cerro Verde's Founder
What started as a hobby became an international point of reference for appreciating and identifying Cattleya species (mostly from Venezuela).
Armando Mantellini, a mechanical engineer born and raised in Venezuela was the founder of Orquidiario Cerro Verde. His passion for orchids started in 1966 when a plant was given to his wife as a gift. In 1970 he got interested in orchids reproduction due to the fact that many selected varieties were impossible to get by the people interested in collecting and improving these plants.
As a result he started in reproduction which led to 50 years of work and enjoyment. In 1975, his collection of species and hybrids began growing so much that he had to establish a nursery to start selling on retail and wholesale. During this time many beautiful Cattleya species started to disappear from the wild.
Because of this, he began getting and trading divisions of selected varieties in order to start reproducing and conserving them. Armando decided to focus on Cattleya species.
He also crossed and reproduced cattleyas, oncidiums, dendrobiums, vandas and phalaenopsis (species and hybrids) for the consumer local market.
When he was retired he kept enjoying his personal collection located in Florida where he passed away on October, 2024. During many years Armando Mantellini shared his work and dedication with his family and specifically his daughter, Maria Mantellini, who still carries on his legacy.
Maria Mantellini
Carrying a Legacy
Orquiverde is born from a lifelong passion for orchids. Maria, its founder, has been surrounded by these extraordinary plants since childhood. Born in Schenectady, New York, and raised in Venezuela, she has spent over 30 years cultivating, reproducing, and designing with orchids.
After earning a degree in Business Administration, Maria co-founded Orquidiario Cerro Verde in Caracas with her father Armando Mantellini. Together, they developed over 4,000 orchid hybrids, with a strong emphasis on preserving and improving Cattleya species from Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and beyond.
Maria no longer runs a large nursery. After his father passed away last year, she now enjoys a quieter, more personal orchid life from her patio in Miami, enjoying and lovingly caring for her collection of orchid species and designing original orchid arrangements. When one of her plants produces a division, she makes it available to fellow collectors, friends, and orchid lovers through Orquiverde—sharing a piece of her passion, one orchid at a time.