How the Wholesale Industry Operates
Flowers are grown on a global scale. The biggest flower-growing nations are Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, and The Netherlands. But many other countries like South Africa, Israel, Australia, and Malaysia are now investing heavily into the industry.
Many flowers are also still grown locally in British Columbia, although the majority the flowers sold here are imported.
BC growers produce large volumes of alstro, chrysanthemums, roses, lilies, gerberas, tulips, and gladiolas, plus a wide range of potted plants.
Distribution
Flowers take a number of routes to the consumer, depending on where they are grown and how they are to be sold. Some growers cut and pack flowers at their nurseries, sending them directly out to the consumer by mail order. Others may be sold to floral brokers who then sell them to wholesale distributors. And finally, some flowers are sent to floral auctions, which grade the flowers and organize them for sale to retailers and other wholesalers. Once distributed to the retailers, the florists then conditions and arranges the flowers for the consumer.
Transportation
Some flowers are sent packed flat in boxes. This enables large amounts of flowers to be packed in small spaces like aircraft holds. Other flowers cannot survive for long periods out of water, so these are either sent with their own little water holders on each stem or transported in buckets of water. The latter method extends the life of flowers and reduces labour time as flowers are ready for sale, but obviously also reduces the amount of flowers that can be transported in a given space. This makes their transportation costs much higher.
In-Flight Care
Flowers coming from abroad must be sent with care and speed to arrive at their final destination in a good condition. Many exporters cut the flowers, and pack them on the way to the airport to save time. These flowers are often kept in refrigerated conditions at the airport and flown in cooled planes. Special refrigerated trucks transport the flowers to the packers or wholesalers. The less time the flowers spend in transit, the longer time the customer has to enjoy them.
Preparing for Mother’s Day