Valentine’s Day always brings roses to mind.
Roses are fragile and have a short shelf life, but are so beautiful. If you are going to a florist this Valentine’s Day, you should be prepared to pay double for these beautiful flowers, which are mostly imported from Colombia and Ecuador, or from the Netherlands – a top exporter of flowers to the U.S.
Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year for the floral industry.
According to estimates from the trade group the Society of American Florists, in 2019, more than 250 million roses are being produced for Valentine’s Day. The cold chain, or temperature-controlled supply chain, is all about getting products at their proper temperature and maintaining that temperature through all logistics hand-offs in the cold chain until the product reaches the consumer.
Nowadays, nearly every floral company is committing itself to provide fresh flowers.
Good-quality flowers cannot be provided without the consideration of logistics. The cold chain has become one of the most important supply chain practices in the world today, as it is used in the pharmaceutical, food, chemical, and floral industries. The cold chain is all about getting products at their proper temperature and maintaining that temperature until a product has reached the customer. Improvements in cooling technology and preservatives in recent years have helped growers and retailers keep flowers fresh for longer. Fresh flowers require much more attention to detail in logistics conditions. Many details should be considered in fresh flower logistics procedures, such as air quality, temperature, humidity, room pressure, and even the lighting level.
Around 85% of cut flowers enter the U.S. through Miami International Airport, which has extensive cold-chain infrastructure facilities.
Experts see a growing shift toward cut flower transport by sea, which is about half the cost of air freight. For most customers purchasing roses for Valentine’s Day, this journey remains invisible, but reveals itself on the high prices customers pay. Happy Valentine’s Day!
