The Import Promotion Desk (IPD) is inviting European importers to a buyer's trip to Ecuador from October 7 to 12. The range of South American cut flower farms includes roses, carnations, hydrangeas, and proteas. All companies in the IPD program were visited in advance by IPD experts and evaluated in terms of product quality, export capacity, and social and ecological standards. Owner-managed companies in Ecuador not only offer a wide range of varieties and high quality but can also respond flexibly to customer requirements, such as packaging and delivery quantities.
In addition to visits to around ten farms, the buyers' trip also includes a guided visit to the "Expo Flor Ecuador". Here, the buyers are given an overview of market trends and innovations in the flower industry in South America.
Successful sourcing mission to the new IPD partner country South Africa IPD is expanding its range of cut flowers and has now added South Africa to its program after Ecuador, Colombia, and Kenya. On the first sourcing mission to South Africa in March, IPD experts visited various cut flower farms in the Cape region. Many of the companies visited were impressed with their high product quality and showed great potential for direct trade. After careful examination, IPD will include those producers in its program who meet the high demands of the European market. The new partner companies will be presented to the European flower trade at the trade fairs in autumn.
South African flower farms have specialized in the cultivation and wild collection of Proteas and Fynbos varieties and offer a large variety, some of which are exclusive, previously unknown varieties. Dr Andreas Gemählich, Sourcing + Markets Specialist at IPD, is convinced: "There is still a lot of undiscovered cut flower potential in South Africa, as the diversity of varieties is hardly known on the European market."