Challenging Valentine's Day, expansions, Myplant & Garden and more...

One of the most important events in February is Valentine's Day. And our newsletters in February 2018 were therefore filled with news on this event. And there was a lot to report on. Due to the unusual weather conditions, in South America and East Africa the production was more challenging. On top of that, getting the product out of Ecuador has been a challenge as well as the airports were hit by the high volumes. Even though the obstacles, many seemed to be positive with the sales and the sales figures are confirming it.

Besides Valentine's Day, more happened this month, like opening of a new nurseries, acquisitions, the cancellation and rescheduling of the Hortiflor in Ethiopia and of course the fourth edition of the Myplant & Garden in Milan, Italy. In just four years, this exhibition has grown to one of the largest B2B horticultural fairs in Italy and shows an annual growth in exhibitors, size and visitors.  

Below the major happenings of February 2018.

Aviram Krell, Plantec Ecuador on Valentine's Day preps in South America:

"Unpredictable weather kept rose growers on their toes"

While every Valentine's Day (February 14) has a similar pattern for the flower industry, each year changing climates and new trends influence the quantity and price of the market differently. In South America, for example, different market trends and unpredictable weather kept rose growers on their.....

NL: 2.5 ha new building OK Plant opened

"Over the past 10 years we kept on growing, whereby each expansion was never cost driven, but always was done at the request of our customers." Revealed Rob Olsthoorn, director of OK Plant. The highlight in this process came at the end of 2015 with the decision to build a new greenhouse of 2.5 hectares. On.....

Manuel Diez of Ecuadorian rose farm Flores Verdes:

Valentine's Day: The dawn of the yellow rose

Yellow roses for Valentine's Day? Yes, they seem to be in high demand this year. Ecuadorian farm Flores Verdes had such a high volume of requests for yellow roses over the last weeks that they are sold out completely. "Red, pink, hot pink and whites used to be the best sellers for Valentine's Day, but.....

Germany: Poinsettia season 2017 with obstacles

“This year some horticulturists may have preferred to breed water buffalo and grow rice”, says Josef Baumann of ‘Beratungsring Hannover’ with a little gallows humour, speaking about this year’s poinsettia season. By specialist journalist Katrin KlawitterAfter all this season was special, as Baumann detailed.....

Supplied by Fleurizon International:

Ranunculus breeder triples production for European expansion

When you think of ranunculus, you probably think of a plant with green foliage and yellow single flowers. But now, more appearances are on the market. A German breeder invested years in breeding new varieties of this species with new colors of foliage and flowers. Next to the expansion of colors, it also.....

Mario Vicente, Fresca Farms:

Valentine's challenge: Getting product out of Ecuador on time

Getting the Valentine's roses out of Ecuador has been challenging this year. The infrastructure at the airports at Medellin and Quito were hit with high volumes, which resulted in major delays. "We had days where we were 48 to 72 hours behind", says Mario Vicente of Fresca Farms, a US distributor with farms.....

Valentine’s Day at Royal FloraHolland: 300 million flowers, 25 million plants

The week before Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest weeks of the year. This year, we are trading 300 million flowers and more than 25 million plants. This is almost double a normal week. Which products are popular during this period? Roses, tulips and chrysanthemums in shades of red are by far the most.....

New 2.5 ha nursery for Dutch orchid grower Opti-flor

Dutch orchid grower Opti-flor is expanding its nursery with 2.5 ha. On Saturday, February 10, the first pile was (symbolically) driven by the three mothers of the owners of Opti-flor. A new 25,800 m2 greenhouse will be built by Technokas and will have three roof types. There will be a propagation.....

Jan Renting, Optimal Connection

Lower production Ethiopia results in high demand for Kenyan roses

"Partly due to the cold weather in Ethiopia, we have been extremely busy in the run-up to Valentine's Day", says Jan Renting of Optimal Connection, a Dutch unpacking company for Kenyan and Israeli farms. After a hectic 1.5 week, they can take a breath....

European Valentine's Day sales

In several areas in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, Carnival was celebrated over the past week, but it did not seem to affect the Valentine's Day sales. Veiling Rhein-Maas even had its best "Carnival Monday" since its inception. While the peak period is now over, there is still some work to do for.....

CAN (BC): Minimum wage up again

British Columbia’s lowest-paid workers will earn a $15-an-hour minimum wage by June 2021, Premier John Horgan announced, endorsing the recommendations of the Fair Wages Commission.“Regular, predictable increases to our minimum wage are one important way we can make life more affordable for people,” said.....

Danish pot rose grower Anders Eskelund, Rosa Aps:

"Early UK Mother's Day means good start of spring"

This year, UK Mother's Day quickly succeeds Women's Day and this will probably work in the advantage of many pot rose growers. "Due to the high demand during these holidays, there will be a lack of pot roses afterwards, which will result in a good spring", says Danish pot rose grower Anders Eskelund of Rosa.....

NL: Good Valentine’s sales confirm smooth start of flower and plant export

The Dutch flower and plant export has started smoothly this year with an increase of 8% to € 439 million. Good sales prior to Valentine's Day confirm the positive trade mood. In the Floridata statistics it is noticeable that in January the plants did relatively better than the flowers. The VGB (Association.....

French florists between a rock and a hard place

"On Valentine's Day, around 19 million roses are sold in France. In the supermarket a bouquet costs about 7 euros, at the florist a rose can cost up to 5 euros. A profitable trade for those who import the flowers grown on the other side of the world, bought for a steal. "That's how a French magazine announced.....

Photo Report: Myplant & Garden 2018

The fourth edition of Myplant & Garden has come to an end. Last Friday, Fiera Milano closed the doors of a well attended exhibition. In just four years, Myplant & Garden has grown to one of the largest B2B horticultural fairs in Italy and shows an annual growth in exhibitors, size and visitors. This.....

Ethiopia: HortiFlora Expo 2018 cancelled

The HortiFlora Expo Ethiopia 2018 that was scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from March 14-16 has been cancelled and rescheduled to Wednesday March 13 - Friday March 15, 2019. The most important reason for the decision to cancel the exhibition is the expectations of a low number of.....

US (FL): Costa Farms acquires Green Leaf Nursery

Costa Farms has announced the acquisition of Florida grower Green Leaf Nursery. Green Leaf Nursery of Homestead, Florida, has a long history of producing indoor foliage and tropical plants. It covers 50 acres, employs about 80 people and is co-owned by brothers Gus and Tom Pena. Jose Smith, CEO of Costa Farms,.....