Independence Day in the U.S., which is celebrated on July 4th and is also known as the Fourth of July, is right around the corner and how better to celebrate this patriotic holiday than with flowers. Patriotic themed bouquets have always been in strong demand in the U.S. and even this year with all the COVID-19 situation it seems to be no different. Rainforest Farms and Bouquets, for example, has been shipping patriotic themed bouquets from Colombia since their inception 18 years ago and they see that demand is about the same compared to last year. This farm sells exclusively to the U.S. supermarkets and their market has been steady throughout the pandemic resulting in Rainforest Farms and Bouquets’ overall sales being comparable or stronger than last year. This explains David Rich, the Sales Director at Rainforest Farms and Bouquets.
The team of Rainforest Farms & Bouquets at the PMA Fresh Summit 2019 in Anaheim (CA), USA.
Patriotic themed bouquets
Rainforest Farms and Bouquets ships all kinds of bouquets, including many Patriotic themed bouquets to the US supermarkets for many years now. The company has been supplying these kinds of bouquets since the establishment of the farm 18 years ago and they are very popular during the patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veteran’s Day and so on, explains Rich. “We believe that flowers are a great way to honor our nation and that they give consumers new ideas to make their Patriotic celebrations a hit.” They use picks to highlight the meaning of the red, white and blue designs and in this case honor American soldiers. “We believe that themed bouquets give our floral departments an extra point of contact that draw in shoppers to check out the blooms.”
Stable demand
According to Rich, the demand for these Patriotic themed bouquets has been stable over the years. “Shoppers love our red, white and blue looks and take them home to set the stage for their picnics and family events.” Even though the colors are always similar, innovation still remains important. Patriotic themes are some of the more difficult designs to do well and we always have to come up with innovative concepts with these themes so as not to repeat last year’s concept. Every year, clients are looking for good designs and concepts for the Patriotic holidays.”
Best selling bouquets. Each box will have an assortment of different soldiers.
Even during the pandemic?
According to Rich, even during the pandemic, there has been a good demand for Patriotic themed bouquets. “Not only for the 4th of July, but for all the Patriotic Bouquets this year, we notice a demand that is similar to last year.”
Challenges encountered during the pandemic
COVID-19 has created many challenges and opportunities for flower growers like Rainforest Farms and Bouquets. “We have been very fortunate and grateful here at Rainforest Farms that our market has been steady throughout the pandemic. We have gone though many challenges and leaped through many hurdles here in Colombia in order to continue growing, manufacturing and shipping our products. We have many people to thank for our continued growth and stability. Making sure our employees have a safe working environment has been at the forefront of our mission these past months and is the only challenge that matters that we win right now. We are so grateful to all the people at Rainforest Farms who came together to keep our farms safe and healthy and allow us to continue producing the best rose and themed bouquets in Colombia.”
One of the farms of Rainforest Farms & Bouquets
Demand for flowers in general
So, how is the demand for flowers in general? Rich: “We have seen a strong demand for flowers post Mother’s Day and believe that people want to make their homes beautiful with flowers during the quarantine measures. June is always a strong month for demand in roses given it is National Rose Month. This year was no exception. Our experience has been that the demand for flowers has continued steady throughout the crisis with a few bumps at the beginning of the crisis.”
Overall sales similar to last year
As Rainforest Farms and Bouquets market remained stable and as they were able to adjust their process to continue operating, their overall sales are more or less similar, and maybe even a bit up, compared to last year.
Slow months to come, but optimistic future
July thru September are always tough months in the floral industry. Lots of gardens coming into bloom and hot summer weather gives way to lower demand for cut flowers. So how to still bring the attention to your flowers? “We counter the lower demand by offering promotional pricing on roses and bouquets to our clients.” And when looking at the future for floral, Rich is optimistic. “It has been a roller-coaster for everyone, but I think the industry will overcome this crisis.”
For more information 
Rainforest Farms and Bouquets
David Rich
Email: drich@rainforestbouquets.com
www.rainforestbouquets.co