Keeping flowers’ quality during transport can be quite difficult. While the sector is experiencing a global logistics challenge, growers still need to deliver their flowers maintaining the highest quality possible until it gets to the final customer. The Kenyan company Uhuru Flowers has found a way to preserve the high quality of their flowers throughout the supply chain. “We started our business in 2007 with a 3-hectare rose greenhouse,” Ivan Freeman with Uhuru Flowers says. “The aim has always been to grow standard roses and we now have an assortment of more than 80 varieties growing on 20 hectares.”
“Part of our range is also garden roses and scented roses,” he continues. “What differentiates us from other growers is that we have always been very focused on quality since the inception of the company. We have been quick to innovate and invest, where we can, to get the best possible product to our customers.”
The push to invest and innovate obviously involved flower transport. “We sell our flowers in more than 65 countries around the world, and in many cases, there is a long transport chain involved,” he points out. “Often, there is a less than ideal cold chain at play here. Unfortunately, we can only do so much to control our flowers when they are given to the transportation service. Yet, we can make sure that they are delivered in the best manner possible to withstand the journey ahead. This has led us to invest in a vacuum cooler to ensure all of our flowers leave the farm properly cooled.”
Research has indeed showed that vacuum cooling is exceptionally suitable to preserve flowers quality, especially when this is carried out before they take off. “Vacuum cooling is the last step in our process,” Ivan says. “This is carried out once flowers have been packed into sleeves and boxed up ready for dispatch. They enter the cooler at around 12-14 degrees Celsius and come out at around 1 degree Celsius. All of this takes approximately 15 minutes. This is a necessary thing for us as vacuum cooling cools the entire box evenly, including those flowers in the middle of the box. It helps ensure that our flowers are ready to withstand the journey until they get into the hands of the final customer.”
Obviously, every grower is unique in their own way, so it is crucial to find the best way to vacuum cool their flowers. “Weber has been great with their service and backup,” he remarks. “It wasn’t easy to figure out just how exactly we needed to operate the vacuum cooler, as there is a risk of damaging flowers if temperatures are too low. They spent a lot of time with us working out what our cycles should exactly be.”
For more information
Uhuru Flowers Ltd
Ivan Freeman
Email: ivan@uhuruflowers.co.ke
www.uhuruflowers.com
Weber Cooling
Sylvia van Uden and Hans Juursema
Tel +31 (0) 884 256 207 / +31 (0) 612 819917.
Email: svu@webercooling.com / hj@webercooling.com
Website: www.webercooling.com