Say “I Love You” with a Beautiful Colombian Flower
February 12 2016 - 7:14AM
Business Wire
Fifty-one years ago, the first batch of Colombian flower stems
were shipped to Miami, FL marking the beginning of a long
outstanding trajectory for the Colombian flower industry. Since
then, the demand has not slowed down and has kept major
international airports busy all year round with the single most
important cargo - flowers.
Colombia’s flower exports have grown steadily 4% for the past
five years. Christmas, Mothers Day and Valentine’s Day are some of
the peak holidays for the industry that exports close to 80% of its
production to the United States and Canada. Product diversity, high
quality and short transit times due to Colombia’s proximity to
North America are among the key competitive attributes of the
Colombian industry.
In 2015, Colombia exported around US$1 Billion to the US, where
12% of sales were driven by Valentine’s Day. The 2016 outlook is
even brighter because Colombia is 39% more affordable for US and
Canadian buyers due to their stronger currency.
Colombia’s stunning flowers are mostly roses, followed by
Carnations and Chrysanthemums; however, its diverse portfolio
includes more than 50 species. The New Year’s Rose Parade, the
Academy Awards, several movie premieres including Valentine’s
Day, Sex and the City 2 and Remember Me, are some of the
many events that have featured Colombian flowers.
According to the USDA over 26,000 traditional florist
retailers and wholesalers source 60% of their products from
Colombia. In addition, supermarket chains with an established
flower distribution channel such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway,
Wholefoods, Albertson’s, and Costco have an overall market share of
50% and source most of their flowers from Colombia.
“95% of Colombia’s production is exported to international
markets such as the US, Russia, Japan and UK while 5% of the
production is used for domestic consumption. The flower industry in
Colombia has a strong social component contributing to more than
130,000 direct employments from which 25% are female workers. In
addition, flower farms are also committed to a sustainable
environment executing social responsible activities for all
workers; as well as to guarantee environmentally friendly fresh cut
flowers,” said Maria Claudia Lacouture, ProColombia President.
About ProColombia:
ProColombia, the Colombian Government Trade Bureau is the entity
in charge of promoting exports from the country, foreign direct
investment and international tourism.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160212005187/en/
ProColombiaAndrea Lopez, 305-374-3144 Ext.
66173alopez@procolombia.co