The voyage of a fresh cut flower, the process it takes to get from where it’s grown to your home is very complex and in some regard phenomenal. Most people think by snipping a flower out of a garden is all it takes but when you visit us its a lot more involved and intricate. This industry is blooming with an estimate in the 100 billions.
Flowers are grown all around the world. Climate is a very important element in the growing process, making countries like Kenya, Columbia, Ecuador and Israel big players in export flower production.
Each country specialises in the flowers that best suit their climate, take for example, Columbia grow a mass of roses, Ecuador is good for nice large headed roses, Israel for Gypsophila and Kenya for smaller headed roses (the ones usually at your supermarkets).
These growing opportunities offer the local population good jobs just like in the coffee industry. In South America growing flowers, crops and coffee help the locals stay out of gangs by providing them steady income, education and teamwork. This is not just evident in South America growers from around the world flower growers all over the world take theses steps especially with the help of Fair Trade and the Rain Forest Alliance organizations.
Touching on some of the other countries involved in flower production one cannot forget about the biggest grower in the world Holland. Holland is responsible for 70% of the industries flowers, with a staggering 10,000 growers accompanied with an international trading system via the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. Flowers that are grown locally and international all travel to Holland to be sold, packaged and shipped to its near or far destination.
Funding this extraordinary market is the Dutch government and its constant investment in the most advanced techonogy, Holland has created a trading system that is unmatched by any. This system of trading has given them the ability to create a year round growing environment to produce large quantities of flowers.
These systems feed the exact amount of nutrients and water needed for the ideal growth. Here at Rouvalis we buy 80% of out flowers direct from Holland. The quality, longevity, and aesthetics are what makes some our arrangements so unique and long lasting. Some of our Rose growers in South America are Dutch owned, keeping the standard very high across the globe.