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Flower Delivery
Have you ever considered exactly where those beautiful flowers in the lounge came from, or the delightful arrangement at the PTA dinner, or even that stylish restaurant table centrepiece?
Most cities have flower growers situated nearby who are able to supply their local clients with in-season flowers, and floral cuttings. This is a small part of the flower delivery picture. These farmers will cut their orders, usually late afternoon or early evening, and then set off to do their deliveries, to ensure that their clients are able to start the new day with fresh stock. Very often the farmer will deliver to a wholesaler in the city, who will sell the stock for the farmer, subject of course to a minor consideration, usually a percentage of the gross return.
Flower delivery logistics for out of season, or foreign blooms are a totally different ball game. The largest fresh floral sales center internationally is at Rungis, just outside Paris, and has a daily throughput of several tonnes of flowers. In 2007, the most popular flower there was the rose, with 6.7 million bunches delivered. The other top sellers were chrysanthemums, tulips, and ranunculus. These are always popular at both local and international levels.
There are International flower markets all over the world, the largest, apart from Paris, being in Amsterdam and New York. The smaller markets are nevertheless far from quiet and neglected, as many of the smaller local markets do much of their buying from the major markets, and have their purchases flown in to wherever they are.
For growers close to the markets the logistics are not too serious, as overnight delivery of their products are still possible. Chilean roses, or South African proteas are however a problem, as are the giant chabaud carnations ordered from Australia. These blooms are typically cut as the buds start opening, to ensure that they do not arrive at the market after they have bloomed.
After careful packaging, either in bunches, or individually, they are placed into cardboard containers that offer protection against the environment and against bruising, and the cartons are whisked off to the airport, where they are loaded into environmentally stable containers for their onward journey. The farmer needs to know that his consignment will get to the market within a certain number of hours. Any time wasted on the trip will have his product arriving at the market in a less than satisfactory condition, which will adversely affect its saleability. Arriving at the market just three hours late could result in the delivery joining the unsold flowers, which are destroyed.
Getting your daffodils to you in New Orleans is not simply a matter of walking out into the fields and snipping a few stems. The chances are pretty good that the daffodils you are admiring in the buckets outside your local florist started their journey to you, from England, less than three days ago, and in that time have been handled by at least six companies who each have an interest in the price the blooms get.
It is in their best interest that you get the best flowers, which means they have to ensure that their part of the flower delivery service is well organised and efficient.
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