Floral Buyers Group

Do you have your head buried in the sand?

The following is an un-solicited  e-mail that I received while at work today as a floral buyer.

AndeanFresh Farms 

The time has come to change the way we have been doing business. 

No longer is it economically feasible for Floral Farms here in Ecuador to sell to large importers in Miami who in turn sell the flowers to a wholesaler who then sell them to you and finally then sold to your clients. There is no reason for it anymore and our industry can not bear so many middlemen taking a piece of the pie for just moving the flowers from one location to another and not really doing anything but transporting them.  Crisis causes change and with change can bring innovative opportunities. 

With AndeanFresh Farms FEDEX partnership you can get our Signature flowers 4 days after they are picked and your customers can get fresher flowers allowing them to enjoy them for longer.
The time has come for us to start doing business.

Buying roses direct from AndeanFresh Farms in Ecuador will give you:

Longer Vase Life:  giving you maximum amount of time to sell them.
Savings:  You only pay for the transport from our farm direct to you
Consistency: AndeanFresh Farms will guarantee you the same top quality each week
Product innovation:   We will provide you with the top new varieties months before any of your competition will have them
Rainforest Alliance Certified: AndeanFresh flowers are grown using only green label products and with NO child labor. We will provide you with a certificate you can display in your business. 
  I just received a very interesting email from one of the top florist designers in Los Angeles who has been ordering flowers direct from farms here in Ecuador in which he told me at a local meeting of florists and designers the number one complaint was OLD FLOWERS. The importers and holding on to the flowers longer before can sell them to the wholesalers and wholesalers are doing the same thing in selling them to their retail clients. A typical rose has a 12-14 vase life but many of the importers and wholesalers are (dry packing) taking the roses  out of water and storing them at 33 F to stop the rose from opening so that it looks newer.

Click here to see our most recent customer testimonials
There is no reason to pay 2 other people to transport and dry pack your flowers when you can get them farm fresh from AndeanFresh Farms.

Authors Note:

So you think our industry is not in the midst of radical change in the way that flowers are distributed to the retail florist in the USA? Just read for yourself. Anyone that knows me, knows that I have been saying this is what our industry is evolving into for the past five years, and today here is the proof.

Are you waiting for the economy to recover, better economic times and markets to return to normal. The market is changing and adapting to the changing business environment only pushed along by current economic conditions. The flower industry has been changing at an ever rapid pace for the past 10 years. Now at warp speed, thanks to the downturn of the economy, many will not survive till better economic times and those who do will adapt to a new market and the “Changing The Way of Business”.

Now you have the "The Power To Choose" and do something positive for your business. You can join together with other retail florists across the USA and "Take Back Your Power". Go For It now, and realize the huge savings potential and the power of a group of like-minded florists and receive dividends as a bonus for all of your purchases. Visit Floral Buyers Group and adapt the the changing business environment.

Photo By John Mullins

Photo By John Mullins

Each day as an owner or buyer of a retail florist, you are faced with the choice of where you will buy your flowers today. You must ask many questions of yourself. Where will I get the freshest flowers, where will I get the best prices, who will give me the best service, whom do I trust to be truthful with me about the quality and freshness, which supplier will have the selection of flowers that I want and need and still be able to come through with all the other elements that are necessary to the transaction as well. Who will tell me that they won't be able to provide what I am looking for, who will decide for me and make liberal substitutions without my knowledge. This is no small task and one that must be considered carefully each and every time you order flowers.

Just by the nature of flowers being perishable a lot must take place for all of these requirements to be met every time. You need to be able to trust your source to be truthful, have a reputation for quality as well as freshness, understand your needs and be able to deliver on time to meet your demands. As a buyer, so many times it is frustrating and time consuming as well as costly when the supplier can't, won't, didn't deliver as promised. The reasons don't matter, excuses don't cut it, and blaming someone else for their mistakes is just unprofessional.

Now you have the "Power To Choose". As a member of the "Floral Buyers Group", you can be assured of the quality and freshness of your flowers. No surprises when you open the boxes. Every supplier that provides flowers to the "Floral Buyers Group" must have their products approved and have received a supplier rating for quality, freshness and service. In addition, their product is rated with each and every shipment by you as a member of the group. They must continue to deliver flowers of the very highest quality and freshness, on time as promised or they will loose their rating and will not be able to offer their products to the group. You will see their buyer rating when you place your order so you will know what their reputation for quality, service, and trustworthiness is before you place the order. It's like having a scorecard of suppliers at your fingertips which eliminates the need for guessing, hoping and begging your supplier to do what should be standard practice.

I understand these things because I have been a floral buyer for a lot of years and I live the same things you do on a daily basis. That is why I developed the "Floral Buyers Group". To give back to the retail florist, to make your job easier and more satisfying and to save you money too.

As a member of the "Floral Buyers Group", you have "The Power To Choose" and the assurance that you have made the right choice. If you would like more information on the Floral Buyers Group, please visit the web site and see how you can join the group for professional florists. Floral Buyers Group

Read The Full Article Here: Flower Council Holland 

Changing environment
A study of the environment in which we operate was commissioned for this purpose. The world around us is changing rapidly. Globalization and digitalization are an irreversible processes, which play a leading role in shaping the global economic system. The horticultural sector is reacting to this with increases in scale, new alliances and specializations. The trend to corporate social responsibility is no longer driven purely by economic motives. Horticultural growers and traders, influenced by prevailing social trends, wish to make a real contribution to sustainable solutions. And a new consumer trend is visible, with less focus on individualism and more on health and wellbeing. Quality of life is gaining in importance in our busy existence, and consumers are seeking a new balance.

Flower Council of Holland - Changes in 2009!