the flower guy
Stamford, CT
Male, 48
I've been involved in the international floral industry for 20 years. My first job was in Aalsmeer, Holland, at the Flower Auction, working for a Dutch company that sold flowers to markets around the world. I now help flower companies source product from farms in South America, Holland and the US. I deal with things like shipping & logistics, weather issues, quality control and forecasting demand. I thoroughly enjoy what I do and get to travel frequently. Ask me anything.
Dear Mom, The key is finding a supplier who provides you with fresh product. Now everybody will tell you their product is fresh, but you will be the judge of that. For example, lilies should arrive in bud stage (closed) and then you or the recipient gets to enjoy the whole blooming process. Buy from a farm direct supplier when possible. Also, typically using cut flower food, if provided, is a good idea. It contains sugar (food) for the flower and an antibacterial agent to keep the water clean for the flower to have efficient uptake. I think if you try some different sources for fresh flowers, you will find one that fits your needs better and turns that frown upside down (and you will need a new alias)!
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Flowers are shipped for the most part on airplanes. If you ever fly out of Amsterdam, Quito or Bogota and you look out the window while waiting to take off you will see large pallets of flower boxes getting ready to journey all over the world. There are some flowers that are shipped via sea containers, yes sea containers ! The flowers have to be prepped for the long trip, sometimes 2 weeks or more, and only certain kinds of flowers do well with this method. The second part of you question can vary dramatically depending on how/where the shop buys their flowers. The link below may help explain this some http://www.flowermuse.com/the-farm-direct-difference/
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This is a tough one to answer- I would find out if there are certain colors or types of flowers that special someone likes/dislikes. I look at flowers everywhere I go, supermarkets, big warehouse stores, florists, on tv shows, etc..... Personally I like sending or using one type of flower for a bouquet,for example only roses, I will find two colors that work together like red and a dark pink and mix them. Try one combo and then the next time you send them try a different combo. You should have fun sending the flowers !
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I have an undergraduate degree in Botany and went on to get a Masters in Landscape Architecture. I had no idea when studying botany, the science of plants, that I would end up in the flower business, but it does help me understand issue growers have with production.
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Police Officer
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Because women are cool and flowers are cool! Sending or giving that special someone a gift that will only last a short time shows that you care. A small bouquet can liven up any room. Side note: Flowers should last more than a few days. Mini callas last for 2-3 weeks Lilies, if you get them still in bud stage when you buy them will last 7+ days easily!
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No, unfortunately. Consumption will always be strong for holidays like V-day and Mother's day, but no company can survive just on these holidays. Consistent week to week business is needed and we definitely see consumption decrease when the economy is not strong.
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This is not really my area of expertise, but I think most shops do add additional staff for v-day, but it may be hard to find good people to add for just 1 day. Since most people ask for it to be delivered on Vday and not one day before or one day after. Many companies now use Fedex or UPS to deliver flowers for them and the one advantage here is you can track the order if you have the tracking number.
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