While recently doing some research into the sustainability challenges of the floral industry, we came across a shocking statistic. According to hanafloristpos.com, “A whopping 45% of all flowers die and have to be discarded before they are ever sold. That’s almost one out of every two flowers!” This product waste – shrink – is devastating to your bottom line! That gut punch hits extra hard when you consider the colossal carbon footprint many of those wasted stems acquired while getting to you.
Why so much shrink? For starters, most florists are using product that has been shipped over thousands of miles Even those stems grown in California are traveling 2500+ miles to get to you! In transit, things happen. Boxes get left on the tarmac. Boxes fall off the forklift. Cold packs fail and the atmosphere in the box heats up. It’s no stretch of the imagination to realize flowers don’t particularly care for being shoved in boxes and stacked on palettes. A lot of damage is sustained on their long journey.
Say those stems mercifully get to you without being broken. The odds against their survival until sale continue to stack up. Maybe they just don’t rehydrate. Maybe you got a surprise sub that doesn’t work with your design plan. Or maybe a bucket gets “lost” in the cooler, overlooked until it’s past usable. Or stems come out of water while designers are hurrying to and from the design bench, causing some to wilt beyond hope by the end of a busy day.
The reality is that we are all working with a very perishable product! At PFG, we want to see local florists thrive. To do this, we’re here to collectively help bring down that 45% shrink to as close to zero as possible!
It turns out locally-grown stems can really help ease shrink. First off, they don’t get shoved in boxes! At least not here at PFG. In addition, our growers pay careful attention to stage of harvest and handling to ensure you get the longest window possible to sell our stems. Everything sold through PFG has traveled less than 40 miles. And stems have always been in water since harvest, usually just the day before. We properly condition all our stems for you so they are fully hydrated and ready to use the moment they arrive in your studio or store. We are meticulous about quality; broken stems get replaced or immediately refunded. Subs are always pre-approved so you know you can actually use them.
With locally-grown flowers, your business will be more profitable and enjoyable! Click here to read more of the benefits to buying local (hint: there are many!).