The traditional logistical model in the American Floral Industry has been from farm to cargo agency, to importer, trucking company, flower wholesaler, then the retail florist. This system developed in the mid-1970s and evolved to what it is today. In the 1980s Colombian and Ecuadorean farmers realized that flowers of higher quality could be grown for a lower price. During the last 30-40 years, the average time for a flower to be harvested, packaged, and shipped at an importer’s warehouse has been 3-4 days. The importer generally takes 1-3 days to receive, process, and then deliver to floral trucking companies. The trucking company can take 1-2 days to deliver to the wholesaler; then the wholesaler 1-3 days to process and deliver to the flower shop. The average time for a retail florist to get their South American flowers can be from 6-12 days. A rose, for example, has an average shelf life of 14-21 days post-harvest before botrytis starts to set in.
We at FMI Farms are focused on delivering the freshest flowers as fast as possible to our retail flower shop’s door. Our business model has always been to deliver a high end, luxury flowers, below market price and using the most efficient logistics paths available. We adopted our flower business model that FedEx’s Flowers Priority Overnight from Miami to any retail florist, event planner, or wedding designer in the United States. This model shortens the amount of time by 3-5 days faster than the typical floral logistical paths.
Pre-booking has been and always will be in the interest of the florist and end user. The traditional flower cargo agencies and airlines at this moment haven’t been running as efficient as in years past. Delays are now commonplace. The new norm is 1-3 days delay. These delays can cause multiple issues including clogging both the airports in Latin America as well as the Miami Airport where logistically most of the Nations Flowers move through. Ordering your flowers with anticipation is extremely important to allow ample time for the flower boxes to get transported from farm to the florist. By pre-ordering flowers and not waiting until the last minute to buy, we are streamlining the entire process.
We at FMI Farms want our customers to be well informed and to receive the freshest flowers available. Our product by nature is time sensitive and delicate. By pre-ordering flowers, we can stand by our promise of delivering to the retail florist the best possible experience.
