Many consumers don’t realise is how extremely complicated and complex the process of successfully bringing flowers from field to retail shelves is. Some of the most challenging parts of implementing a seamless floral supply chain are proper maintenance of the cold chain, increased speed to market, and controlling cost.
One of the main factors affecting the floral supply chain is the need for proper temperature control throughout transportation. Thirty eight cent of fresh flowers available in Europe are grown in Kenya and exported into the EU. When flowers are harvested and cut in the fields, they must immediately be cooled in order to make the flower dormant and prevent blooming. Next, flowers enter customs in preparation for their flight to European airport hubs, exposing them to warmer temperatures while they wait for clearance.
The flowers are cooled again once arriving at warehouses in preparation for their journey on refrigerated trucks to forward distribution centers. Ensuring that flowers maintain a cool temperature throughout this process decreases the risk of diminishing vase life during these breaks in the cold chain.
Most parties involved in the supply chain, from retail customers to growers and shippers seek ways to compress time in the floral supply chain. The increased demand associated with floral holidays can create challenges if stakeholders are not aligned with a strong plan. As merchandising within non-traditional channels such as online, drugstores and convenience stores continue to grow, the ability to deliver straight loads from your facility to a customer distribution center is just the start.
Working in collaboration with strong transportation providers in floral distribution who have consolidation points in multiple origins, forward distribution capabilities, and the ability to execute direct store delivery solutions, will make this timely process more manageable. Cost reduction will always be an area of focus within the floral supply chain and increasing attention is being paid to pricing transparency, not just on product costs, but the amount that is spent to get product to market. To combat this, new and untraditional methods are being discussed on how to get floral products to end-users. For example, consolidation tactics like matching floral products with other temperature-compatible products helps to increase volume, reduce cost, and provide more control.
Beyond affecting the bottom line, an improperly managed cold chain can lead to serious quality concerns. By tailoring supply chain best practices for sensitive cold chains, shippers around the world can mitigate risk and better control the final outcome.
Successfully managing the cold chain from field to consumer will always be a crucial component to delivering high quality fresh products, and floral is no different. Customers who work with transportation companies who understand the intricacies of their floral program, have a deep understanding of customers’ needs and expectations, and can provide visibility and management over the entire cold chain by utilising advanced technology solutions, will set themselves up with the best opportunity for which to succeed.
