Reducing Floral Waste: How Local Farms Are Helping Florists Shrink Their Shrink

Pink tulips grown by Happy Little Things GMD

With costs on the rise across all industries, even the most seasoned pros are on the lookout for ways to maintain, or even increase, their profit margins.  One of the biggest - and at times overlooked - challenges faced by florists can be found in your trash can: it’s shrink, or all of the floral product that goes to waste.  Experts estimate that a staggering 40 to 60 percent of cut flower stems never make it into a vase.  That’s as if you threw away half of every bunch of flowers you purchased.  Managing floral waste is not just about improving sustainable practices.  It’s a wise financial decision that will reduce expenses and increase profits in your flower shop.  One of the most powerful ways to tackle this challenge is by assessing where and how you source your flowers.

All flowers may start their life on a farm, but not all farms are cultivated in the same way.  One reason the floral industry experiences significant waste is because of the long and complex journey flowers take from the field to the consumer.  Billions of stems are imported into the United States each year, with a majority of them (80% or more) coming from large farms in South America, especially Ecuador and Colombia.  Even domestic flowers, like those grown in California, have to travel thousands of miles before reaching a florist in New York.  

The real challenge in such a wide global supply chain isn’t the mileage – it’s the complexity of the supply chain itself that makes this extensive journey so difficult.  Each additional step in the process increases the risk of product loss due to aging, dehydration, or improper handling.  From these farms, the flowers first arrive at a shipping port before being distributed to regional brokers in major cities.  Next, the flowers make it to wholesale distributors, who finally get the flowers to the florist.  This long process can take anywhere from a few days to over two weeks

Besides environmental factors that may be of concern, one key reason this extensive chain from field to consumer is challenging is that there are so many steps in maintaining the cold chain.  Being highly perishable, flowers require a continuous chain of cold storage to maintain freshness – a process that utilizes a remarkable amount of energy and resources.  Breaks at any point in the supply chain will accelerate deterioration.  If any of these steps fall out of place, the system will falter.  In addition to transportation challenges, packaging tender flowers for long-distance shipping can also lead to concerns about damage from crushed stems, condensation, mold, or rough handling.  This is why an increasing number of florists are seeking alternatives to the global supply chain to reduce shrink in their shops.

Locally grown flowers have a few advantages that tackle many of the challenges that arise from long-distance shipping.  Flowers from local farms reach florists no more than 48 hours from the time of harvest – but often mere hours.  Local flowers also have less packaging, often arriving in nothing more than a bucket of clean water with a reusable rubber band and, only if needed, a compostable kraft paper sleeve.  These flowers come fully hydrated and ready to use in your shop immediately, meaning that you’ll be able to sell more of the stems that you purchase.  Local farms also have the added bonus of being able to grow unique and delicate blooms that don’t ship well, helping florists access a wider range of one-of-a-kind flowers that will set their brand apart from the crowd.

Reducing floral waste isn’t just better for the environment.  It’s better for your bottom line, too.  By incorporating more locally grown flowers into your inventory, you will notice a reduction in product shrink thanks to minimal packaging, a consistent cold chain, low field-to-vase miles, and overall freshness.