Fifty-one years ago, the first batch of Colombian flower stems were shipped to Miami, FL marking the beginning of a long trajectory for the Colombian flower industry. Since then, the demand has not slowed down and has kept major international airports busy all year round with the single most important cargo – flowers.

Colombia’s flower exports have grown steadily at 4% for the past five years. Christmas, Mothers Day and Valentine’s Day are some of the peak holidays for the industry that exports close to 80% of its production to the United States and Canada. Product diversity, high quality and short transit times due to Colombia’s proximity to North America make the Colombian industry competitively strong.

In 2015, Colombia exported around USD $1 Billion to the US, where 12% of sales were driven by Valentine’s Day. The 2016 outlook is even brighter because Colombia is 39% more affordable for US and Canadian buyers due to their stronger currencies. In addition, as a result of Colombia’s Free Trade Agreement with both countries, it guarantees zero import-duty, making it even more attractive and accessible to import flowers.

Colombia’s flowers are mostly roses, followed by Carnations and Chrysanthemums; however, its diverse portfolio includes more than 50 species. The New Year’s Rose Parade, the Academy Awards, several movie premieres including Valentine’s Day, Sex and the City 2 and Remember Me, are some of the many events that featured Colombian flowers.

According to the USDA, over 26,000 traditional florist retailers and wholesalers source 60% of their products from Colombia. In addition, supermarket chains with an established flower distribution channel such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway, Wholefoods, Albertson’s, and Costco have an overall market share of 50% and source most of their flowers from Colombia.

“95% of Colombia’s production is exported to international markets such as the US, Russia, Japan and UK while 5% of the production is used for domestic consumption. The flower industry in Colombia has a strong social component contributing to more than 130,000 direct employments from which 25% are female workers. In addition, flower farms are also committed to a sustainable environment executing socially responsible activities for all workers; as well as to guarantee environmentally friendly fresh cut flowers,” said Maria Claudia Lacouture, ProColombia President.

For more information, visit: www.procolombia.co/en