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From the Publisher: Baby, It’s Cold in Here! |
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Written by Sue Fredericks
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It takes anywhere from 90 to 200 days to grow a flower and only a few hours to inflict hidden damage through improper post-harvest care and handling. In this issue we examine what florists, wholesalers and growers need to do to get the longest vase life for the consumer.
In the Point of View column Amanda checks in with Dr. George Staby, founder of the Chain of Life organization, and a self-professed “advocate for the flower.” Dr. Staby moderated a panel of industry stakeholders that included growers, importers, transporters, and wholesalers at Super Floral Show 2007 in Ohio. The panel covered topics ranging from shipping by sea container versus air, vacuum cooling the product, standardizing box sizes for more efficient shipping, shipping shorter stems if they are going to be cut on the design room floor anyway, and putting the flowers in the boxes with some stems going end to end.
The discussion was never heated but often passionate. What appears to be a simple premise – keep the flower between 0 and 3 C and it should have a vase life of 14 days in the consumer’s hands – in reality can be a logistical nightmare of planes, trains, and automobiles. One weak link in the chain, such as long wait times on an airport tarmac, undermines the collective effort.
As fuel costs continue to climb, efficient shipping and shorter distances will become an even bigger priority. Florists may find domestic product with good cold chain management can make up a good part of their product mix, while also addressing environmental concerns. Products imported from afar will have to be cooled properly to eliminate waste and keep costs down. This affects the whole industry, so everyone has to be vigilant.
Also worth noting this month is that the new Canadian Florist website is live: www.canadianfloristmag.com. Hurry and log on so you can see our web-exclusive stories and our digital editions. They are identical to the print magazine, but no paper and no postage! Let us know what you think.
P.S. We spend all of our time talking about and publishing great Canadian floral designs and now Canadian Florist has been recognized for our cover design. Actually, we are a top-10 finalist for best cover (our January 2007 issue) for a Kenneth R. Wilson magazine publishing award to be presented in June. This is our first recognition and our art department is pretty excited, especially Katie Sinkowski, who created the cover. Keep your fingers crossed.
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