What time of the year is it? Well, it’s time to write a Valentine’s Day article, you know the kind, where I enlighten you on Valentine’s roses and other suitable Valentine’s Day flowers…even as I watch the New York Giants battle the New England Patriots, Super Tuesday is mere hours away and the climatic conditions around Flowerbud’s growing regions and major delivery areas are a little less than conducive for a peaceful afternoon of chips, dip and overwrought commercials. Oregon is already 6″ above normal for rain fall (18″ in last 60 days) and if we get any more mountain snow it may well become our major export. Most of coastal California is inundated with rains and unusually cool weather and snow in drifts is about to re visit the Sierras.
This means that carefully scheduled V Day flower crops are dragging their feet. Likewise in Ecuador and Colombia there is a surplus of rain and cool weather in the growing regions. It is beginning to appear that excess will be no great problem this year. Taking that in stride I look further east and see that Chicago is storm bound and New York City is its usual frigid self…and Memphis? Well Memphis already had problems with freezing rain twice in the last week. Why do I worry about Memphis? FedEx is why we worry about Memphis in February. Even Phoenix is chilly as evidenced by Super Bowl XL11 having the roof pulled over it! It looks like Florida, of all our major markets, is the only region enjoying good conditions on the run up to V Day.
Apart from a different Manning on the field of play this year’s article might be a carbon copy of last years and all the years before that. Little else should be expected given that Valentine’s Day sits in the worst weather window of the year for the US…continent wide. The most difficult and expensive period for the growers in the northern hemisphere, starved of warmth and sunlight. For freight companies whose aircraft, trucks and couriers battle blizzards, floods and mud slides that give lie to the slogan ” The World On Time”. In the face of this or perhaps in despite of such an “oh woe is us” list we are all focused on growing, shipping and selling a flower (by the hundreds of millions) that would be much happier in most every aspect a few months hence. Miracles, as we all know, do happen so perhaps St Valentine really is THE man with talents other than archer.
I read an article last week from some floral society/organization or other and while the gist of the article stuck, the location of the writer did not so I am not sure if it was generated within the US or from Latin America. Regardless, it made sense as it directed/admonished wholesalers, big box merchandisers and florists to really know their Valentine’s roses, their provenance , their post harvest care, their shipping time lines and passage through the obligatory delays in Customs and Dept of Ag. This is no time for anyone to be casting about for just anything in the open market place…and to be sure there will be more than enough of that. With the weather creating a scarcity of product it is the reputable operators, paying top dollar who will receive the quality roses for successful Valentine’s day deliveries. Those who paid too close to the bone may well go short or face upping the ante to fill orders.
As is the usual and customary Flowerbud modus operandi, we know exactly where the Valentine’s day roses we shall sell, hail from. To the handful of select farms, the truck trips down the volcano to Quito and the aircraft flight numbers into Miami and on into the coolers and packing house. With this in mind this years prices are $129 for 25 Long stems Red and $119 for 25 Long stems assorted colors. REMEMBER this price is INCLUSIVE of the FedEx overnight freight charges and packing. This is no small detail given that it informs you of what no competitor does until you have tediously worked all the way to checkout. As if your time is not money? The marginal uptick in pricing over same time last year reflects the new world order in energy prices and the resultant fuel surcharges that are passed on down the line. If you know your cupid has a sweet tooth we are willing and able to add (for a consideration) a wonderful heart shaped tin of very tasty and decadent milk chocolate truffles from a great company right here in Oregon.
If it has crossed your mind to question the price hike for roses around the V Day holiday… NB. also for Mother’s Day, then let me explain a little. A rose is sold at a relatively set price per stem and that only varies per variety and by stem length. At the major holidays when supply and demand play their vital roles in commerce, a premium is added per centimeter of stem length. Wether this is 1.5, 2 or pick your number of cents per centimeter that premium is predicated by color, quality, and the availability vs demand. Hand in hand of course with a purchasers negotiating skills and a stellar record for prompt payment. This is truly where market forces play out with transparency. Simple math indicates that a $.1.5 premium on a 70CM rose increases the price by $1.05 per stem which leads to a $26.25 increase for a Flowerbud pack of 25 premium quality “Russian” cut roses. This is at the farm level. As the saying goes “every dog has its day” and V Day is where the rose dogs get to eat their fill, making up for those inevitable lean times.
It goes without saying that we assume you know the lady you are sending the roses to. You picked her carefully, considered her every attribute and feel she not only deserves but can handle and appreciate the best you can find and afford. You have taken into consideration her favorite color, her prefered date of delivery and the delivery location. Are you one of those people wishing to make a statement at her place of work or a little more low key and private? Bear in mind she will have to carry the flowers home at some point! Is she a traditional rose woman or might she enjoy one of the many other beautiful and longer lived Valentine’s flowers that we offer? OK, you have it all figured out and you have come up with a lovely and original gift message to include with the flowers. No, I will not help you here. I have enough problems of my own to step in as poet laureat. So come on step up to the plate … or on this day go for the touchdown by returning to the homepage of www.flowerbud.com and purchasing the best roses on the planet for the best woman you have ever known.
Despite all the challenges faced by St. V and the grower/shipper community we are ready and able to go the last mile for you. You had better hurry as right this second I am guessing that Eli Manning, Plaxico Burres and the rest of the NY Giants are well able to shop for the very best (flowerbud naturally). Fingers crossed that Tom Brady will still be in the mood to buy Gisele Bundchen a box of equally lovely Valentine’s flowers (flowerbud naturally). Always remember that you get what you pay for… especially in flowers.
Hola Mark-
I´ve just read your last posting and note your comment about the extra mile. We have not done the extra or the last milla in Argentina yet. We are headed south across the La Pampa now. Exaxtly where, we are in Santa Rosa this afternoon waiting to board the bus further south battling all the BIG John Deere harvesters moving north as the crops mature farther afield.
This place is huge and the farming done in this part of Argentina is not done with the sweat of someones brow but the power of big machines and hydraulic pumps on wheels running on diesel fuel. Outside town you see not a soul. This is farming on a grand scale.
Thanks for the blog…..Carlos