We’ve stressed it before in the past and that’s because it is so incredibly important: you NEED to know where your roses are coming from. When you’re looking for a Los Angeles wholesale rose provider for your flower shop, market, or big event you want to be able to tell your customers that the roses you display were grown ethically.
Flowerlink’s roses are grown on smaller, family-owned farms in Ecuador. In that country, the cut flower industry has revitalized the economy, so it’s no wonder why other countries are taking advantage of this blossoming crop. The important thing is to make sure that the workers aren’t also being taken advantage of.
India has become a rising giant in the world of cut flower production, but it hasn’t been easy for the South Asia nation. Last year alone its industry increased by nearly 20%, exporting 76.73 tons to places like Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan. However, since it began production, many Indian rose farms have been hit with high royalty rates for foreign-bred roses and input costs that have been steadily increasing. There have also been environmental concerns as rose growers go through hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per week which has depleted groundwater sources.
The high royalties are being paid to foreign breeders for the latest varieties. This is coupled with debt that most growers are still underneath because of large upfront costs paid for massive infrastructure like greenhouses imported from the Netherlands.
The industry has still been looking for more competitive rates and assistance from their government. The government has acted in recent years, including subsidizing the cost of imported infrastructure and this allocation has allowed for some actual innovation within India and rural development that wasn’t there before. This includes rainwater harvesting to combat water depletion by rose growers.
Unlike places like Ethiopia or Kenya, India is not purely exporting the roses, many stay domestically within the country. Having farms that can cater to local customers has helped reduce cost and put many people to work.
Fair Trade Ecuador Roses From Flowerlink
The rose industry can help a country, but it can also hurt people. That’s why Flowerlink is certified by fair trade organizations to ensure that all of our finest varieties were grown with a social and environmental conscious. To learn more about our process and the origin of our world class Los Angeles roses contact us today.
