Our company offers fresh-cut roses of high quality from more than 350 farms of Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia. At the moment, these countries are the leading growers and exporters of roses due to their favorable climatic conditions. Nevertheless, each country has its own unique advantages and peculiarities.

Ecuador

Ecuadorian roses are in great demand in the world market due to their top quality, which has been known for decades. Ecuadorian farms have perfected almost all stages of rose production. This allows the flowers to retain their freshness and beauty for a long period of time, even after being transported for long distances, making them ideal for export.

Ecuadorian roses are known for their big and dense buds, bright and rich colors, long and thick stems. They often reach lengths of more than 70-80-90-100 cm.

Ecuadorian growers offer by far the richest assortment of color varieties with a wide range of shades. Our managers will always be able to help you choose several options in different varieties within a certain color range, matching your preferences. So if you are interested in a diverse range of color roses, Ecuadorian farms will fully satisfy your needs.

Ecuadorian farms have also topped the international flower market in terms of sales of dyed roses, offering a sometimes unimaginable diversity of color and shade combinations along with unsurpassed quality. Special series of dyed roses are often created for specific holidays using the symbol colors of that particular holiday. A very popular practice is when farms recreate the desired product specifically to the customer's order based on the photo or image provided. Here are some tips for purchasing dyed products

It is better to order a dyed rose well in advance, especially in case of non-trivial color requests. Orders are usually taken 4-5 days before leaving the farm, depending on the complexity of the dyeing, the season and the current market demand. Blue dyed roses as well as so-called rainbow dyed roses are already almost commonplace and can often be purchased on the day of departure from the farm on our web platform of daily online offers from the farms.

Roses from Ecuadorian farms are usually packed in bunches of 25 stems (some varieties of 20 stems per bunch) in HB (Half Box) and QB (Quattro Box) boxes. The number of stems per box can be influenced by a number of factors, namely: the size of the rose bud of a particular variety, the length of the rose, the availability of the product in the market (high/low market), the availability of certain types of boxes in the farm.

Here are the packing rates according to the lengths that can be found from Ecuadorian growers:

• rose 40 cm: 300-350-400-500 stems/HB; 100-125-150 stems/QB
• rose 50 cm: 300-350-400-500 stems/HB; 100-125-150 stems/QB
• rose 60 cm: 300-350-400-500 stems/HB; 100-125-150 stems/QB
• rose 70 cm: 250-300-350-400 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB
• rose 80 cm: 200-250-300-350-400 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB
• rose 90 cm and above: 200-250-300 stems/HB.

Most farms do not pack roses 80/90/100 cm and above in QB boxes to avoid possible damage to the flower during transportation. Some rose varieties with particularly large buds are also not possible to pack in QB boxes

There are no standardized box sizes in Ecuador, so each farm may use different sized boxes. Since farms order boxes from different cardboard manufacturers, boxes may vary slightly in size, and consequently there are variations in the number of bunches per box.

In terms of airfreight costs, we recommend that customers order their roses packed in HB (Half Box) boxes, which makes airfreight delivery cheaper and optimally profitable.

Colombia

Colombia is also a leading exporter of roses to the world's flower markets. The mild climate and fertile land contribute to the cultivation of high-quality flowers that are exported to dozens of countries around the world.

The red variety Freedom takes the leading position in the volume of roses bought from Colombia. Significant areas are allocated by farms for its cultivation. This variety is particularly successful from Colombian growers, which has made it so popular due to its beautiful, perfectly saturated red color, large and dense buds. Farms grow it in lengths of 40 cm and up. On some farms, the length of this variety can reach 150-180 cm, but this is more of an exception than a rule. The Freedom variety is usually purchased a little in advance, a few days before leaving the farm. Outside of holiday periods and periods of reduced production, you can nearly always find attractive offers from Colombian farms on our online daily offers web platform.

However, the range of color rose varieties offered by Colombian growers is inferior to the diverse palette available on the Ecuadorian flower market. The fact is that flower farms in Colombia are located mainly at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, while farms producing roses in Ecuador are most often located in higher mountainous areas at an altitude of 3000-3200 meters above sea level. The high mountain climate and natural conditions, namely the higher intensity of sunlight, contribute to the formation of brighter and more intense colors, as well as longer stems. The length of color varieties in Colombia is mainly 40-50 cm. Less common is the color rose 60-70 cm, while the Ecuadorian color rose varieties reach a length of 70-80-90-100 cm.

Compared to the red rose variety Freedom, farms allocate small areas for color rose production. Consequently, color varieties are rarely found on the free market, in small quantities, and mostly during the periods of high production. Colombian growers try to sell most of their products on a standing order basis. Therefore, if you are interested in stable volumes from Colombia, we recommend that you consider placing a standing order.

As in Ecuador, there are no standardized box sizes in Colombia, so packing rates may vary in the number of stems. Roses are packed by bunches of 25 stems in HB (Half Box) boxes and less frequently in QB (Quattro Box) boxes.

Generally, packing from Colombian farms is a bit less in terms of the number of stems in the box than from Ecuadorian growers

• 40 cm rose: 300-350-400 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB
• 50 cm rose: 300-350 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB
• 60 cm rose: 250-300 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB
• 70 cm rose: 200-250 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB
• Rose 80 cm and above: 200-250 stems/HB; 100 stems/QB.

In order to optimize airfreight costs, we recommend buying roses packed in HB (Half Box) boxes.

As for the pricing policy, on FOB terms, Ecuadorian farms often suggest a cheaper price compared to Colombian growers. However, it should not be forgotten that the cost of 1 kg flower cargo air freight from Ecuador is more expensive than from Colombia. It can often equalize the final cost of the flowers for the final customer.

Kenya

Grown in abundant sunlight and mineral-rich soil, Kenyan roses continue to carve a niche for themselves in the flower market. Although the buds of Kenyan growers are often smaller and the stems are thinner and shorter than those of Ecuadorian or Colombian growers, they are nevertheless quite resilient and more affordable, making them sought after by buyers.

Some farms located at an altitude of about 3,000 meters above sea level are slowly but approaching the quality of Ecuadorian and Colombian growers. However, the cost of flowers from such farms is much higher. Then the choice of flowers depend on the customer's preferences.

Kenyan growers offer a variety of color assortment. However, the availability of products is quite unstable, so orders for Kenyan roses are better to place 4-5 days before the planned date of departure from the farms and be prepared for the proposed replacements within the required color groups.

Kenyan roses rarely reach a length of more than 40-50-60 cm.

Roses are packed in bunches of 10 stems in so-called Jumbo Boxes.

The number of stems in a box can vary depending on the variety and farm. The following pack rates can be found from Kenyan growers:

• rose 40 cm: 300 - 600 stems
• rose 50 cm: 250 - 500 stems
• rose 60 cm: 200 - 400 stems
• rose 70 cm: 150 - 300 stems

Depending on the customer's destination country, Kenyan roses may be more profitable in terms of transportation. Kenya is geographically much closer to European countries compared to Ecuador and Colombia. Accordingly, air transportation to customers in Europe, for example, will be much cheaper

Ethiopia

In recent years, Ethiopia has started to actively develop flower exports and is currently the second largest exporter of flowers in Africa after Kenya

Ethiopian roses are mainly characterized by small buds and short stems. The most common lengths are 35-40-50-60 cm. Some farms located in higher mountainous regions of the country have managed to improve the quality parameters of the Ethiopian rose and achieve a quality similar, for example, to the Ecuadorian product. However, the prices of such farms are quite high, and often do not withstand competition in terms of price-quality ratio with growers from other countries mentioned in our review.

Roses are packed in bunches of 10 stems. The number of stems per box usually varies by variety and farm. Packing rates can be in the following ranges:

• 40cm rose: 160 - 300 stems
• 50 cm rose: 140 - 260 stems
• 60 cm rose: 120 - 240 stems

To summarize our review, periods of high and low production often fall at different times in different rose growing countries. Thus, customers can use the moment and compensate for a shortage of products in one country with peak production in another. In this matter you will always be guided by our managers, who constantly monitor the current situation in the flower markets of different countries and will help you to find the best options for purchase

Roses from the above countries can be purchased by varieties (one variety in a box) or in mixes (mixed boxes of several varieties). Mix boxes can be:

• farm choice mix (farm choice mixes). Farms pack the assortment of such mixes at their own discretion
• mixes assembled to the customer's order according to a specific assortment requested by the customer.

You can read about the features of working with mixes in the article: Purchase by bunches - features and peculiarities. For more detailed information about approaches to mix composing, we advise you to refer to the article: Approaches to composing mix boxes. Peculiarities of regular work with mix boxes

To place orders and get additional advice, please contact our managers. Our specialists will consult you on any questions, guide you in the trends of the current market situation, help you in choosing farms, varieties and rose assortment according to your requirements. Choose Daoflowers to get the freshest and highest quality roses from the best farms in Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia!