3,921 miles is the distance from Amsterdam to Portsmouth, Virginia - hometown of Churchland’s Village Flower Shop. Churchland’s has been a loyal UFE customer for over 20 years now, and like with any relationship it’s hard to keep things … spicy.

So what did we at UFE do?  We decided to:

• Have the top growers in Holland harvest flowers from their fields and greenhouses on Monday
• Have our partners at Aalsmeer pack the flowers on Tuesday
• Have a smiling Fedex driver bring the flowers to Churchland’s door on Wednesday.
• That’s 3,921 miles in less than 24 hours of transit time.

The result?  Well, don’t take it from us.  Here is what they had to say:

Ginny,

Thank you so much for recomending the mixed Holland Boxes. They have been superb! Its nice to be able to have easy access to the dutch products once again. It’s also nice to know that the quality and freshness that florist have become to know and expect from the Netherlands is once again just a phone call away.

We have not seen freesia, ranunculus, anemone’s and tulips this pretty in ages. The vibrant colors have also been a joy to work with. They add that little bit of extra pizzazz to each of our mixed vases and designed arrangements.

The cymbidium stem spray have also been the best we have seen. Our designers have loved working with the large bloomed stems. The stems have been full enough that you can use them to make several arrangements. or use one stem by itself along with some mixed greenery to create something unique and spectacular.

Thank you again for providing us with access to a variety of quality fresh products that always arrive fresh from the growers and within a day or two of placing our orders

Staff of Churchland’s Village Flower Shop / Portsmouth, Virginia

Well, we just couldn’t ask for a more positive reaction than that.

FloraHolland, for those unfamiliar with it, is the cooperative business entity that represents the combined influence of the flower auctions in Holland.  UFE, in partnership with our Dutch grower-partners and FedEx, is granting our clients the ability to procure fabulous product direct from this industry paragon, with less than 48 hours from the field to your door.

Please take a moment to view this informational video.  Most notable to me, as someone who has grown up in the North American flower business, is the emphasis on flowers as part of the lifecycle in Europe.  Flowers are just “a part of things”.  In any case, enjoy the video!

Click this link to see the video!

Over the past several years, we have striven to create a hand-made bouquet program that would help our customers develop or enhance their walk-in business.  Our efforts, for various reasons, met with limited success.  The primary feedback we received from customers went something like this:  “But, UFE, we need MORE flowers in the bouquet at a LOWER price!”  The elephant in the room, of course, was that our customers were surrounded by mass market retail outlets - ranging from traditional grocery stores to warehouse clubs - who were capturing that business at price points we could not help our customers compete with.

That was then, this is now.  Team UFE has drilled down into this program and devised a product development, pricing, and shipping strategy that overcomes that seemingly insurmountable obstacle of competing with the “big boys”.  The result is what we call “The Pacific Coast Collection”.

In order to create the best chance for our customers to be successful and profitable with our new bouquets, we focused on these features:

PREMIUM QUALITY:  Our bouquets are produced daily, on a per-order basis. Each flower is inspected for quality upon arrival, upon being allocated to the production department, and during the production process itself.

EXTREME FRESHNESS:  All flowers are sourced directly from local California farms for just-in-time arrival to the production area.  Moving forward, we may tend towards the occasional imported flower to achieve certain seasonal looks (i.e. bronze poms in the Fall), but our primary goal is to utilize the fresh bounty produced right here in California.

PROFESSIONAL HANDLING:  At the end of the bouquet line, an experienced quality control inspector sleeves each bouquet.  Product is then placed in water treated with Floralife preservative and chilled to 36 degrees.  Wet-pack boxes are packed on the spot and moved to the precooler.  Bouquets for dry-pack  hydrate for an appropriate period prior to packing and precooling.

FLORIST-QUALITY CONSTRUCTION:  Each and every bouquet is hand-constructed, with an emphasis on correct flower placement and color combination for a balanced, professional finished look. Our core group of bouquet makers handle this program, some of whom have been with our company for over 14 years!  Your bouquets are, quite literally, in good hands with UFE.

COMPLEMENTARY INSERT:  Our production manager hand-selects the appropriate decorative insert to bring out the glorious colors of the fresh flowers.  We are currently tending towards very bright, saturated colors and will adjust as seasons and industry color trends change.

A bright orange and yellow Reversa insert causes the color of the gerberas and lilies to "pop" in this Big Sur bouquet!

CREATIVE FREIGHT SOLUTIONS:  UFE is constantly working to develop efficient and effective ways to bring our products to you.  Whether you choose to ship via our new Cold Chain method, via door-to-door DBS service exclusive to UFE, via commercial airlines, or on your own truck, we will package and ship your bouquets to maximize product safety and minimize cost.

DIFFERENTIATION:  Our goal is to provide you with a bouquet that allows you to compete on the price and “size” level with, well, anyone.  But our bouquet line will also allow you to BEAT the competition on looks.  Our bouquets will be filled with an ever-changing array of California flowers.  Just this week, our recipes call for a range of flowers that include millet, “Sunbeam” sunflowers, gerbera daisies, phlox, leucadendron “Red Blush”, and many other great flower varieties.  This is just the look you need to remind people they are purchasing from a professional purveyor of fine flowers.

RANGE OF PRICE POINTS:  Ranging from $3.50 FOB to $8.95 FOB, we have established price points that allow you to appeal to all segments of your market.  Regardless of your individual marketing plan, UFE has a bouquet to meet your needs.

MARKET SENSITIVITY:  Instead of pre-planning bouquet recipes a month or a season in advance, our model allows UFE to select whatever our best growers are harvesting on a daily to weekly basis.  You will receive in an ever-changing mix of product that features the BEST quality items currently on the market and the LOWEST cost of flowers for the bouquets (which means a higher stem count in the finished product).  Our market-driven process will produce the most favorable value proposition available in the industry today.

The team at UFE hopes that you will find this program to be as exciting and profitable as many of our other customers have, and we look forward to growing with you into the future!

It is no surprise, with the strong imagery associated with the season, that the color palettes and design elements are also deeply entrenched. Rich and earthy tones, bare branches and clusters of berries, robust and long-lasting mums and sunflowers – all of these signify that Autumn has arrived.

As always, United Floral Exchange strives to provide our customers with the widest array of products appropriate for the season. With today’s offerings, we are defining a new category to add to your floral design bag-of-tricks – a category we have come to refer to as  ‘Botanicals’.

‘Botanical’ is defined as “Of or pertaining to plants or plant life”. This category represents all of those Fall products that are quintessential ‘tweeners – they are not flowers, nor are they foliages. Some may be familiar to you, such as fresh cattails or bright safflower. Some may come and go as quickly as the whole season seems to, such as Pin Oak or Hibiscus Pods. Others may be unfamiliar to you altogether, such as Restio Grass or flowering Basil “Oriental Breeze” with its intense fragrance. Regardless of the specifics of each item, we think you will find that envisioning the use of this newly defined category of fresh floral products will provide you with a creative – and profitable – edge as you speed through the busy Fall season.

Click Here to see our Fabulous Fall Botanicals flyer for some fresh ideas (or find it in our download center), and be sure to keep an eye on our ever-expanding Botanicals section on our daily price list!

This huge piece was created by the Brazilian designers that presented with Deborah de la Flor.  It LOOKS Brazilian, doesn’t it?

Taking Calla Lilies to a whole new level here….

Oh, to be this creative!  This design is just really cool.

This looks like something that was designed for Dr. Suess’ wedding!

From Talmadge McLaurin’s “Ode to an Urn” presentation.  Sorry for the crowded picture.

This is a great color combination, and the “net” of filament-like, beaded threads add an interesting type of space to the overall look.

The magnitude of the creative spectrum to be experienced at AIFD is not done justice at all by these pcitures, but hopefully they provide a bare glimpse of the types of floral designs that are to be seen there.

It is with a smile on my face that I look back at a productive and inspiring trip to the AIFD Symposium last week in Kansas City.

Having worked in floral distribution specializing in order fulfillment for special events for the past 17 years here at United Floral Exchange, it was a real treat to attend Symposium and actually see with my own eyes the unbelievable and delightful floral creations that are produced by this industry’s best and boldest designers.

For those who have an interest in current fresh flower design trends - as well as pushing the outer limits of floral design possibilities - I simply can’t recommend enough that you consider attending Symposium.

There were three particular scenarios that added a lot of meaning to this particular Symposium for me.

The first is that I was able to congratulate, in person, long-time friend  Rene Van Rems for being honored with the Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry. It is difficult to think of an individual more deserving of this recognition, as Rene has brought intellgience, wit, competence, and flair to the industry for many years. I also enjoyed meeting Rene’s brother and nephew who travelled from Holland in support of Rene and  - after the “official” ceremony wound down - got to hear some great stories about Rene’s early years in the industry soon after moving to the U.S. from Holland.  It is not often that we get to honor and appreciate our friends and contemporaries who make this industry special , so it was particularly enjoyable to be there for this reason.

To make the time at Symposium even more special for me was to spend some time “backstage” with long-time friends and customers.   Kelly Marble of College Flowers brought his professional skills fully to bear in organizing and managing the entire stage production effort for Symposium with the help of his “crew” from the store back in Lubbock.  In addition to the College flowers staff, two of my favorite dudes in the floral industry also were part of the crew - Chris Collum and Tom Williams from Flowerland in Midland, TX. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these folks work their magic and gained a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into pulling off a production on the scale of Symposium.  In a word - Wow!

Moreover, last week represented rare confluence of events when I was able to spend quality time with friends and customers  - as I said, “backstage” - while also accomplishing my main mission in travelling to KC.  You see, in addition to my “day job” here at United Floral Exchange, I also happen to be currently serving as President of NORCAL - the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers. And it also so happens that NORCAL sponsored (in my opinion) the most amazing show of Symposium - “Illusions”.  Little did I know when I agreed to intro the show by briefly addressing the audience that I would be associated with such floral splendor.   This presentation was conceived and executed by Derrick Vasquez and Lori Novak - two of California’s top floral designers.  And they did not disappoint!  “Illusions” was jaw-droppingly spectacular, blending astoundingly beautiful floral designs with evocative lighting and stage effects, powerful music selections, dream-like vignettes, and gorgeous models showing off the floral designs “catwalk”-style, all for a 2-hour long extravaganza that placed California flowers on the tip of the tongue of every style-conscious floral designer in attendance.  I simply cannot imagine a finer venue for California’s products to be so prominently displayed, nor can I imagine being prouder of our state’s selection of floral designers to present our products.   Kudos and thanks to Derrick and Lori for pulling off a “peak performance”.

The great news is - you don’t just have to take my word for it.  Click on this link - Illusions - to the AIFD website to see a photo montage of this amazing show.

Thanks to all of the friendly and welcoming folks who extended their hospitality to this Symposium newbie (special thanks to Lynne Moss and Tom Shaner).  Here’s looking forward to next year’s Symposium in Boston!

It sometimes seems that the more information that is available out there (primarily via the internet), the more difficult it becomes to sort and filter through it all until you arrive at something that actually helps you in your business.  Our goal with this series of posts is to provide you more direct, focused access to information on products that will help your business and profits grow.

So … on with the information!

We recently received the first pick of a brand-new sunflower variety named “Panache”.  What we are seeing with this first pick is a medium-sized sunflower bloom on a moderately slender, very usable stem (not too thick as sunflowers sometimes grow).  The exterior radial petals are similar to those of Teddy Bear sunflowers in the way that they flare and take on a lighter yellow than the more central petals.  The similarity to a Teddy Bear sunflower continues inward with the trademark “fluff”, but the centers make this bloom completely different.   The centers are a very dark green, making them look somehwere between a traditional Sunbright and the light-centered Sunbeam or Sunrich Gold.

We will ship these sunflowers in 5-stem bunches, packed 8 per quarter-box or 16 per half-box.  Our local producer has a crop planned for the next 6-8 weeks, with further plantings in store.  It reamins to be seen how this variety produces in various seasons, so availability is unpredictable until we grow to understand the production cycle.  We do expect limited availability for the next week or two, with increasing numbers as we head into June.

As an aside, we are also seeing very nice quality Sunbright, Teddy Bear, Sunbeam, Miniature, and Mahogany sunflowers right now.  Ask your sales rep about an assorted box, and be the Sunflower King of your local market!

Here is a link to a truly magnificent floral display in Brussels, Belgium.  Enjoy!

This year, in particular, there seems to be a daunting combination of factors that have caused many to reduce their expectations of what to expect for Valentine’s Day.  Wouldn’t it be nice if our industry’s customers were given a voice in the process so that some of the “guess-work” could be removed from the equation?

Fortunately, the consumer has been asked and has responded.

The National Retail Federation’s 2009 Valentine’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, shows that even though our anticipation of a downward shift in sales volume may be accurate, the shift will likely not be nearly as precipitious as many had thought.

Here is an excerpt from the source article that specifically addresses fresh flowers:

When it comes to spending, most people will still buy traditional favorites even though they plan to spend less. Over one-third (35.7%) of people will buy flowers, nearly the same as last year’s 35.9 percent,…

So, as you are making the important decisions that affect your Valentine’s Day profitability - product needs, staffing, community outreach/advertising, production plans -  consider that you may expect to generate the same number of transactions as you have in years past.

Thanks to WF&FSA for publicizing these survey results.

Our selected grower - Sun Valley Floral Farms - is located in a cool, fertile spot way up in the Northernmost portion of California.  Their location provides ideal tulip-growing conditions,  in that their climate conditions are virtually identical to those of tulip-mecca Holland.

Our collaborative sales program with Sun Valley, now in its eighth year, is designed to fit the needs of virtually any tulip buyer, in that we offer a standard mix, a “Fancy” (novelty) - mix, French Tulips, as well as tulips-on-the-bulb.  This last item has gained popularity over the past few years, and fits very well with the “botanical” theme seen throughout floral retailing these days.

Hyacinth is also sold “on-the-bulb”, as well as being offered as a cut flower.  Don;t miss the opportunity to add this wonderfully fragrant flower to your weekly inventory as we head into the busy winter/spring selling season.

Visit The Sun Valley Group’s website by clicking here, and go to their “Flower Showroom” to see the diversity of tulips and hyacinth that are part of this great program.

Tulips and Hyacinth - just one more way the United Floral Exchange is working to add to your profitability through reliable, premium floral products!