The wedding season is still in full swing. However, the bad weather in the northern Sabana is limiting the production of flower stems. "We are not producing as many stems as we had budgeted for," says Jose Azout of Alexandra Farms, a farm known for their cut garden roses, growing more than 60 varieties in the Colombian Andes and shipping them to importers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. But he is confident that the weather will get better soon, and fortunately, the wedding season runs all the way through the end of October nowadays.
Bad weather affecting production
The demand is high, not as high as it was last year due to the delayed weddings and great economy after Covid, but higher than pre-covid times, explains Azout. Therefore, they increased their production, but due to the bad weather, they are not producing as many stems as they had budgeted for. "It is so dark and humid in the northern Sabana that the few stems we are producing have a high percentage of botrytis and must be thrown away."
Wedding season – shift towards cooler months
On the positive side, the busy season is about to come as the wedding shifted more to the cooler months. "The wedding season in the northern hemisphere used to be in the summer months. Then, people can get married outside. However, already years before Covid, he noticed that many weddings were moved to the cooler months - September and October - and the early Spring - May. "This was last year also the case, and we expect this trend to continue this year." Before Covid, their biggest month was September.
Color trends
And when looking at the trends regarding color, Azout continues to see an interest by brides for sand colors, but white, peach, and light pink continue to be very important. It is a trend that they have been seeing for quite some years now.
For everyday use and special events
According to Azout, their roses are not only used for special events but also for everyday use. "We have been able to generate a lot of interest from florists and designers to use our flowers for everyday use as well as special events. Our roses have the vase life for this kind of work, and the off-season prices make our roses very affordable. It is a great way for florists to differentiate themselves from all the mass marketers around them. Customers can clearly see the difference between a florist-made garden rose arrangement and a dozen grocery store roses."
Proflora
Eager to see the flowers of Alexandra Farms and meet the team? From October 4-6, they will have a large booth at the Proflora in Bogota, Colombia. And on October 5, they will be showing off all of their commercial cut garden rose varieties, dahlias, and Oxypetalum at their Brunch event.
For more information:
Jose R. Azout, President
Alexandra Farms
Email: [email protected]
www.alexandrafarms.com