In many countries, the wedding season is nearing its end. How was this year? Catalina Arango of CI Global Exchange, also known for their brand Flores Del Este, tells us what she heard from their clients around the world. Also, she shares the Asocolflores export statistics of Colombian flowers and the hydrangeas in particular. In short, the Colombian hydrangea market continues its growth.
Catalina Arango
Wedding season
The hydrangeas of Flores Del Este are shipped to 22 countries all over the world, and when hearing out their customers, it seems that the wedding season has been for several about the same or worse than last year. The reason? Fewer weddings or less budget for wedding parties. But this may also be because 2022 has been a year with a lot of delayed weddings due to Covid. But the season is not over as many still supply till the end of October and some even to November and in Dubai all year round.
Hydrangeas and wedding season
Also, Arango sees a slower season this year compared to last year. "This year, we felt a very slow market, especially during the months of June, July, and August (like the summers before covid), but thankfully, this month of September, the demand has been very high, especially for white hydrangeas (big heads). And we feel that this trend will continue until the end of November and the first 2 weeks of December."
Hydrangea market
But how is the hydrangea market doing in general? Last year, with an export value of 91 million USD, the hydrangea exports reached a historic record. And for this year, the stats look promising too. According to the Asocolflores statistics, from January to June, the export value increased by 2% (to 47 USD), whereas the volumes decreased by 2% (to 11,038) when comparing it to the same period last year. And the hydrangea market is particularly doing well when comparing it to the export figures of all Colombian flowers; they decreased by 8% in USD and 10% in volume when comparing the period from January to June 2023 to the same period in 2022.
Flores Del Este
The majority of the hydrangeas go to the USA (71.6%), followed by the Netherlands (4.7%), Canada (3.3%), Korea (2.6%), and UAE (2 %). At Flores Del Este, they sell to 22 countries. "Our strategy is to sell to many countries and not depend on the US market." They sell about 34% to North America, 26% to Asia, 18% to the Arab Countries, 16% to Europe, and around 7% to Colombia. The majority of the flowers grown at their farm are white (60%), and the remaining are other colors, like dark green, purples, magenta, light green, dark blue, light blue, antique red, antique green, and antique lavender. In 2023, they will produce 5 million stems. "Our hydrangeas are the Ferrari of the hydrangeas not only because they last longer but because we are able to be so meticulous and strict with the production process but also in the harvest and post-harvest process. All of our hydrangeas have a tracking label where you can see the date it was cut, grade, the person who cut the flower, the person who graded the flower, etc."
Proflora
Eager to see the hydrangeas and meet the team of Flores Del Este? They will be exhibiting at the Proflora in Bogotá from October 4-6, 2023 (stand 2201-2202).
For more information:
Catalina Arango 
Flores Del Este
Email: [email protected]
www.floresdeleste.com