"As we have learned from previous years, every Valentine's season is different," comment Daniela, Alejandra and Valeria Lobato Jarrín from Agrivaldani, a family-owned flower farm in Tabacundo, Ecuador. "Last year, we experienced a surplus in production, which led to lower market prices. This year, however, we noticed that clients were less inclined to pre-confirm orders compared to last year, preferring to wait for a clearer picture of production and prices. This hesitation resulted in many clients falling short on their orders due to the lack of production in both the northern and southern farms. As usual, the climate played a major role in affecting production and prices."
Alejandra, Daniela and Valeria Lobato Jarrín
Last year, the Valentine's season lasted 2-3 weeks, but this year, shipments were condensed into just one week. "This posed a challenge for us as a farm because we couldn't consolidate all production into such a short period. The first week of February was packed with orders, but there wasn't enough production to meet the demand. Additionally, the seasonal colors changed this year, with a significant drop in demand for lavenders and purples, which was unexpected."
On a positive note, they saw a rise in demand for tinted roses. "Which was beneficial since we have invested heavily in our Agrivaldani Art Studio. We also experienced high demand for spray roses and summer flowers. This was our first Valentine's season offering such a wide range of products, and it was a pleasant surprise."
"The changes in trending colors, weather conditions, and transportation restrictions all contributed to making this Valentine's season particularly challenging. However, we remained committed to prioritizing our year-round clients over the highest bidders. This approach provided a great opportunity to strengthen our relationships with our loyal clients," they conclude.
Eduardo Letort of Hoja Verde at IFTF 2023
The data
Eduardo Letort from Hoja Verde provided us with some data. Ecuador exported 28,000 tons of flowers for Valentine's 2025, up from 26,500 tons last year. Export revenue reached $290 million, compared to $280 million in 2024. More than 500 flights carried flowers, with approximately 10% of shipments transported by sea, primarily to the U.S.
For more information
Agrivaldani
www.agrivaldani.com
Hoja Verde
sales@hojaverde.com.ec
www.hojaverde.com.ec