As many of you know, every Valentine’s season comes with challenges related to demand and production of red roses. Next year will be no different. Although it is still December, we want to prepare you for the months ahead so that you can plan efficiently.

After meetings and discussions with growers at our main farms, we have to inform you that the demand for red roses will again exceed production this Valentine’s season.

 What will be the effects of this discrepancy between demand and production?

The gap between demand and production will have several effects. Demand for red roses will far exceed supply, leaving other colors in low demand.

The other colors still need to be harvested, but with no demand, there will be financial losses for farms. To manage the situation, growers are increasing prices and limiting orders for red roses.

However, the high volume of orders in a short time is putting pressure on production and delivery. Farms prefer pre-orders for better organization, but for commercial reasons, details about products and prices are available late, usually late December or early January.

This means the pre-order list will probably be available in January, leaving a short window for placing orders.

Why don’t all farms produce more red roses for Valentine’s Day?

Red roses have limited flowering periods. In order to increase production for Valentine’s Day, growers should slow down production of red roses earlier in the year.

This would provide more flowers starting in January, but create a production gap until summer, followed by a period of high red rose production but low demand.

This strategy is not sustainable, so most growers prefer a stable production cycle throughout the year.

What are the farms offering this Valentine’s?

– Some farms will offer pre-order boxes that include a mix of red roses and other colors. The percentages will vary from farm to farm.

– Other vendors may choose not to offer pre-sales due to limited supply. Instead, they prioritize honoring subscriptions and release any excess production to the open market. While there is usually demand for additional product at the season’s end, this strategy is risky for florists because it offers no guarantee of availability.

What is our solution for you?

To help you meet customer demands, we recommend that you adapt your floral creations by also using roses in other colors or other red flowers for arrangements where red is essential.

Good luck! Let’s make this Valentine’s season a creative and successful one!