Local cooperation, global success
Dutch Flower Group (DFG), presented in the latest May-June issue of Floriculture, is represented in Kenya by local companies for the sourcing, handling and supply chain management of cut flowers.
These companies are DFG Kenya (existing of Flower Sourcing Africa/FSA and Progress) and flower handling company Airflo. The local Kenyan sourcing teams will contact growers for the production of cut flowers to the needs of the customers of the DFG marketing companies in Europe. They supply the importing wholesalers who supply florists and also the multiple retailers.
It should not be a surprise that the requirements of the multiple retailers (e.g. supermarkets) are high. Not only on sustainable sourcing, but also on the standards for quality and certifications. To enable to sell the best product to the consumer, the DFG companies cooperate in a narrow way with the growers in Kenya, but of course also in other countries in Africa.
Cooperating to use each other’s best practices, exchange know-how and to discuss the best ways to fulfill the needs and requirements of the customers abroad. This involves amongst others annual production planning, selection of varieties (together with the marketing companies and their customers), cooperation on conditioning the flowers, conduct vase life testing and of course: to develop the right packaging, packing method and transportation specifications to enable the flowers to travel in the best conditions by air. “For this, we need to pressure to aim and maintain a 5 degrees Celsius cold chain on airfreight”, Conrad Archer, responsible for the activities of DFG in Kenya.
Flowers by sea container
Flower also travel by sea container. Dutch Flower Group is already working on other means of transportation for cut flowers for many years. Currently chrysanthemums are shipped for the UK market by sea container from Colombia and projects have been conducted with growers in Kenya to also develop this logistic alternative for the supply chain Kenya – Holland.
Conrad Archer: “recently the GreenCHAINge project, under supervision of the Dutch sector organization for the wholesale trade trade in floricultural products (VGB) has set up trails with container shipments.
Also participating, next to DFG and other wholesalers, are Wageningen University, FlowerWatch, KFC and Maersk lines. This project will enable the sector to get close to the most ideal working method for shipping cut flowers by seafreight. The results so far have been positive”.
In this, the supply chain from grower to handling facility and from handling to the freighter and from them to the importing company who will than process the flowers to make them ‘consumer-ready’ is of utmost importance.
For this, the DFG Kenya team cooperates with all parties in the chain as this will again make for all of us the difference in near future: greener , more sustainable and less expensive transport modes for the chain between Kenya and Holland, as well as other European destinations.
More information: www.dfg.nl