By Mᴀʀʏ Mᴡᴇɴᴅᴇ
Here’s a little truth the industry doesn’t say out loud often enough: If you’re sitting around waiting for smooth seasons, perfect markets, and freight rates that make sense, you’ll be waiting until the cows come home.
This industry has always been shaped by uncertainty. From the minute a stem is cut to the second it lands in a buyer’s hands, a hundred things could go wrong and sometimes, they do. Weather plays games. Airlines shift prices midweek. Buyers ghost you after making big promises. And yet, somehow, this industry always finds a way to stay on its feet.
That’s the magic no market report can capture. It’s the hustle behind the scenes, the overnight fixes, the quiet calls between growers swapping advice, and the relentless push to deliver because the show must go on.
As Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o writes in his book, Petals of Blood, “The tree that does not bend to the wind will be broken.” This is the essence of what keeps the industry going, the strength to bend, adapt, and adjust instead of breaking under pressure. And this industry’s roots run deep. Past the market fluctuations. Past the freight and tariff wars. Past the quick wins. It stands because of the people who know how to move when things get messy.
This week might not have brought headline drama or jaw-dropping market shifts, but it brought proof that even when no one’s watching, this industry knows how to move, because the flowers leave, the markets get served and the people grind.
So if you’ve been holding your breath for the ‘perfect moment’ to try something new, shift your strategy. Perfect isn’t coming. But good enough, fast, and bold? That’s always been the style, and it works.
Enjoy reading this week’s Floriweek!