Behind the Scenes: Mother's Day Flowers, What you See, What you Don't See

Episode 072: Mother's Day 2021 brought about many challenges for flower growers, importers, wholesale florists as well as the retail florist.  Like so much in life, there's a backstory, what you don't see, behind that smilin' face (or pretty flower in this case). Vonda and Lori are joined by Audrey Kristoff, product manager at Flower Clique, to hear some of the challenges that  occurred last week when providing flowers to the local flower shop. There's definitely a difference in what you see and what you don't see!

Join our private Facebook group
The Business and Pleasure of Flowers
Our sponsors:
Flower Prep School
Sales Prep School

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Which is a transportation issue, right? Correct. And what is causing the transportation issue? So that would be a couple of things that you don't really see welcome to the business and pleasure of flowers. We're your hosts, Fonda, a fever and Lori Wilson. And we believe that business and Fen are a perfect combination. Kind of like us Vonda. So Laurie and we air this program on Tuesday. We will have been through mother's day. I hope you had mother's day. I hope I had a nice time Thursday. I feel like I have a nice mother's day. It's all set up. We're going to go see my cousin down in downtown Houston. She lives clear on the other side and just be with family. So it will be nice. What can go wrong? Right. And we're joined by Audrey Christophe is here today. So we're excited to have Audrey joining us. Hello, Audrey. Hello girls. Good to be here. Thank you, Audrey. We're grateful that you're one of those people that we can shoot a text message less than 24 hours away and say, Hey, we need you to be on our podcast this week. And you're like, okay, just chatting with some girlfriends. Right? Exactly. Exactly. And you were the perfect person to have today. Cause we're going to just talk about awareness of flowers from last week, we talked about it. It was being mother's day. And so many people receive flowers on mother's day. And most of our listeners are on the side of trying to provide flowers for a lot of people. A lot of consumers, because it's the perfect gift for mother's day. Yes. Before we go into this, just to kind of set up why we decided to have you here tell everyone if they're new listeners a little bit about your job, you work for flower click for those people that don't know, but what do you do for us? For us? I am the product manager. So we have our flower bouquets that we were straight from the farm and those bouquets coordinate with what is on our member websites. And so it was a very busy week for me, um, because we were delivering our bouquets for mother's day design. So that's what I do. I'm on other things. Now I was going to say part of what you do, right? That's what consumed her life last week. We will have to say. And I think just being on our end, the ordering, I had a certain knowledge of what went into that. But after this week and learning the logistics of everything and the process by which those flowers go through to get to our shops, it was very enlightening. And so that's a little bit what we wanted to share today. That's exactly right. It's kind of like what you see and what you don't see. And we just wanted to go through a couple steps on that because I think it's all about awareness. And I do think that our whole team became really aware this week, more so than ever about the ordering of the bundles or both pre-made bouquets, then that are created so that they can fulfill orders that are on our members website. So it's kind of that process. So what you see is when one of our members, one store to flowers, they submit an order form either to their local build Orin company or many, many right to Audrey. It's suggested that they order them as soon as possible. And there are actually deadlines which are really way ahead of the holiday. And he'd be like, you feel really good when you get those orders in, right. Audrey. Yes, way ahead. This year, we had to have our orders in by the end of March for mother's day. So, you know, flower shops had to plan ahead and know what they needed and what they wanted. So yes, you feel like once you put that order in, it's a big weight off your planned ahead. Um, and so you think at that point you ordered those flowers and by magic, they're just going to show up on time and everything will be perfect. I love that by magic. That's the truth. That's what you feel. So then once that order's place, what you don't see behind the scenes is the flower farms have to groom the crops, right. To make sure that they're producing what needs to be in those bundles or whatever flowers they're producing for the peak holiday seasons. Some of the smaller growers actually rely on the two major holidays to get them through the whole year. And that's Valentine's day of course, and mother's day. And if they don't have a successful holiday, many of them actually go out of business or someone else acquires them because they can't afford to not have a good holiday. So I think that's one of the things that behind the scenes, do we really know that? No, I don't think most people do know that. And then of course we have COVID this year, right? So here they can't stand side-by-side and harvest the flowers or make the bouquets well, and even back that up during COVID, they weren't able to plant the crops. Right. So now when we want those crops harvested, they're not mature yet. So we had those problems as well. Yeah. Yeah. I remember one of the times, I can't remember if it was a podcast when we had bill a fever on, you know, the beginning slash middle of COVID

Speaker 2: 5:58

Or if it was a webinar we had with flower click, but he made that comment. He said, you know, we're going to see this later because the thing about plants is they have to grow. And if you can't plant them, they can't grow. I mean, you can't really speed that up it, you know what I mean? And so I remember he started kind of planting that seed in our minds early on. And he was absolutely right.

Speaker 1: 6:29

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And what's interesting as I was doing the research to find out about imported flowers, because these are coming from Colombia in Bogota area, 82% of the cut flower sold in the United States are important. Wow. 82%. Is that crazy? That is now. So there are local growers and you know, that's wonderful when you can get some local grown flowers and all that. But knowing that 82% are actually coming through many channels to get through to the florist. And most of those, 90% of those flowers go through Miami

Speaker 2: 7:09

90% go through Miami. Yeah. And so again, when COVID hit at the beginning, lights stopped, right? So

Speaker 1: 7:21

Most of the time the flights were coming over, but there was nothing to go back into Columbia. So now what happened this holiday is that planes had to be chartered to go both ways with flowers in the passenger seats and the overhead overhead bins. Yeah. Pictures. And it's crazy how they just have the cargo nets over all the boxes in the passenger seats and packed to the hilt. What the flower shop was seeing is all kinds of delays. They're seeing increases prices, they're seeing quality issues. And that's where, because of what bill said before the growing conditions. But now we're having trouble getting them from point a to point B, which is a transportation issue. Right? Correct.

Speaker 2: 8:08

And what is causing the transportation issue?

Speaker 1: 8:12

So that would be a couple of things that you don't really see one supply and demand because there are so many flowers that need to get on an airplane in South America and fly up here. Okay. Okay. So that's part of it. And they are all in refrigerated areas. When they go in the cargo planes, they're kept at around 40 to 45 degrees. So they want them to be cooled so that they get there in the best condition. And since there's limited space, they had to really charter other planes to be able to bring the flowers over. So which is causing some delays. Another part of that is once they come into the United States into Miami, they have to clear customs, just like people do. Right. They go through and they look for bugs and drugs

Speaker 2: 9:01

As well. Yeah,

Speaker 1: 9:04

Sure. Yeah. Really inspect the flowers to make sure there's no little bugs on the leaves. I've actually seen videos of, you know, they're turning the flowers upside down and just shaking them to make sure, you know, there's not any problems with disease for the bugs or the dogs usually can sniff out the drugs. Right. Wow. And then once they get through customs, the

Speaker 2: 9:29

Shortage we got going on, our truck drivers.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Exactly. It's a huge issue.

Speaker 2: 9:35

I mean all over the United States, no matter what, whether it's flowers or name, the content, we have a need for

Speaker 1: 9:44

Truck drivers. You were talking about that Aubrey to your husband's business. Right. He was saying he's in manufacturing and just transportation their product from one place to the other, you know, they have the product ready, they have the trucks, but you know, those drivers are only driver due to the amount of hours they can drive. Yup. And, um, so yeah, they they've had a shortage of drivers. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:09

But the same, I heard overheard my husband in a very loud meeting the other day. And they were literally fighting over

Speaker 1: 10:19

Or a freight car,

Speaker 2: 10:22

Like on a train. Like he was like, no, that was mine. That was to go for the blah-blah-blah. What else was like, well, we took her for the it's like who would have ever

Speaker 1: 10:32

You're pointing over because there's no way to move product from point a to point B and then piling all that between the farm and the unloading, the pallets and loading, loading the planes and everything with COVID a, we have less workforce because you're staying home if they're ill and secondly, you have to be spread apart. So even if the farms, you know, they can't be side by side working on these bouquets and sorting flowers, they have to be spread out. So not only the plant has probably had to make some costly adjustments to their tables or the monitor employee they can have. And so same that, um, you know, unloading and loading, you have to be spread apart. And that just takes more time to move things and takes a lot more coordination. So that would be a normal mother's day. You know, this mother's day, right. Everything we've talked about, but then last Monday, something went into effect and that was in Colombia, there was a proposed tax reform. And so now there are riots, there are roadblocks, there are so many, danger's two hours to the airport last week. And some of the flights were canceled because the flower farms couldn't get the trucks to the airport to get on the plane. So it was one of those things. It was magnified. It was, it was a challenge to start with. And then it was just magnified with this. And, and that's where Audrey and I, it hurt our hearts. You know, when you read, Oh, they usually have about, let's call it 1300 employees and only 250 could get to work. Had our vendors send us a video of what our farm workers were going through to get to work. And they're walking to work because the roads are blocked, they're crossing protest lines so that they can walk to the factory. And we all watched those and just brought tears because we like, we have pride in our product and getting our product to our flower shops, but that's also extended to them. You know, they want to get to work and work hard for us and give us a quality product in a timely manner as they promised. And the thought that people were going through those hardships in order for us to get our product, really put things into perspective for me. And I think, you know, sometimes our flower shops don't know that person and definitely our customers who are buying those flowers, don't see that perspective. And so, you know, just to bring a little bit of awareness to the process was very enlightening for me this past week. I was your word, Lori personally

Speaker 2: 13:45

Perspective perspective. It gives everyone of us perspective on our day being able to walk in to my office every day and not worry about crossing a barricade. You know, those, those videos were just, they were shocking to me. But then at one point again, when I came around with perspective a thought, if you go back and you watch the video and you can see the look on some of the people's faces, as they're trying to kind of walk around and they're throwing, I don't know their smoke bombs. I don't know what those things were, but throwing around and there's armed guards. And some of them just seem like this is our norm. This is, you know, and where the three of us, we would be panicked and go running

Speaker 1: 14:34

As fast as we could the opposite way and hide. Right. We've never

Speaker 2: 14:40

Had to endure something like that. And so what's, what's interesting to me is, you know, after all that went, we saw those videos and we had kind of talked and then there was an incident with a flower shop owner. And the way I read it, it made me really angry at the person thinking they have no idea, but the way I DRI read it, and it was the exact same thing. She's like, you know what? Now that I saw those videos, I'm able to extend more grace and understanding, whereas me, I was more mad. I wanted to like attack this person, which was ridiculous and say, do you not know what's going on? You, you know, so anyway, it, I was telling you that bond and I was like, it just reminds me. I'm so glad every one of us are different. Um, because sometimes, you know, I have to do one for Audrey when she's about to lose it. But then Audrey was like, I can do this one. I have perspective now.

Speaker 1: 15:47

Well, I feel like, you know, we all want the best for the customer for the end product. And no harm wants the best for us where their customer, we right. West for our members, our members want the best for the people who are buying their flowers. And so we all play a part in that. Yeah. You have to think what's down the line. You know, it's not just me. It's, what's down the line to the very beginning of the process. Yeah, I agree. Right. So when you just kind of hit on it, because the consumer, you know, the flower shops customer, they have no idea. All they see are beautiful flowers that were ranged from a beautiful vase, or they're wrapped in a spectacular package designed by a professional, either delivered or picked up. And that's what they see. And that's what they expect. Right. They have no idea even what the flower shop went through. Right. So what they didn't see was everything came in, they looked at the flowers, they arrived, they have done box them. It's all about Karen handling, making sure they're cut properly, put in a cooler at the perfect time so that they hardened. And then they're cooled down. Then the sales person, Lori, you're you and your sales training, they have to know what they're selling. Right, right. Perfect solution for whoever they're selling those flowers to. Right. Then they go to the designer. Then they go to the delivery driver, you know,

Speaker 2: 17:16

[inaudible]. Yeah. I was thinking about that the other day, because you know, so many of our members are like, I can't get plant, but yet on their social media accounts, they're doing such a phenomenal job showing that they do have plants because they have sent an employee to drive all over town,

Speaker 1: 17:37

Trying to find more plants, but the customer

Speaker 2: 17:41

And they expect plants and they don't know that you had to pay an extra employee time plus gas plus

Speaker 1: 17:50

Sonic just to drive around and find all the extra stuff so that you can have enough product in your store. Right. Like they just, they just don't know. And we don't want them to know. Right? No. We want them to think it's magic. Exactly. That's what we're selling. We're selling magic. I love that. We're managing, I'll tell you. Nobody can sell magic better than a flower shop. I think, well, they pretty much have to, I mean, that's the business, right? It's it's emotions. It's magic. It just happens. But then after all those flowers are delivered at the end of the day, the flower shop owner and employees have to go back and they have to clean. So that's a very unglamorous part of the behind the scenes. Oh my goodness. After all that, creating all the magic, having all the fun and then have to go back and clean up and get ready for the next day. We're planning for the next week or the next day, the next, whatever. Because the next weekend we've got a big wedding. Right. And they're having a weld and now I got this or four weddings and five funerals and yeah, life doesn't stop. It doesn't mean it doesn't say okay, the week after mother's day, all flower shops closed down. Like, no, it's like, we always used to say, yeah, marry him. And you marry him. You marry him. And you bury him. Yes. And everything in between and everything. Yeah. Between, it's often said that the florist really, you think of the emotional rollercoaster every single day, they go through with their customers really from happiness to sadness and you know, the joy of a birth, but excitement of an anniversary, you know? And then the family comes in and it's very sad. So it's like a counseling position.[inaudible], it's such a unique profession, you know, that you get to touch on every part of someone's life. True Audrey. That was so true. Many of you who are listening, who are in a flower shop, you know, the number of people who come into your shop at certain times and say, Oh, sure, would be fun to work in a flower shop. I'm here at all the time and every day, all day. But don't ask your local florist today or tomorrow, if they're having fun might not be the right timing. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. You know, it's like that. I think with a lot of different professions too, you know, from the outside, it looks so fluid and amorous, glamorous, you know, I used to laugh when people, you know, Oh, you're a school teacher. I always thought that'd be great. You had all your summers off you're out of school by three. What a PIR. And I was like, sister, you have no idea how many late nights you're up there planning and your

Speaker 2: 20:48

Whole summer, you're still anyway. Every, it just, things are a lot of times, not what they see. Right. They're magic. As Audrey says,

Speaker 1: 20:57

That's our job to make sure that our customer doesn't see those things. Yeah. Seems right. And you do that very well, too. Audrey, as much as we want to say, be the lorries and say, do you understand that,

Speaker 2: 21:14

You know, the truth, the truth will set you free.

Speaker 1: 21:22

But the truth is whatever it is, there's always a backstory. Like you're saying a teacher think about a restaurant, you know the thing it's, there's always a backstory and we just have to appreciate what we're seeing, knowing there's so much more behind the scenes that have happened to get it where it is today. Right.

Speaker 2: 21:42

I think we use Audrey's. Where does, like, she wanted to extend grace to this person that was upset about something. Customers, I think also need to extend grace to the flower shop owners or flowers up, and then flower shops need to extend grace to their wholesalers because it's, everybody's doing the best they can

Speaker 1: 22:07

Well said Lori Wellstone. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:10

All right. Miss Audrey, as you know, we never leave our podcast, especially when we have a guest without asking the most important question of the day. And that is what is inspiring Audrey Christophe today this week, this month.

Speaker 1: 22:33

Well, I live in Ohio. Yes you do. And our spring comes a little later than you ladies. Yes, it does. So right now we are at the point where the trees are just popping. You know, I had some woods in the back, my house and it's like, I sit on the deck for a couple of weeks and just wait for those little green sprouts to come. And within, it feels like two or three days, the woods are full of leaves and it's summer, you know, it just like that, that flipped from spring to summer. And the time that I know that's happening is when my lilies of the Valley bloom just started blooming two days ago. And so, yeah. And I have them from my grandma had them in her yard. And so before we sold my grandma's house, after she passed away, we'd done some up and we all planted some in our yards. And so I have my grandmas lilies of the Valley and some of her hydrangea and some of her. So that's inspiring me. I'd love springtime when everything.

Speaker 2: 23:46

Yeah. I agree with you springtime there in Ohio. I think also again, it's perspective because usually Ohio, you do live in the snowbelt, you know, where it comes straight over. So when spring hits, no one in the world is more appreciative than those of us that lived in the snowbelt. Amen. Sister, every little bloom, you light up because you're like new life. Oh my gosh. It's going to be sunny. We're not there yet. Not there yet, but we're not there yet because you and I both know it has snowed in may. So bite your tongue. I know. Anyway. All right, Vonda, what about you? I'm still inspired by the workers at the farm, really heavy on my heart. I know all those people down there work their little tails off to get flowers up here to us in our shops. And so I'm still very inspired by that. I mean, I wish, hope and wish we all had that same dedication to what we have today. Yeah. Yeah. And what about you, Laurie? Well, I'm inspired because I get to actually see miss Audrey Kristoff in a few weeks face Def faith. Because when I did live up next to her, we would like meet at Panera once a week for either a quick lunch or we would try to do something, you know, and it was so great. And the last time I was up there visiting, I sat at her dining room table and we worked, but we got to do it together. Yeah, it was, it was fun. So I'm looking forward to that, you know, when we get to all be face to face it's so life-giving and sure. So the next time we will all be face-to-face as well that I'll get to be with you. Ladies is the society of American forces now about to that, keep my fingers crossed that nothing's going to change and it won't have to cancel. So that'll be fun. And I really hope anyone that listens to our podcast that feels like they know us, or that is a flower click member or just, I hope everybody goes to that. Cause I want to see everyone face to face. I know and meet them and just hug everybody. I see. So excited for that. So everybody starts saving up your money so you can go. There we go. All right. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa, we look forward to seeing you next week. So please come back and join us and discover how a bit of knowledge and one change in your

Speaker 1: 26:44

Mindset can take you to new levels in your life in business.[inaudible].