Have you ever wondered about the journey a Mother’s Day bouquet takes? This year, global logistics provider C.H. Robinson has announced its efforts to assist shippers in managing a surge in temperature-controlled freight leading up to Mother’s Day and giving an insight into the behind-the-scenes of flower shipping!
During the three-month period between Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, nearly 70% of all florals are transported, with an astounding 56 million pounds of fresh flowers delivered for Mother’s Day alone. This significant spike in demand for truckload services can reach as high as 3,000% compared to the rest of the year, according to a statement from C.H. Robinson.
“Last year, floral sales surged to $8 billion in the U.S., which has been up 48% since 2018. As the sector continues to expand, C.H. Robinson is excited to leverage our temp-controlled air, consolidation, and surface transportation expertise and scale to support that growth and our customers’ growth,” said Jose Rossignoli, president of Robinson Fresh, a division of C.H. Robinson.
The journey of a Mother’s Day bouquet includes several critical steps:
- Temperature-Controlled Air: Flowers are directly transported from the fields they grow into one of C.H. Robinson’s facilities in Latin America for shipment to Miami. Upon harvesting, the flowers are promptly cooled to 34 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent premature blooming, maintaining this temperature throughout the entire journey.
- Refrigerated-Warehouse Processing: Upon arrival in Miami, the florals are transported to a 50,000-square-foot temperature-controlled warehouse at Miami International Airport. Here, the flowers undergo customs clearance and agricultural inspection and are swiftly transferred to C.H. Robinson’s specialized floral facility. At this facility, the stems are labeled, air-cooled, and consolidated before being shipped to their final destination.
- Temperature-Controlled Surface Transportation: Following packaging, the florals are loaded from the airport tarmac onto trucks, where C.H. Robinson utilizes its extensive network and relationships with over 7,500 retail customers. Leveraging its temperature-controlled network, C.H. Robinson ensures the efficient distribution of flowers to locations across the nation.
With approximately 23 million flowers sold on Mother’s Day, C.H. Robinson’s end-to-end floral logistics solution plays a crucial role in ensuring retailers’ shelves are fully stocked, contributing to the celebration of mothers worldwide.
C.H. Robinson’s dedication to floral logistics ensures that every Mother’s Day bouquet arrives with love and care. So, let’s raise our bouquets high and toast to the mothers around the world, knowing that behind every bloom, there’s a team of logistics experts making magic happen!
Source: FleetOwner
