When it’s sunny outside and the temperature is rising, transporting and storing flowers becomes more challenging for florists. If you’re enjoying the late summer sunshine, an unseasonal heatwave is great news, but it’s not so good if you’re a florist battling to stop your blooms from wilting.
Investing in a cool room for flowers (commonly known as a “floral refrigerator”) is the latest trend. While it might not be something you’ve budgeted for, in the long run, a floral refrigerator can be a good investment in terms of saving stock that might otherwise have perished.
© Alba_alioth / Shutterstock.com
Take into account that fresh flowers are delivered to florists’ shops in refrigerated vans – so surely it makes good sense to continue the theme and store them in a cold environment?
Some florists choose a relatively cheap option to maintain a small amount of stock, such as a small floral fridge unit with a sliding door. There are also air conditioning units of various sizes available. Probably the most effective investment a florist can make is in a refrigerated cold storage container.
Flowers will always be a popular gift, and every florist will experience particularly busy times of year, such as Valentine’s Day, so it pays to have storage space that will accommodate greater volumes to ensure the they remain 100% fresh when they reach the customers.
How long should flowers last?
A bouquet of cut flowers, purchased from a florist, should last at least seven days when they reach your home. As flowers are transported great distances these days, it’s a great achievement that they remain in good condition for such a long time.
Statistics show that bouquets sold in retail outlets may already be 10 days old before they are sold to the customer when they’ve been shipped a long way. Once the fresh flowers arrive at the florist’s premises, they are likely to be stored further before they are transformed into beautiful bouquets.
Keeping the flowers at a cool temperature throughout the whole process is crucial. As flowers and their leaves contain 70% to 95% water, storing them at the correct humidity to keep them hydrated is also important. Extend their life by an additional eight days by having a humidity count of 80% in the storage room.
If flowers get too hot, they will wilt much more quickly – maybe even before the florist has had the opportunity to turn them into bouquets. To avoid financial loss, the importance of cool storage conditions cannot be over-emphasised.
AC unit v cool room
When cut flowers reach their destination, they must be placed into a temperature-controlled storeroom as soon as possible. The ideal temperature is 1°C to 2°C, to ensure they remain at peak freshness.
Some florists have an air conditioning unit installed on their premises. This can be beneficial, but the downside is that the whole shop will be cold too. If you want a specific area for the flowers, to keep them super-cool, then installing a bespoke refrigerated container could be the solution.
Most florists will have a workshop and having a refrigeration room in there could also be beneficial to keep the flowers perky while they are being made into bouquets.
Refrigerated storage units can specifically benefit the floristry industry, as a fully controlled temperature system ensures fresh flowers are kept in great condition for the duration of their lifespan.
People in the UK like to say it with flowers. It’s a florist’s job to ensure that the message is well-received!
Providing effective cold stores for flowers, 1COLD Ltd offers a range of temperature-controlled environments to give florists the competitive edge. Give us a call on 01564 702 269 for more details.
