Lily's Boots: The Chill from LAX to MIA

As promised last Friday, I am going to share a little ditty about my adventures in the Miami heat. Except I came to find that "Miami heat" may not be the best way to describe my adventures...

Last weekend, I left sunny Southern California for sunny Miami, from Bouquet Land to Flower Inspection Central. I traveled from arid heat to intense humidity to help inspect floral products going in and out of Miami, and here's what struck me as odd: I was cold. The whole time.

Cold weather boots

I needed a hoodie in the Sun Pacific Bouquet Department, and I added a jacket, gloves and warmer boots when I got to the distribution center in Miami. Fully swathed in cold weather gear, I worked with a team of floral reps to inspect flowers coming in from all over the globe, especially Colombia and Ecuador, and of course from Sun Valley. We spent a few hours opening boxes and pulling out bouquets, bunches and greens to inspect for quality issues, such as mold or bortrytis. I'm happy to report that we found nearly zero, nada, zilch issues with the products, which were most likely destined for deserving mothers. I'm also happy to say that we were able to take a few breaks to get out into the Miami sun, as we were downright cold in there!

Yet it turns out that being cold is a very, very good thing. For flowers, that is.

Just like a wheel of Gouda, flowers greatly benefit from staying cold from their inception to their reception. Playing it cool from farm to shop shelf ensures longer vase life and better floral quality, ultimately resulting in higher consumer satisfaction. This is why you'll hear phrases like "cold chain management" and "refrigerated trucking" a lot when listening in on a conversation about flower distribution. It's also why you'll find yourself in a chilly warehouse working in a Bouquet Department or in a nearly freezing DC inspecting floral products.

It's one thing to talk about cold chain management in theory, but it's quite another to actually experience two crucial (and chilly) steps of the process in person. My boots and I flew from one coast to the other to do just that.

Which is why I was so cold. The whole time.

For more information about cold chain managment click here.

Got a story about how cold chain management has affected your floral business (either positively or negatively)? Share it in the Comments!

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