Submitted by Lupita Quintana AIFD, CFD
Southwest Chapter President Elect
The Southwest Chapter was invited to Alexandra Farms for a very beautiful and unforgettable field trip to their farm in Cajica north of Bogota, Colombia. From the moment that we walked into our elegant room, where we greeted by a beautiful floral arrangement filled with many varieties of garden roses, Alexandra Farms hospitality was second to none. At that moment we knew we were about to embark on a wonderful educational experience.
We learned how the garden roses are hand-cut, hand-graded, and hand-packed by mostly women, helping many previously struggling families by elevating their personal economies. The knowledge, training and love they have for this industry is overwhelming.
The farms’ understanding and commitment to sustainable production is evident by their water conservation, sustainable pest management, fertilization and composting.
On the tour of the farms, we saw how the biologist, botanist and pedologist are important to the perfection of the garden roses, dahlias and other crops currently being tested. Research, development and evaluation of the new products and sciences contribute to petal count, flower size, aroma, color, longevity and shipping qualities.
Weekly they ship about 300,000 roses worldwide. The logistics department is responsible to meet customer datelines and satisfaction to make the supply chain successful.
We want to send Special thanks to Joey Azout, Roberto Uribe, Monica Noguera, Teresa, Pilar Buitrago, Oscar Munevar, Antonina Gavrishina, Mauricio Galindo, Elizabeth Perez, Carlos Sarmiento, Marcos Tellez and all the people behind the scenes to make this trip possible…
It was a pleasure to host you! Thanks for coming!
Joey Azout and the team members at Alexandra Farms do a great job! We source all our garden roses varieties from Alexandra farms because of the consistent great quality and varieties they offer. For designers and Florists who like to use the best of the best let us know how we can assist you. We ship small or large quantities nationwide overnight in the US .