About twenty years ago, it seemed inevitable: as China grew wealthier, people would also start buying more flowers. The reasoning was simple: cities were expanding, the middle class was growing, and consumers were emerging who had money for small luxuries. In many countries, that ultimately also leads to higher flower sales.
All the ingredients were there. After all, China has been producing flowers on a large scale for a very long time. In Yunnan province, where we are based as well, an impressive industry developed, including greenhouses, auctions and a logistics chain capable of moving millions of flowers across the country every day.
But production and consumption rarely move in tandem. The sector has become markedly more professional, especially in recent years. Larger, modern growers are replacing the small farmers. There are now many nurseries that are copies of... guess who? This increases production capacity and changes market dynamics.
