Floral wholesaling has been popular in the U.S. since the 1880s, with deliveries being made by horse and wagon, railway, and messenger. Miami was a key player back then and still one in today’s floriculture landscape. While cut flowers have always been grown in the U.S., the floriculture industry in the country is not dependant on domestic production and has not been since the late 1980s. Due to high demand, imports have increased over the years. While only 60% of consumption was met by imports from 1997 to 2001, 82% of all fresh cut flower sales in the U.S. today are imports from South American countries like Colombia and Ecuador.
Miami’s Role in the Wholesale Flower Market
Miami is a key player in this. In fact, nine out of every ten fresh cut flowers that enter the U.S. come through Miami International Airport (MIA), the gateway for imported flowers in the U.S. The 3230-acre airport was founded in 1928 and handles 75% of all perishable goods imported into the U.S.
According to Sun Sentinel, MIA processed over a billion cut flowers in 2018 alone. In 2020, MIA had processed over 1.3 billion cut flowers, all before Valentine’s Day, accounting for approximately 90% of the total volume imported into the U.S. After Miami, the second-largest floral import location was Los Angeles, which came in at only 55 million flowers.
Miami holds importance for floral imports because it is the United State’s primary gateway to Central and South America, where almost all of its floral imports come from. According to the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the U.S. accounted for 75% of Colombia’s flower exports in 2013, importing a total of $1.09 billion worth of cut flowers.
While Miami is mostly known for its trade in imported cut flowers, it is also one of the largest domestic producers of cut flowers. According to the USDA Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary, floriculture crops in the U.S. had a wholesale value of $4.65 billion in 2020. Florida accounted for 24% of this.
Buy Long-Lasting, Fresh Flowers from Berkeley Florist Supply
Therefore, whether you’re looking for domestically grown flowers or imported wholesale flowers, Miami is the place to find them. If you’re a retail florist or a designer, you don’t have to look any further than Berkeley Florist Supply. We were founded in 1947 and have been serving the South Florida area for over 70 years.
Conveniently located only 10-15 minutes away from Miami International Airport, we carry over 100 varieties of fresh flowers from all over the world, including South American, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. As the largest one-stop-shop in all of South Florida, we’re the go-to spot for wholesale flowers in Miami. Additionally, we also carry floral supplies, including dried and silk flowers, containers, and packaging, and can deliver right to your doorstep.
If you’re in South Florida, we can deliver to you. If not, we can ship nationwide and abroad. Check out our affordable delivery rates here. You can also take a virtual tour of our fresh flower cooler, the largest walk-in cooler in Miami. We’re open Mondays through Saturdays and can be reached here for more information.