Florint members on a trip to Kenya

Recently, seven Florint members, including BFA Directors Jamie Grant, Katrina Skybak-Doyle and Jo Biddle and three Florint Board members Kerstin Dallmann (FDF), Brian Wills-Pope (BFA) and Lena Stryjska (SFP) were fortunate to spend several days in Kenya as guests of Marginpar, visiting flower farms and learning more about a part of our industry that many florists only ever see through boxes arriving at the shop door.

We saw flowers being grown, harvested and prepared for export. We learned about water management, soil health, crop protection and sustainability initiatives. We asked a lot of questions and were met with openness, honesty and generosity throughout.

What stayed with us most, though, was the people.

Everywhere we went, we were welcomed warmly. We met people who were proud of their work, proud of the flowers they produce and proud of the role they play in our industry. The care, attention and skill that goes into every stem was impossible to miss.

The visit also reminded us how important it is to see things first-hand. Our industry is full of complex conversations around sustainability, sourcing and responsible business practices. The more we understand, the better those conversations become.

Our sincere thanks to Marginpar for the invitation, hospitality and willingness to share so much with us.

Note: The visit was undertaken at no cost to any national association (BFA, FDF or SFP). All travel and participation expenses were funded individually by the participants.