It’s hard to believe that a full year has passed since we did our last round of Cream of the Crop Standing Order bookings. At that time it was almost impossible for most of our customers to decide how they wanted to proceed and if they even wanted to commit to a specific weekly order. In hindsight, after experiencing so many of the challenges we have faced the past 12 months, many are finding that it makes the most sense to secure some kind of standing order. Others are still on the fence about what they should do.
It’s important to note that some of the product availability struggles we have all dealt with the past year will most likely continue. Simply meeting demand has been a challenge, which is partly a result of a consolidation of growers and a massive spike of mass market consumption, specifically during major holidays. As those accounts order large quantities up to a year in advance, they are filled first, leaving little availability for many importers to procure. This is where we leverage our size, and long-standing relationships with so many farm partners, which certainly helps in our procurement but is not always a guarantee, especially during peak demand periods.
We also continue to feel the effects of the Pandemic as growers struggle to find the right equation of what to plant, labor shortages at the farms are still playing a role in production capabilities, and limited freight space due to minimal global travel remains a reality. This is the part where we can’t stress enough how important it is to secure a Standing Order. If the farms know what to plant ahead of time and we can better calculate accurate freight space, it makes processing those orders much more reliable. FARMS WILL FILL STANDING ORDERS FIRST!
To help with your decision making process, we put together a list of advantages on why it’s important to book a standing order. We have even changed things up a bit and added some new great offerings that can make receiving certain items each week a little more manageable.
- Set prices – each week, year round
- Fresh product – picked fresh from the farm and delivered directly to you
- Small, manageable pack sizes – find everything from 4 packs of Alstro, Mums, and Stock to 5 packs of Lilies, Gyp, and so much more!
- Everyday selections – book from a list of items that you can use in featured arrangements on a weekly basis
- Custom pack options – create your own custom mix of items, with dozens of selections to choose from
- Roses, Gardens, and Sprays from farms like RosaPrima, Excellence, RFI, Alexandra, DVFlora, and Elite
- Canadian Gerbera from Rosaflora and Pine Ridge
- Certified American Grown Greens from Ferntrust
- Save time by not worrying each week about what to order
- Protect your business by assuring availability and pricing on certain items
- Cold Chain reliability – product ships on Flower Transfer Logistics trucks to us, then to you via our DV Fleet, assuring specific temperature control all throughout
- Familiar farm choices – we only source from farm partners we have a long-standing relationship with, which are built on years of trust and set quality and fulfillment expectations
- Holiday Double Ups – we will double up your order, if you wish, during Valentine’s and Mother’s Day at the same low booking price*
- Not available on all items. Please see page 3 in our catalog for more information.
”Kitty's Flowers has been participating in the standing order cream of the crop program from Delaware Valley for over 20 years. With the many unknowns in the floral market in recent years, any florist large or small that wishes to have consistent, fresh, quality product going to their customers at a good value should take advantage of the program.
Wayne BradfordKitty's Flowers
