In Kenya, roses are grown in greenhouses on large monoculture farms. Essentially targeting foreign supermarkets, rose varieties are most often chosen for their small size, lightness, transport resistance and vase life. The packaging is made on the farm and sometimes bouquets are prepared for export. In 2017, 160,000 tonnes of flowers, most of which are roses, were produced and exported to European Union countries, accounting for 1/3 of the volumes imported, placing Kenya at the top of the list of suppliers from Europe (Kenya Flower Council, 2018). Some roses are however reserved for Dutch auctions or even direct sales to high-end customers. They are better quality flowers, branched or with big buds (Benoit et al., 2017). from: www.mambo.hypotheses.org/1808

The main production areas are around Lake Naivasha, Mt. Kenya, Nairobi, Thika, Kiambu, Athi River, Kitale, Nakuru, Kericho, Nyandarua, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gichu and Eastern Kenya.

Nearly two thirds of exports are destined for Holland, where they are resold to florists through auctions which present a safe avenue into the market

The floral industry around the world essentially consists of three major components: the growers, the wholesalers and the retailers. The recent trends are more towards eliminating the intermediaries, the wholesalers between the growers and the retailers, so that the flowers are made available at considerably low prices. The marketing of Kenyan roses is also trying this approach by exporting more flowers to direct buyers other than through re-exporters.

Types of Roses one can find in Kenya

Freedom (A Hybrid T from Rosen Tantau with a deep red color, a large head and average stemlength of 70-90cm)

Madam Red (A large red from Preesman with a vaselife of 14-16cm)

El Toro (An intermediatefrom Olij Roses with a unique shape that travels very well).

Red Torch (A product of Preesman with 50-80cm stem length, 6cm budsize and good vaselife.

Red Ribbon (An intermediate that opens very well and has good vaselife)

Furiosa (A large red from De Ruiter with stem length of up to 70cm)

Caly Flora

With a range of almost 100 premium flower brands including Kenyan Rose, our journey spans over 25 years in the industry earning Caly Flora the honour as a reliable flower grower and exporter that delivers Kenya’s best to Europe, Japan, Australia and West Africa.