As businesses struggle during the pandemic, Canadian rose farms are blossoming

While the pandemic has been hard on many businesses, others are blossoming — just in time for Valentine's Day.

Roses blanket Ryan Worsfold's family farm on Vancouver Island where the family business has been growing them for more than 40 years, with February one of its busiest months.

"We produce around 70,000 stems for the week of Valentine's Day on our little farm," said Worsfold. 

Eurosa Farms is one of only a handful of commercial rose farms in the country, according to Cary Gates, pest management director at Flowers Canada Growers — the national trade association of the Canadian floral industry.

Canada has largely relied on imported roses from South America and Africa and previous years have been challenging for local growers due to strong foreign competition.

But now, for rose farmers like Worsfold, things are looking up, with local interest for his flowers on the rise as pandemic related challenges abroad have meant fewer and costlier imported roses.

"A lot of these new customers that came to us because of the difficulty with the supply chain have stuck with us," said Worsfold, who thinks the increase in business could last.

Pandemic challenges drive up prices

Due to transportation issues and fewer available international suppliers, there has been a price increase of about 25 per cent on a stem of imported roses over the last two years, says Vince Van Randen, the cut flower account manager at West Coast Floral in Surrey, B.C.

For the wholesaler, he says, the cost of flying out flowers from Ecuador has increased to approximately $5 a kilo, where it's usually been around $2.

While Canada still largely relies on imported roses, Van Randen says customers who have been turning to Canadian roses are realizing that they want to continue to keep the footprint local. 

"I believe our clientele is willing to pay more for our locally grown product knowing the long term benefits of keeping our farmers in business and the positives to our economy," he said.

Pandemic challenges abroad have also meant greater demand for the few Canadian farmers left , like Scott Lindeboom, the owner of Lindy's Flowers farm in Ontario.

As with Worsfold, Lindeboom says demand at his farm has also increased — in his case by 20 per cent — during the pandemic.

"Rose sales have been very good. It's been very, very strong," said Lindeboom. But he notes that while imports are down, foreign production has been gradually increasing.

This chart illustrates the latest figures until November 2021.

Local flowers a fresher choice

B.C.'s Worsfold says another reason driving local flower purchases is their freshness.

Imported roses are typically flown in from Columbia or South America to Miami and trucked across North America, he says. The roses typically stay refrigerated in a box for a week.

Worsfold says his flowers are fresher and more hydrated than imports because they typically spend two days in a box and more time in water before they arrive at shops across the West from Portland to Winnipeg. 

Buying local, he says, is also a greener choice with fewer carbon emissions.

Farms abroad may also use pesticides that are banned in Canada , he says, which can also be harmful for the environment.

Worsfold hopes customers will continue to buy local, even after the pandemic.

"British Columbia has always been very much about supporting locals if they can and the rest of the country is really getting on board with that as well."

"People want to know where things are coming from now, he said, "and I really believe that it's a big change."