Last week key members of the DVFG Product Management team visited Bogota, Colombia to attend the Proflora Trade Show, which occurs every two years. The event is one of the largest floral trade shows in the Eastern Hemisphere and is held in the main convention center in downtown Bogota.
This year we felt is was very important to send a strong contingent to the event, as Colombian growers supply the majority of flowers to the rest of the world. With this being an international event, buyers from many countries attended, seeking to buy the best fresh cut flowers Colombia has to offer. Attendees from the DVFG team included Tim Dewey, Steve Catando, Bob Roche, Mike Mitchell, Karri Mast, and Mariela Caceres. Once in Bogota we met up with Paula Arango (DVFG South American Farm Liaison) and Jorge Montenegro (Colombia Quality Control Inspector), who both reside in Bogota. In addition to attending the show, we all had the opportunity to visit some of our largest farm partners.
Farms that supply from Colombia are often family owned operations and while some have grown really large over the years, there still remains the pride and passion in the family and leadership teams driving the companies. With a business strategy of buying directly from farms for over 40 years, the DV Floral Group has many long term relationships with core suppliers and attending an event like this certainly consolidates these relationships in a positive manner.
Tim Dewey
DVFG Procurement and Product Management
Members of the DVFG Purchasing Team (Left to Right: Steve Catando, Mike Mitchell, Bob Roche, Karri Mast, Mariela Caceres, and our farm sales rep)
Team members listening to wisdom from an agronomist at a large farm in Bogota.
Post harvest center at a farm in Bogota.
Team Members with our sales rep at Funza.
