The Flower Hub team had a great visit to one of our largest clients in Japan towards the end 2023. For some of us it’s been too long since the last visit thanks to Covid amongst other things. It was wonderful to greet old friends and colleagues face to face, and we sure did see some big changes in the market, highlighting the importance of regular visits.
First stop Narita
Where we were so excited to see Classic’s brand new facility which will increase their capacity by 50% once fully opened in 2024. We were truly honoured to be asked to plant trees along with Kuhene and Nagel and Marginpar to mark the new opening.
Classic have felt the need to invest in increased handling space as they see that domestic production continuing to rapidly decline year on year. Their imports are up significantly in the last twenty years and these trends are not showing any signs of slowing down.
As the costs of freight increase annually and the weakening Japanese yen continues to impact importers, Classic continue to lead the market where others are struggling. We are proud to be part of their continued success in this marketplace.
Kenya continues to dominate the imported rose sector
With 60% of imports onto the OTA auction coming from Kenya. However if they really want to maintain this lead they need breeders to be more progressive with better suited varieties for this market. More Roses without thorns, better Reds and new some Hypericum varieties were just some of the requests from auctioneers.
New virtual Auctions in Osaka show that the Japanese market is doing their bit and developing and progressing with the times, attending auctions in person, will soon become a thing of the past.
Japan certainly seem to be doing their part in ensuring this is a long term sustainable market place for our flowers and now we need to get Kenya going!
