Fair Oaks – Fresh flowers may cost you more for Mother’s Day as the industry faces a shortage worldwide.
Amanda Blissit, with Blume Haus, says a short supply of fresh flowers is a crisis in her business. It’s a problem facing florists around the world.
Blissit was featured in 2020 as a business that found a way to stay afloat during the pandemic, and just as business was starting to pick back up, she says a new problem emerged.
“It’s kind of like a crisis because we can’t get the thing that we’re selling, and it’s not just that. It’s the things to make it, as well,” Blissit said.
Companies that supply things like floral foam, vases, and dyes are still having trouble getting supplies and workers, which means florists can’t get what they need.
Problems in farms in California and South America, where flowers are grown, have created a shortage. Farms dealing with bad weather, staffing issues, political turmoil, and shipping problems are just some of the problems the floral industry faces.
“There’s logistics issues, where there aren’t any truck drivers available. They don’t want to go back to work, even on the farm level. We were just getting emails from two of our wholesalers today that only 30% of their workforce wasn’t showing up to work,” Blissit said.
The problems started increasing around Easter, and prices have slowly gone up about 20% to 25%, Blissit says. But she says she managed to absorb the costs so customers don’t have to, but she can’t for much longer.
“What we’re hearing from even all the way down south right now, that it’s not going to get any better any time soon,” Blissit said.
Mother’s Day flowers are already here and available, but brides need to be flexible in their expectations with wedding season around the corner, Blissit says.
H-E-B sent KSAT the following statement regarding its supply chain:
“Our H-E-B team is working closely with growers and suppliers to provide our customers with quality floral this Mother’s Day. We are confident that the hard work done by our team will produce a strong selection for Texans.”