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On Valentine's Day, Cupid is Dressed in Brown

Delivering Flowers is a Labor of Love

ATLANTA, Jan. 28, 2005 – This time of year, Cupid’s helpers are working behind the scenes to get millions of roses and other flowers from South America to romantics across the United States in time for Valentine’s Day.

But Cupid doesn’t do it alone; he relies on experts to get the more than 175 million fresh cut flowers sold in the United States over the Valentine’s Day season from farm to sweethearts.

One of those experts is UPS, which imported more than 14.8 million stems of cut flowers into the United States last year from South American countries such as Colombia and Ecuador. In just a 24-hour period, each stem is cut, packed and loaded onto a temperature controlled UPS aircraft heading to Miami. There, they clear customs and are distributed to florists and consumers across the country. Eighty-seven percent of all cut flower imports arrive in Miami. And, UPS is the largest cargo carrier at Miami International Airport.

“At UPS, we take special care to ensure this delicate delivery gets expertly handled from start to finish,” said Tom O’Malley, vice president of air cargo, UPS Americas. “Flower importers and wholesalers rely on UPS to bring flowers into the United States and distribute them across the country because of the strength of our network and the quality of our people.”

Cupid’s rush starts on February 3 this year when the first shipments of fresh cut flowers arrive. His UPS helpers will add an additional 12 flights from Colombia and Ecuador to handle the mad dash of import traffic during February. UPS moves more than 2 million flowers a day during the Valentine rush.

“Most of our flowers are imported directly from Colombia and Ecuador, so we rely on UPS to expedite the shipping process to get the freshest possible product for our customers,” said Peter Sessler, Director of Purchasing for Mayesh Wholesale Florists, Inc. “Nothing would ruin a romantic Valentine moment faster than dried up flowers.”

Red roses remain the traditional favorites on this day of love – 66 percent of buyers select this color. More than 50 million roses are traded worldwide according to the Flowers & Plants Association/TNS Sofres. Other popular flowers include carnations, tulips and lilies.

When it comes to giving flowers, 39 percent of people chose to send bouquets. Only 23 percent give a single flower as a gesture of affection. More than a third of all cut flowers in the United States are sold for Valentine’s Day; 90 percent of which come from Latin America, according to the Society of American Florists (aboutflowers.com).

And who exactly gets all these flowers? According to the Association of Floral Importers of Florida (AFIF), 82 percent of men give flowers to their wives or significant others, followed by friends and mothers with 5 percent each. But men get flowers too, as 15 percent of women report buying flowers for their husbands or significant others. Women’s first choice? Thirty-one percent say “mom.”

UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS), and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com.

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• John Wheeler
  UPS
  404-828-6463
  
• Favila Paulos-Budyszewick
  Fleishman-Hillard
  305-520-9024