According to Flower Power Daily, red roses are getting some competition.
Toffee colored roses are VERY HOT right now and florists everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on them.
In the past year rose farms have quadrupled their ‘toffee rose’ production and there’s even a toffee rose black market since only a handful of farms have the exclusive rights to this new rose color tone. Even the toffee colored rose names like Frappuccino, Caramel, and Golden Mustard are protected by licensing rights.
Jill Brooke, Founder and editorial director of Flower Power Daily says, “We have anointed the toffee rose to symbolize “open-minded, open-hearted and blended.” This rose does speak to 2023 and is a fitting addition to our changing social landscape, which embraces all the colors of love.”
FPD reports that according to the Pew Research Center, 17% of all marriages in 2022 were of mixed races and ethnicities. The toffee/taupe roses are a perfect choice to represent that cultural shift. It’s no longer just white roses at the wedding or for the wedding bouquet.
Jill says the unsung heroes of the flower industry are all the breeders and scientists who work diligently to develop new rose colors every year in the hope that something new catches on. To their delight, toffee roses caught on big time.
FPD wrote that Joey Azout, president of Alexandra Farms, which produces David Austin roses among other brands, says “sales of sand, toffee, and nude color roses now make up 30% of the color assortment.”
And FPD shared that in anticipation of the growing popularity of this color wave, Rosaprima Roses also introduced RP Moab last year. The company said it planted 20,000 plants and now will increase that production to 150,000 because of demand.
Ryan Black, of Miami-based Jet Fresh Flowers, told FPD, a “black market” for the flowers is emerging since only a handful of farms have the exclusive rights to this color tone and are trying to grow them illegally without breeder permission. Black, who is the fourth generation of his family in the flower business, says the company’s Ecuador farm grows varieties including Symbol and Quicksand which are selling as briskly as real estate in Florida.
Jill says in the U.S. California is the major rose growing epicenter but in South America, Columbia and Ecuador are really big flower generating locations.
There’s some really good news in all this toffee rose hoopla for small business. Local florists who have been finding it harder and harder to compete with the supermarkets selling flowers, are the only ones who can get and sell these rare toffee roses.
Interesting fact about Supermarkets said Jill. They’ve recognized that people buy more in their stores when they see flowers because seeing flowers makes them feel happier. When people feel good they spend more. Supermarkets who can sell flowers cheaper than local florists because they buy in bulk, have set up their flower stations at the front of their stores so people see them when they first walk in.
In addition to talking toffee, Jill and took a few minutes on Valentines Day to review the meanings of the different colors of roses.
Red = passion
White = purity and innocence
Pink = elegance and charm appreciative love
Yellow = friendship and courage
Peach = enthusiasm mischief and fun
Jill who is passionate about all things floral said,
“Flowers convey a dictionary of feelings without saying a word”.
How true.
Listen in as Jill Brooke of Flower Power Daily and I discuss all the toffee rose hoopla in this podcast of our live girlfriends in business conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show
