Why Ukraine's floral business has taken me by surprise ...

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Who doesn't love flowers? I guess everybody loves flowers. A bucket of flowers or a flower bouquet makes any occasion special. If you wanna show respect to someone or want to show love, gifting flowers is the best option. Here, when you will gift someone flowers, it is considered that you care for the individual.


History:


History says, that the tradition of gifting flowers came from Ancient Greek culture. Greek people used to connect flowers with gods and they used to offer flowers as offerings to the temple. Later, this tradition had extended and people started giving flowers to pretty women or goddesses.

Why we actually love flowers? Because giving flowers as a gift is related to our emotions. As I have said, we share/show love, affection, respect, appreciation, or apology by giving flowers. It's a way of connecting to the people and share our deepest feeling without saying any word. It's has been considered, that flowers are the symbol of love and care.


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Floral Business:


Floral business is not an easy feat, especially when it comes to creating high profits. It is also necessary to sell high-quality flowers and decorate them well. I have seen many floral businesses in different countries - Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia. However, the florists of Ukraine stand out explicitly to me.

To wind back the time tape, Ukraine has been at the top of it's game when it comes to florists and the flower business. I can remember the days when I first came to Ukraine, it was always filled with flowers when the season was right. You could always spot at least 3 out of 20 people on the streets holding a bouquet.

Flowers are special to Ukrainians, really, really special.


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Location:


One of the biggest floral markets in Kharkiv is located at the place called Heroiv Pratsi, one of the prominent areas for the shopping complexes. A day before International Women's day celebration I went there and found out both temporary and permanent shops. Temporary shops were like a big flower bazaar, many people came from villages to sell these flowers. Mostly different colors of tulips, Hyacinth, daffodils, etc. They were selling both flower pots and sticks as well.

Price is cheaper than the permanent shops. I asked a seller how long the tulip plant will survive and she clearly mentioned 1-2 months highest.


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The market opens at 8.00 am early morning and the sellers start arranging and displaying their flowers from 7 am. They sell throughout the day until evening. Some sell according to the weight, some will ask you how many sticks of flowers you want. Per stick tulip price was 25-30 UAH and plant pot was 80-110 UAH according to the number of tulip bulbs. The price of the bouquet is different, they are not less than 15$.

You see, many people buy flowers from here. I have never seen such a big market before, it looked like the world of fresh flowers.


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They use just a table and some bouquets, vases to keep flowers healthy

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These are all temporary shops...


In those times, there were specific areas for florists to run their business. Much like a makeshift bazaar dedicated to flowers, ONLY.
If you wanted flowers, you don't need to wonder where to go. You already knew there were a plethora of florists huddled up in every corner of Kharkiv.

That doesn't shadow the fact that flowers are expensive. Both in price and maintenance.

The florists of Kharkiv usually flourish during celebrations, obviously. But it doesn't take away the fact that these florists always have the freshest, prettiest, and well-decorated flowers available throughout the year at all times. No matter what day it is, you can never expect the flower business of Ukraine to let you down.


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They are, obviously, limited to the season's permissions. But it is a blessing in disguise.



The flowers are always top-notch and you can expect to buy the best of the best, depending on the season.

Let's talk about somethings that the florists do differently, compared to the countries I mentioned above. For one, they have constantly evolved as a business, in general. They have remained within the realms of traditional business as well as peaked out of the comfort zone to begin wire services. You can always order custom bouquets or a flower and expect them to be available within the next few days. Some, even let you avail a delivery service.

They always have more than just flowers. Which really enhances your gifting experience. You can get a bouquet, a single, a box, or even chocolates added. Want dolls? They got it.

However, the businesses do not shy away from a heavy price tag (comparatively). Most of them always aim to get a newer variety that can be artificially obtained. Usually, these are the most desired and are often attached with a hefty price.


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These flowers were displayed in front of permanent stores. Their colors are slightly different from the bazaar and these are basically high-quality flowers. Mostly these flowers are displayed in front of the stores to attract customers. Also, a large variety of fresh high-quality flowers are available here like roses, orchids.


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Beautiful pink double shaded tulips.. Price : 40 UAH per stick

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Bold blood red carnations.. Price : 35 UAH per stick

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Double delight roses.. Price : 75 UAH per stick

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Most popular Blood Red roses.. Price : 75 UAH per stick



The florists obviously make the most during festivals. Considering almost every month has a festival of some sort, local, national, or international, the business keeps running.
But they do face heavy competition from makeshift or pop-up shops.

However, the establishments always have the upper hand in terms of variety, freshness, and overall delivery. You cannot expect the pop-ups to match the levels of established shops. But it helps to keep the prices in check. If it were not for the makeshift shops, then the prices in the established shops would skyrocket.


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Where do these flowers are coming from :


One thing to consider is that there are very few flower farms in Kharkiv itself. Most of the flowers that you will see in these shops are imported from other cities, local villages and a tiny percentage is made locally in greenhouses and a tinier percentage from Europe. These also play a major role for many people and you would see the florists bragging about where they get a specific flower from.

While the most sought-after flowers like a rose are available due to greenhouse solutions, other than that the limitations are quite obvious. In summer and winter, the most often find are flower pots and indoor decorative pots. Autumn and spring are different stories where the florists have a bigger variety.


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This was my overall observation of the floral business in Kharkiv. I also mentioned where the biggest floral market of Kharkiv is located. I have gathered a nice experience exploring these beautiful fresh flowers and had got chance to talk with one of the local florists.




Love

Priyan



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Those flowers are wonderful and refreshing. Even when they are rare to found in the that makes them more precious.
Great post, have a wonderful weekend.

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