[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_col-lg-9 vc_col-md-9″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][stm_post_details][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1660665384212{margin-bottom: 30px !important;}”]
Workers in heavy coats shift boxes of flowers from a cold store into a refrigerated container. Once packed, these blooms will travel hundreds of miles by road, in a special ‘controlled atmosphere’ container from Nairobi to the coast.
On arrival at Kenya’s biggest seaport, Mombasa, the container is loaded onto a ship for a voyage to Europe of around 30 days. Despite their lengthy journey, they will still be sold to European shoppers with a vase-life of about a week.
So, how is this possible?
“The flowers will be kept at a temperature of 0.5 degrees celsius throughout the journey,” says Elizabeth Kimani, the manager of quality and standards at Sian Flowers.
As well as controlling the temperature, the atmosphere system in the container reduces the oxygen level from 20% to 4%, while increasing the carbon dioxide level from 0.4% to 4%.
This technology is all part of the elaborate process of preserving the blooms for as long as possible.
“Through this [system] you stop all activity in the flowers that, as a result, go into dormancy,” Ms Kimani says, explaining that the flowers are put to sleep.
A sophisticated tracking system allows staff from the shipping company to monitor the temperature, oxygen and CO2 levels throughout the journey.
[/vc_column_text][stm_image_gallery images=”258,258,258,258″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1660665405596{margin-bottom: 60px !important;}”]
But flowers destined for such a long voyage need extra attention to prepare them, as soon as they are picked.
“We harvest them early in the morning, when it’s still cool and they will be the first to go into the cold room,” explains Linda Murungi from grower, Sian Flowers.
Freshly-harvested roses, for instance, are then dipped into a chemical mixture to protect them from the fungus, botrytis.
After that, the stems are put into buckets to absorb a hydration solution so they can survive the thirty days without water. They are also put in a solution that curbs the growth hormone, ethylene, which causes the ageing of the flowers.
Once that process is completed, the flowers are then packed into cartons with holes in the top and bottom, which allow air from the container’s system to circulate.
[/vc_column_text][stm_post_bottom][stm_post_about_author][stm_post_comments][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][stm_sidebar sidebar=”272″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
