Mother’s day is approaching. If you were planning to give flowers for the occasion, be aware that they can also have a heavy carbon footprint. Florists explain to us why we must defend the flower made in France.
Sunday, June 4, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Many people go to the florist to buy a pretty bouquet. But do you know that flowers are not often produced in France? Stéphane Chanteloube is a florist in Riom and Gerzat, near Clermont-Ferrand. He is even Meilleur Ouvrier de France. He presents himself as a fervent defender of the French flower: “ As Meilleur Ouvrier de France, I have to promote the flowers of my country. I defend French flowers. Our customers know that we have the flower of France, they follow me and know the product. New customers who come to the store ask me where they get their supplies. I even manage to give them the name of the producer of the flower. I am also an ambassador for the flower market in Hyères, in the Var ».
For him, it is important to have fun, while thinking about the planet: “ I also discuss the ecological argument with my clients. The flower did not fly around the world by plane. My flower is picked on Monday. Monday evening, it is stored at the market. Tuesday morning, it goes to the clock, for sale. On Wednesday at midnight she is at my place. Couldn’t be cooler. Since February, more than 50% of my suppliers have been French. Everything is grown in the Hyérois basin “. Stéphane Chanteloube continues: “ We must pay attention to the carbon footprint, pay attention to traceability. I can’t find out the traceability of flowers from Kenya. In France, I get to know the producer. You have to think about French suppliers. France needs us to work. We must not lose our horticulturists. We lost a bit during COVID, for example, but the industry is picking up again ».
For the Meilleur Ouvrier de France, French flowers are a guarantee of excellence: “ In terms of quality, the French flower is number one. However, we have fewer products than elsewhere. Our peonies come from the Var, as do roses, stock, sunflowers, lisianthus, amaranths, eucalyptus, gerberas, germinis and arums. We are in a season where there is choice. The producers worked to ensure there was variety for Mother’s Day “. For him, the argument of a too high price does not hold: “ The French flower is not more expensive than its foreign competitors. These are rumors. I’m talking about price for equal quality. Florists who mainly buy from abroad want to sell at all costs, and not necessarily sell quality “. Stéphane Chanteloube focuses above all on the flower made in France for Mother’s Day: ” Mother’s Day is the biggest holiday of the year for us. The month of May represents 20% of my annual turnover ».
A few kilometers away, Céline Castellan is also a florist in Clermont-Ferrand. She has also seen a change with her clients: “ We have been established for 15 years. I find that our customers are increasingly wondering about the origin of flowers. This is a major concern “. The florist has chosen to adhere to a label that promotes French horticulture: ” We are members of the Fleur Française collective. It brings together florists and horticulturists who have an ecological approach. We thought there was something wrong with bringing in roses from Kenya, for example. We tried to get closer to people who thought like us. To join, you must have at least 50% French flowers throughout the year “. She explains where she finds suppliers: “ We mainly get our supplies in the Var, but it’s not all year round. It is mostly from November to May. For example, at the moment the peony comes from the Var. When our flowers are not produced in the Var, the flowers come from Italy and the Netherlands. In the summer, we manage to manage with the gardens. We have other solutions like picking. Recently, we planted flowers with a producer from Volvic, who does agroecology. We are starting to grow our own production ».
Céline Castellan insists on the seasonality of flowers: “ In May, the emphasis is on the peony. Last month it was buttercup. In January, mimosa and anemones were offered. As the seasons change, we change flowers “. She states: “ It does not cost more to obtain supplies from French producers. This restricts us in the choice of flowers. For example, summer is wedding season. Couples have fixed ideas about the color, the shape of the flowers. Now they give us carte blanche to have something more ecological. This gives us more leeway to maneuver “. Above all, she puts forward the ecological argument to defend her approach: “ This is the decarbonization of transport. In addition, heating greenhouses in winter is not a good thing. It’s the same idea as food. We don’t make the red rose on Valentine’s Day. It’s grown in Ecuador or Kenya and it’s ecological nonsense. We replace with ranunculus which also makes beautiful colorful bouquets and our customers are very happy ».
The florist deplores the lack of promotion of the sector: “ There is a lack of horticulturists in France to be able to produce flowers. There is the CAP horticulture but more specialized training in cut flowers. In the south of France, horticulturists are getting old and we are waiting for the next generation. We hope that the young people will follow “. So on Sunday, to celebrate Mother’s Day, try to think about the planet too!
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