How we export
From the Antioquia highlands to your cooler in about 48 hours.
Hydrangeas are perishable and premium. Here is exactly what happens between our fields and your dock, how we keep them cold, and the controls every box clears on the way.
- 2,100 m
- altitude of our farms in Rionegro and San Vicente, Antioquia
- 10 mi
- from the farm to Jose Maria Cordova airport (MDE)
- 1-3 °C
- cold chain from post-harvest to aircraft
- ~48 h
- farm to importer cooler on the Miami lane
Why Colombia. Why Antioquia.
Colombia is the second largest flower exporter on earth and by far the first supplier to the United States. Within Colombia, hydrangeas are an Antioquia specialty: the cool eastern highlands around Rionegro, San Vicente, La Ceja and El Carmen de Viboral grow almost all of the country's export crop. Buying from us means buying from the centre of that expertise, with the airport next door.
- US$ 2.35 bn
- Colombian flower exports in 2024, up 13 % in value
- 80 %+
- of fresh flowers imported by the United States come from Colombia
- 98 %
- of Colombia's hydrangea export value comes from Antioquia, our region
- US$ 120 m+
- FOB of Colombian hydrangea exports in 2025, a record year
The journey of a box
Seven steps, one cold chain. The order matters: each step protects the vase life the next one depends on.
01Grown at altitude, in the world's hydrangea capital
Our farms in Rionegro and San Vicente sit at about 2,100 metres in the eastern highlands of Antioquia, the region that produces almost all of Colombia's export hydrangeas. Cool nights, mild days and steady rainfall give big heads, firm stems and deep natural colours without forcing, twelve months a year.
- Own farms in Rionegro and San Vicente plus more than fifty partner growers nearby
- Harvest every week of the year, planned against your program
- Natural, sprayed and tinted varieties from the same fields
02Cut at dawn, hydrated within the hour
Hydrangea is one of the thirstiest cut flowers: it loses water fast through its leaves. So stems are cut in the cool of the morning at the opening stage the destination needs, carried to the post-harvest room in minutes and placed straight into a professional hydration solution before anything else happens.
- Cut stage per market: more open for the US, tighter for long-haul
- Hydration treatment right after cutting, then a holding solution
- Stems re-cut and lower leaves stripped to reduce water loss
03Selected and graded by hand
Every stem is checked for head diameter, stem length, colour uniformity and freedom from damage or pests. Grades follow the specs published in our catalog, Select, Premium, Jumbo and Baby, each with a head size and stem length you can plan around.
- Head size and stem length as listed on each product page
- Colour-matched bunches so every box opens the same
- Below-grade stems never leave the farm
04Packed for a long flight
Each stem gets a sleeve and a water bag or hydration cap at the base so it keeps drinking inside the box. Bunches go into ventilated half, quarter and eighth boxes at the published counts and weights, labelled with variety, grade, count, harvest date and your codes.
- HB / QB / EB formats, custom counts and sleeves on request
- Water bags on every stem for dry shipment
- Customer labelling and barcodes available
05Pre-cooled to 1-3 °C and kept there
Boxes are force-air pre-cooled to 1-3 °C in the farm cooler, then move in refrigerated trucks to the cargo terminal, ten miles away, where they wait in cold storage until the aircraft door closes. Removing field heat fast is what buys the vase life your customers see two weeks later.
- Forced-air pre-cooling before palletising
- Refrigerated transport for the shortest last mile in the industry
- Cold storage at the terminal, pallets built in the cooler
06Inspected, certified and cleared
Before departure every shipment is inspected by ICA, the Colombian agricultural authority, and issued a phytosanitary certificate through the SISPAP system; the export is declared to customs (DIAN). On arrival in the US the boxes are inspected by USDA APHIS and CBP in Miami; we prepare the paperwork so your broker clears them without delay.
- ICA phytosanitary certificate with every shipment
- Commercial invoice, packing list and air waybill sent ahead
- Ready for USDA APHIS / CBP inspection and EU requirements
07Flown, not shipped
More than nine out of ten Colombian flowers travel by air. From Jose Maria Cordova (MDE) freighters fly daily to Miami, the flower gateway of the Americas, with connections to Europe (Madrid, Amsterdam) and beyond. Our depot is two minutes from the runway.
- Daily wide-body cargo departures from MDE
- Miami consolidation for US and Canada distribution
- Europe and other markets quoted per shipment
Freshness
How a hydrangea arrives as fresh as it was cut.
Two things decide vase life: how fast field heat is removed and whether the flower ever stops drinking. Our whole process is built around those two facts, and around the clock.
When your box arrives
- Unpack straight into the cooler; do not leave boxes on a warm dock.
- Re-cut 2-3 cm off each stem and place in clean water with a hydration solution.
- Hold at 1-3 °C, high humidity, away from fruit and other sources of ethylene.
- Let the heads drink for a few hours before they go out to your customers.
- A wilted head usually revives when the whole stem is submerged in cool water for an hour.
- 0-1 h
Cut at dawn, stems into hydration solution in the shade.
- 1-6 h
Grading, sleeving, water bags, boxing in the post-harvest room.
- 6-12 h
Forced-air pre-cooling to 1-3 °C, pallets built in the cooler.
- 12-24 h
Refrigerated truck to MDE, ICA inspection, cold storage at the terminal.
- 24-36 h
Flight to Miami. USDA APHIS / CBP inspection, cold room at the importer.
- 36-48 h
Re-cut, re-hydrated and in your cooler, ready to sell with full vase life ahead.
Controls
Every box clears every control before it flies.
Compliance is part of packing, not a separate department. These are the checks and documents behind every San Francisco Gardens shipment.
ICA phytosanitary certificate
Inspection and certification by the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario through SISPAP for every export shipment.
Customs export declaration (DIAN)
Filed per shipment; the document set is shared with your broker before the flight lands.
USDA APHIS and EU ready
Pest-free, correctly declared and labelled so inspection at Miami or in Europe is routine, not a surprise.
Complete document set
Commercial invoice, packing list, air waybill and phytosanitary certificate travel with the flowers and by email.
Traceability on every box
Variety, grade, count, harvest date and your reference codes on the label.
Unbroken cold chain
Pre-cooled at the farm, refrigerated to the airport, cold storage at the terminal, cold room in Miami.
Where we ship
Our main lane is Rionegro (MDE) to Miami (MIA), with consolidation and onward distribution across the United States and Canada. Europe is served through Miami or on direct cargo connections from Medellin, and other markets are quoted per shipment.
- United States and Canada
- Daily freighters MDE to MIA. Consolidation in Miami, refrigerated trucking or onward flights nationwide.
- Europe
- Via Miami or direct cargo connections to Madrid and Amsterdam, quoted per shipment.
- Other markets
- Asia, the Middle East and Latin America on request, subject to cargo capacity and destination permits.
Terms are typically FOB MDE; delivered pricing is available on the main lanes. Ask for both when you request a quote.
How to start buying from us
Four steps. Most new customers have a trial box in their cooler within two weeks of the first message.
- 1
Tell us what you need
Varieties, grades, stem counts, box format, destination airport and dates. WhatsApp, email or the quote form all work.
- 2
Get availability and a quote
We answer with this week's availability and prices per box, FOB MDE or delivered where possible.
- 3
Confirm and we book the flight
We schedule harvest, packing, inspection and the air waybill. Documents reach you before the flight lands.
- 4
Receive, sell, reorder
Standing weekly programs get priority on our production. Most customers start with a trial box.
What travels in the boxes
All natural hydrangeas
Photo credits
- cargo-avianca.jpg: Joao Carlos Medau, CC BY 2.0, source
- cargo-martinair.jpg: ST33VO, CC BY 2.0, source
- antioquia.jpg: Jacques Di Saint, CC BY 2.0, source
- auction.jpg: bertknot, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- rionegro-jmc-kites.jpg: Carlos Chalarca, CC BY 2.0, source
- san-vicente-plazuela.jpg: XalD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- san-vicente-exterior.jpg: XalD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- mde-cargo-terminal.jpg: Coraerospace, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- hortensia-colombia-morada.jpg: Nathaly 1106, CC BY 4.0, source
- hortensia-colombia-azul.jpg: Project5443, CC0, source