Cooperative Veiling Holambra’s 22nd fair took place on the 14th and 15th of October. It was the first face-to-face fair since the pandemic began 1.5 years ago. Our fairs offer auction growers the opportunity to meet customers from all over Brazil. Growers come to the fair to have a chat with their customers and to show their products and novelties. The previous edition earlier this year still had to take place online.
For this edition, the cooperative decided on a hybrid format. In addition to visiting the fair in person, customers could also get access to the growers’ virtual stands and attend the talks at the fair online.
From the reactions of colleague growers at the fair I got the impression that many were amazed by the number of visitors, including many customers from further afield. Customer visits are very important for everyone in the market. It’s an opportunity for growers to learn from customers who know all about the latest trends. And for growers and customers to get a better understanding of the other party’s needs and challenges.
During the past year for example, several customers have been complaining about the steep price increase of flowers. Many were unaware though, that the costs such as for materials derived from plastic and cardboard, or that are traded in dollars or euros, had increased as well.
The trade fair is a good place to discuss these things and disseminate this kind of information. In the same way, it’s also very important for growers to hear about the customers’ needs and challenges. One thing I learned from customers this time is how they’re struggling with the transport of some flowers to faraway destinations because of the extremely high transport costs. As a result, wholesalers tend to transport only the most profitable varieties, or only the flowers they know will be sold for sure.
Jean Ferreira,
Flora Beijo, Holambra, Brazil.
