Sourcing flowers from Colombia means managing the largest single supply line in U.S. floral. Colombia supplies about 60% of U.S. flower imports by value, according to a March 2026 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report. For grocery buyers, bouquet makers and importers, that dependence now collides with a 12.5% U.S. tariff, a stronger peso and higher wages. This guide pulls the numbers together and ends with a supplier checklist you can use before the next pre-book.
Why Colombia anchors U.S. flower supply
USDA’s Bogotá post reports that Colombian flower exports reached $2.4 billion in 2025, up from about $1.27 billion in 2012, the year the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement took effect and gave flowers duty-free access. The United States takes about 80% of Colombia’s export value and 75% of its volume. Growers cultivate more than 1,600 varieties, and the sector employs more than 200,000 people, the report says.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colombian flower exports, 2025 | $2.4 billion |
| U.S. share of Colombian exports | About 80% of value, 75% of volume |
| Colombia’s share of U.S. flower imports | About 60% by value |
| Air freight share of export volume | About 92% (ocean about 8%) |
| Valentine’s 2025 shipments to the U.S. | About 65,000 tons, up 10% from 59,000 in 2024 |
| Certified under Florverde Sustainable Flowers | More than half of exports |
Source: USDA FAS, Colombian Flowers and the American Market After Six Decades of Growth, March 24, 2026.
What Colombia grows, and what it means for your mix
Roses made up 18% of Colombia’s 2025 export value, carnations 14%, chrysanthemums 9%, hydrangeas 5% and alstroemeria 3%. The other 50% came from a long tail of species. For mixed-bouquet programs, that long tail suggests a single origin can supply nearly every component of a grocery bouquet, which simplifies purchasing but concentrates risk.
When does Colombian volume peak?
Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day together account for roughly 30% to 35% of annual export revenue, USDA says. At the Valentine’s peak, 30 to 35 fully loaded flights a day head to Miami. In 2024, Bogotá handled nearly 1,700 cargo flights in the two weeks before the holiday. Buyers pre-booking for Feb. 14, 2027 are competing for the same uplift as every other importer. See our Valentine’s floral program guide for what to lock in first.
How do flowers get from Bogotá to your DC?
Air carries about 92% of export volume. Bogotá’s El Dorado airport and Miami International are the two chokepoints, and USDA calls flowers the most important cargo item at both. A delay at either point shortens vase life before product reaches your cooler. Freight rates are moving too; our report on rising freight costs covers the pressure on rates, and our care and handling guide covers what to do once boxes arrive.
Cost drivers: wages, currency and the tariff
Labor is 50% to 60% of production cost, and about 85% of flower workers earn the minimum wage. Colombia raised the minimum wage 23.7% in January 2026, and the peso had appreciated nearly 12% against the dollar over the prior year, USDA reports. Both raise dollar costs for U.S. buyers before any duty is added.
The tariff is the third layer. The U.S. imposed a 10% duty on Colombian flowers in April 2025, the first in more than a decade, which industry representatives estimated at more than $200 million a year in added costs. According to The Rio Times, the rate on a set of Colombian goods including cut flowers rose to 12.5% on July 24, 2026. President Trump said on Oct. 12 he may remove the extra duty on some Colombian goods, but no formal action had been reported as of Oct. 13. Read more on the grower side in our coverage of Colombia’s economic pressures.
A supplier checklist for Colombian farms
The following is our planning checklist, not USDA guidance.
- Certification: ask whether the farm holds Florverde Sustainable Flowers status. USDA reports certified farms capture price premiums of 10% to 15%.
- Duty terms: confirm who is importer of record and whether price lists include or exclude the tariff, with a written adjustment clause if the rate changes.
- Holiday uplift: ask how freight space is allocated for the Valentine’s and Mother’s Day weeks, and request arrival windows at Miami.
- Cold chain: ask for temperature records from farm to truck, not just a statement that product is refrigerated.
- Cost pass-through: ask how peso and wage changes enter price lists, and how often prices reset.
- Second origin: keep a qualified alternate source, such as Ecuador, for roses in case of a duty change or flight disruption.
Takeaways: sourcing flowers from Colombia in 2026-27
- Plan for Colombia to remain the anchor origin: about 60% of U.S. imports by value and 80% of Colombia’s export value flows north.
- Budget for three cost layers, wages up 23.7%, a peso up nearly 12% and a 12.5% tariff, and write tariff adjustment language into pre-book contracts.
- Lock Valentine’s and Mother’s Day uplift early, because those two holidays carry 30% to 35% of annual export revenue.
- Verify certification and cold-chain records, and keep a second origin qualified.
Sources: USDA FAS report CO2026-0004 (PDF); The Rio Times. Photo: Rebecca Niver / Unsplash.
Travis Rigby is the publisher of SuperFloral, the news source for the mass-market floral industry. He leads its website and weekly newsletter, covering what matters to growers, breeders, supermarket floral buyers and category managers. Travis studied journalism at the University of Utah, founded and led PosterGarden.com for 27 years, and is president of FlowerBox.com.
