How Valentine’s Day works

Every year, couples across the world lavish each other with gifts on the 14 February. The event of course is Valentine’s Day and it’s only getting bigger by the year. Of all the gifts, the most iconic of course is the red rose. But where do these roses comes from? It turns out, one shop in the Netherlands is responsible. Step inside the FloraHolland.

The FloraHolland in Aalsmeer, Netherlands is the largest flower auction on Earth. Containing 100’s of millions of flowers with halls half the size of the state of Monaco, it’s truly big buisness. The flowers themsleves are only distributed here and are actually grown in countries you probably wouldn’t expect to be associated with Valentine’s Day. The three biggest growers are Kenya, Israel and Ethiopia and are imported to the UK, Germany, Russia and Italy, the four biggest consumers. As expected, red roses are a very popular flower but tulips, a flower associated with the Netherlands, are the best seller with 120 million. In a standard week 50 million flowers are traded but this is doubled on the 14th February. So when you’re getting your loved one a bouquet this Valentine’s Day, it’s most likely grown in Africa or the Middle East, not in the UK. Happy Valentine’s Day from How It Works! 

FloraHolland sells over 12 billion plants and flowers every year with a turnover of €4.5 billion

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