Presenting

Business 58 November | 2021 58 Business November | 2021 58 58 58 ABC: Always Be Cooling THE WHY Here's a sobering fact: the cut fl owers you sell are dead—only they don't know it quite yet. Cut fl owers are the lifeblood of the fl ower industry, but when they arrive at your shop, they have a limited shelf life and must be sold relatively quickly, or you risk losing the money invested in their purchase. e higher the surrounding temperature, the quicker a cut fl ower "breathes" and releases moisture. is dehydrates the fl ower, resulting in wilting, stem sag, petals that won't open and petal edges that brown—creating an unloved and unsold fl ower. Refrigeration—i.e., low temperatures— retard the aging process of cut fl owers. Optimally, to achieve the maximum shelf life for nontropical cut fl owers in your store, a refrigeration system requires a chilling temperature range of 33 F to 36 F. he fi rst clue we at Florists' Review can give to those examining the concept of adding a cooler unit for their fl ower businesses—it's right there in the headline: "Flower." It can be a fl ower display refrigerator or a walk-in fl ower cooler display unit—each performing the same function of displaying and keeping cut fl owers looking fresh, but each providing fl orists with options depending on fi nances and space availability. Despite the temptations to pick up something cheap and simple spotted at an auction or some online used-goods site, refrigeration for one's fl ower business is a complicated matter and should be treated as such. For the old pros who already have their own perfect cooling systems in place—good for you, but keep reading. We are going to explain the fi ve "W"s of refrigeration and how a fl ower refrigerator is diff erent from other types of coolers—and why you need one specifi c to the profession. (Actually, we won't deal with "Who" specifi cally to purchase from because we leave that decision to you—so really, there are only four "W"s.) However, we will provide some intel on how standard refrig- eration units work, in an eff ort to educate. It's always better to have some knowledge of the subject before blindly shelling out money for maintenance and repairs because you don't care. You should always care. And, keeping in line with "the more you know"-style PSA (public service announcement), we're also going to examine some of the latest aff ordable technology available in the fl ower refrigeration segment. floWER Refrigeration 101 A PRIMER COURSE T IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MAKING THINGS COOL By Andrew Joseph No, wait, it's 33 F to 35 F, or is it 34 F to 37 F? It's defi nitely in the low to mid-30s. Or is it in the low 40s? ere is all kinds of "expert" information out there. e truth is, the optimal storage temperature for cut fl owers depends on the type of fl ower—and the condition of the fl ower when you purchased it from the wholesaler or grower. Additionally, the brand of fl ower refrigeration unit can play a part in determining the optimal range. For example, Wayne Lauer, Business 58

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