Walking through Jet Fresh Flowers is like walking through a candy store of flowers, an explosion of colors from 120 different types of fresh-cut blooms ready to be delivered to supermarkets, event planners, and local florists – or shipped to distributors across the U.S. “Flowers are powerful,” says Fernando ‘the Fern’ Ortega, Jet Fresh’s general manager. “It’s an item that’s used for some people’s core memories, and they are powerful for mental health. So, we try and showcase some of the best flowers from all over the world.”
Jet Fresh Flowers, a family-owned flower importer, distributor, and grower, has been in Doral since its inception in 2008. Michael Black, founder and president, started the company with just himself and a desk. Now, strategically located less than 10 minutes from Miami International Airport in 15,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space with 50 employees, Jet Fresh has blossomed as a flower wholesaler.
In addition to sourcing from farms in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Italy, France, and some Asian and African countries, Jet Fresh also owns a boutique farm in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. Called Jet Fresh Flower Growers, its 150 employees cultivate over 40 species of roses at a height of 2,900 meters. “We go worldwide and then consolidate all that product here in Miami. And then from here, we’re shipping to the entire United States, Canada, etc,” says Ortega. The farm ships directly to customers in Europe, Russia, and China.
Being so close to the airport allows the company to make an average of five runs a day to the airport, shipping almost 2,000 boxes daily. From sourcing globally to meticulously handling and packaging, the industry never sleeps. “It’s very stressful, because it’s a perishable item, and it’s dying before it gets in our hands,” explains Ortega.
Geography is a key factor for the floral industry, and where logistics go, flowers follow. Even though New York has a long-standing reputation as a major flower importer, according to Ortega, 95 percent of those fresh-cut flowers come through Miami, which means Doral.
“Doral is a floral hub. There are tons of refrigerated logistics, and air freight in the city that ships throughout the world,” says Ortega. With traffic thickening across the county, Doral’s proximity to the airport and major highways helps cut through that – making Doral an efficient option. “Everybody [here] is sitting next to the airport – we want to get our flowers that are imported from the airlines as fast as possible,” says Orgtega. “I have very limited windows throughout the day to make sure that those flowers are packed, labeled, and delivered to their cargo agent that same day.”
When asked if Jet Fresh has considered opening a warehouse elsewhere, the option of Hialeah Gardens popped up due to more affordable rent and more space. But it is too far from the airport. “We’d be further away from the truck lines which wouldn’t work because we have nonstop service,” said Ortega.
