Wholesale Insights for Florists: Fresh Strategies in 2025
- June 4, 2025
- 7 minutes read
Farm to Florist: How Bellevue Roses Is Helping Flower Shops Thrive in Uncertain Times
In light of rising costs, tariff uncertainty, and in celebration of National Rose Month, we sat down with Juan Torri, CEO of our wholesale partner Bellevue Roses. And yes, they offer more than just roses.
Bellevue Roses is a farm-to-florist wholesaler focused on freshness, transparency, and strong relationships with florists. Their model is designed to deliver top-quality flowers and help shops succeed in today’s unpredictable economy. From staying competitive to meeting real-time demand, Bellevue shares smart, actionable tips to help florists stay profitable.
Who are Bellevue Roses?
Juan Torri’s roots in floriculture run deep.
I've been in the business almost my whole life! My dad started a rose farm in Ecuador around 1986. He started with 10 acres and a team of 30 people.
Following his studies in Europe and time spent working with his aunt in Italy, a flower importer, Juan returned to Ecuador to help develop the family farm. Eventually, the business grew to 90 acres and 400 workers.
Farm-to-Florist Model
Bellevue Roses operates on a dedicated farm-to-florist model, built to ensure that every stem is carefully handled and arrives fresh. As Juan Torri explains:
Flowers are picked, packed, and shipped straight from the source! Arriving to florists just four to five days after being cut.
By working directly with certified farms in Ecuador and cutting out the middleman, Bellevue ensures faster delivery and fresher flowers. But their farm-to-florist model goes beyond speed. It’s built on values of quality, transparency, and trust. With a flexible ordering system and a focus on customization, Bellevue gives florists access to premium flowers that match the creativity and care they bring to every arrangement.
Through strong relationships with growers, strict quality controls, and a commitment to supporting local sustainability, Bellevue stays true to its core: to be a reliable, purpose-driven partner dedicated to helping florists thrive.
Tariffs and Economic Challenges
With new tariffs impacting the flower business, many florists are feeling the pressure of rising costs and economic unpredictability. Bellevue Roses acknowledges these concerns and encourages florists to approach the situation strategically.
There are several smart ways to navigate the uncertainty:
- Optimizing shipping methods can significantly reduce overhead costs.
- Prioritizing the purchase of fresh, high-quality flowers helps minimize product waste and ensures better vase life for customers.
- Building strong relationships with reliable suppliers like Bellevue can also provide florists with greater stability and access to support during uncertain times.
- Additionally, seasonal boxes and pre-made bouquets offer a convenient, cost-effective way to stock up without overbuying.
- Staying ahead by continuously sourcing new varieties of flowers, roses, greenery
- Buying smarter by analyzing trends and setting strategic standing orders with your suppliers.
These practical steps help florists stay resilient and competitive while maintaining the quality and profitability of their business.
Prioritizing Florists over Supermarkets
Bellevue makes it very clear: their business is built for florists, event planners, and wedding planners.
We do not work with supermarkets,” Juan stated. “That’s not our model of business. I will repeat: We do not work with supermarkets. Our business was created to help florists.
By steering clear of grocery chains and big-name retailers, Bellevue ensures its flowers aren’t competing with discounted mass-market bouquets. This gives florists a clear edge in quality and craftsmanship. The result is a stronger foundation of trust and collaboration—florists know they’re working with a supplier that not only respects their work, but actively protects their role in the floral industry.
But it doesn’t stop there. Bellevue’s commitment extends to its farm partners as well, with the company working closely with local farms to ensure the highest standards of quality and sustainability. The company purchases only from the finest certified farms and the most suitable areas for cultivating flowers in Ecuador, including Cayambe and Cotopaxi. These farms meet the standards of the Rainforest Alliance (an international organization working to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities by promoting sustainable business practices.) Rather than focusing on quantity, these farms prioritise quality, using eco-friendly practices like composting, drip irrigation, and biological controls such as Trichoderma. Also these farms make socially responsible practices such as social security, training, nursery, healthcare and retirement plans.
In a market flooded with low-cost, short-lived flowers, Bellevue encourages florists to rise above the noise. By investing in premium stems and superior freshness, florists can create standout designs that last, and reinforce their value as artists, not discounters.
Bellevue’s Take on Emerging Trends
Bellevue Roses embraces the connection between flowers, mental well-being, and fashion. Flowers not only uplift mood but also reflect trending aesthetics, with florists influenced by color movements like Pantone’s color of the year. Bellevue stays on trend with popular varieties of roses such as: soft whites (Playa Blanca, Tibet), vibrant yellows (Brighton, Stardust), and standout pink like Be Sweet roses. To meet demand for harder-to-source shades like mocha mousse, they offer a wide selection of tinted roses in natural-looking brown tones. Also trending are the NEW Garden X-Pression Collection (Candy, Pink, Mandarine, Cotton), the Garden Crown Family (Queen’s Crown, Princess Crown), the popular Free Spirit variety, specialty flowers like Delphinium Elatum White, Baby’s Breath Xcellence, Ranunculus Butterfly, Lisianthus, and premium greens such as Cocculus and Eucalyptus.
Women at the Heart of Success
At Bellevue Roses, women aren’t just part of the team, they’re at the heart of the company’s success. With over half of the workforce made up of women, their influence touches every stem, every order, and every design.
Around 50–55% of our workforce is women. The majority work in post-harvest, where you need the feminine touch, someone who can treat the roses very softly.
But their role goes far beyond careful handling. From quality control to operations, design, and customer support, women shape the aesthetic, style, and soul of the brand. Their natural intuition for color, trend, and detail plays a key role in Bellevue’s reputation for high quality, fashion-forward floral selection and thoughtful service.
We are very into fashion, colors, and detail... that’s one of the reasons why we have a lot of women around.
At Bellevue, women are not just supporting the floral industry. They’re leading it forward with artistry, precision, and heart.
A Final Message to Florists
Juan concluded with a clear message: florists need more than just a supplier. They need a trusted partner who not only understands the challenges of the industry but stands by their side through it all. Bellevue fulfills that promise through consistent inventory, direct relationships with certified farms, and the stability to offer high-quality flowers at competitive prices. Their approach goes beyond their products. Their dedication is built on personalized service, transparency, and long-term collaboration.
As Juan put it:
Service is very important, but trust is what we are aiming for. We want to be a partner who supports you in every moment, who helps you grow, and who becomes an extension of your business. That is the vision of Bellevue Roses.
Interested in working with Bellevue Roses?
Bellevue Roses is a family-owned floral company founded in 2006, dedicated to delivering premium, fresh-cut flowers directly from their Ecuadorian farms. With over 200 varieties, Bellevue emphasizes quality, sustainability, and strong relationships with its clients.
Visit BellevueRoses.com to learn more and explore their full assortment of farm-fresh flowers!
