Denver Wholesale Florists 100th Anniversary 5/31/09 - Part 01

Brief History of the Denver Wholesale Florists From carnation growers in 1909 to floral industry leaders in the 21st Century One of the nations premier wholesale florists, DWF began in Denver back in 1909 as a partnership of growers in Colorado.

Today, DWF markets the finest flowers and grower supplies from the world over, including the rich growing fields of Colombia and Ecuador, through its 15 wholly owned subsidiaries across the nation.

But, way back in 1909, the main product was carnations. The purpose of the partnership was to cooperatively market the carnation production of its partners, all of whom were local growers. In 1919, a grower supply division was added, today known as DWF Growers Supply. As the business grew, in 1922, Denver Wholesale Florists was formed as a Colorado corporation, and the partnership was dissolved.

By 1945, DWF was marketing approximately 6 million carnations a year, plus roses and some miscellaneous flowers, for its stockholders/growers. During that same year, the health of the major partner began to decline, and the company stock was purchased by the 33 flower growers who were at the time consigning their production for sale. Each stockholder/grower acquired shares based on the square feet of greenhouse space he operated.

By 1976, the number of stockholder/growers had increased from 33 to approximately 85. DWF had established 13 wholly owned subsidiaries located throughout the United States from Seattle, WA to Norfolk, VA and from Winnipeg, Canada, to Dallas, TX. DWF was continuing steady growth. Annual sales of carnations by the mid-seventies were exceeding a whopping 98 million, plus a considerable quantity of other fresh flowers.

But, a significant change in the marketplace was emerging. During the late 60s and 70s, carnations and pompoms produced in Bogota, Colombia, began appearing in southeastern US markets. Quantities from South America increased over the years. And by the 80s, US carnation production began to shift to Colombia. As a result, carnation production by DWF growers had decreased to approximately 30 million a year. This change in the market led DWF to change its purpose from that of a grower driven organization to a full-service wholesale florist, dedicated to providing the finest product and service to retail florists.

Today, DWF is a leader in the floral industry, serving retail florists across the country. Our mission is to provide our customers with the finest product available anywhere. We also have developed and maintain superlative relationships with the top growers and floral supply vendors worldwide, allowing us to offer our customers the very best at the most competitive prices. As one of the largest, premier floral wholesalers across the US, DWF also strives to be a good place to work. We endeavor to keep wages, fringe benefits and advancement opportunities at a very competitive level.

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Howto & Style

Tags:

• DWF
• Floral
• Florist
• Thomas Lofstrom
• FAR
• 5.31.09