
Translated by Milo Dvorak
22. 4. 2024
Business Newsletter #27
Spring is here (though the weather, and temperatures in particular, have been a bit bonkers to say the least), so it only feels appropriate to grow your vocabulary like the Czechs grow flowers (please forgive the pun).
Published by iRozhlas.cz on 20 April 2024.
Czech flowers are increasingly used to decorate tables as well as wedding venues. Across the country, dozens of farms are engaged in cultivating cut flowers, and according to the Výkvět (Bloomed) association, the interest in local flowers is on the rise.
In the České Budějovice region, the Krásné kvítí farm has noted an increase in interest.
One of its most popular products is a floral cone. "These are loose flowers, not bound or supplemented with any greenery. They are simply flowers that you arrange at home," describes owner Lenka Žáková. She grows the plants with her husband and harvests them on their farm, then transports them to České Budějovice. "There I have a cooler and a binding room, and it's also closer to customers," she explains. She cannot complain about a lack of interest. "This season started quickly and nicely. Regular customers are returning, which is great, and we already have many wedding orders. Each year there's a bit more," she adds.
The Svobodné hory farm in the Strakonice region, founded three years ago by spouses Jakub and Tereza Peškovi, also cultivates vegetables and cut flowers. "I think once people get to it, they show interest. But it's relatively complicated to reach them and make contact. Once they visit our farm, they are thrilled," says Jakub Pešek.
Despite the growing interest in Czech plants, Lamya Zítková Kourdi, the chairwoman of the Výkvět association, considers the trend of buying flowers to be weak. "It is still considered a luxury item, even though I don't see how it is more luxurious than, for example, coffee in a cafe. Flowers are still seen only as something for birthdays, holidays or special events. However, it would be good to celebrate life more often," she believes.
Most farms engaged in cultivating cut flowers in the Czech Republic operate on about half a hectare. According to the Výkvět association, there could be around a hundred of such farms.