Logistics management of small cut-flower businesses: a brief overview of retail trade on the coast of Paraná – Brazil

Given the perishability of cut flowers, logistics plays an important role in keeping the quality of the product in terms of the time the crop travels from harvest to delivery to the final consumer. The trade of this type of flower is common on the coast of Parana, but there are no studies that show the importance of logistics in the competitiveness of the regional production chain. In order to identify the main obstacles in the logistics process on the coast of Parana, we carried out descriptive exploratory research with ten florists managers. The most commercialized cut flowers were roses, orchids, heliconias, lilies, sunflowers, tulips, and baby’s breath, being the rose the most commercialized one. All of the respondents in our research reported that the main decision factor in the type of logistics adopted was the delivery system at the store door. This logistic system, however, did not always allow buying quality flowers that could meet customer demands. Apparently, the collective purchases registered by groups of 3 to 5 retailers may guarantee faster purchases, lower cost and higher quality of flower, as well as higher competitivity to the regional retail market of cut flowers.