Ever been intrigued by preserved flowers? Juan Diego Ucrós who is the sales manager at RoseAmor tells us more in his answers to the 10 questions on Thursd this week. Being the son of a rose farmer. Juan has always been in love with flowers, and with ten years of experience at RoseAmor, his journey and insights are worth emulating.
Read on to learn more,
Question 1
For those who don’t know you, who are you, and what do you do?
"My Name is Juan Diego Ucrós, I am 33 years old and with 10 years of experience in the flower industry. Although you could say I am a second-generation farmer. My dad has been growing roses for more than forty years. First in Colombia and then in Ecuador where I currently work. I have worked in rose greenhouses since I was 8 years old, gaining knowledge about varieties, how to harvest, and how roses have been commercialized since then.
Nowadays I am the sales manager at RoseAmor, preserved roses from Ecuador. My job is to find new markets interested in high-quality preserved roses."
Question 2
What is so special about your job?
"The most special thing about my job is my teammates! At RoseAmor we are not only experts at sales and preserved roses we are experts at laughs, teamwork, and making things happen. I also love getting in touch with people all over the world and talking about Roses and personal topics."
Question 3
Are there any specific challenges or obstacles you’ve faced at work, and how did you overcome them?
"About a while ago. We had to develop a computer system that fit our needs perfectly. None of the existing programs at the time were good enough for preserved rose business. Mainly because at RoseAmor we don’t sell the stock we have saved for customers. We produce exactly what the customers need, and we need to schedule a delivery date. With roses and nature being volatile, it was very hard to fix the parameters to give an accurate delivery date for customers. But after much thought and trial and error, we made the new system work perfectly."
Question 4
What are the threats in the industry, and if so, do you have any solutions for them?
"The biggest threats to the flower business are always wars. When people start buying bullets instead of flowers, bad signal.
On another hand, congestions in ports worldwide make business slower since goods don’t arrive on time."
Question 5
How has technology like e-commerce platforms or digital marketing affected your industry, which strategies have you employed to stay competitive?
"Since COVID-19 happened, it gave the kick that e-commerce platforms needed to start growing as a business that everyone uses. Nowadays we have a marketing team, updating all our digital channels all the time to get the maximum exposure possible."
Question 6
Who (in or outside the floral industry) is an inspiring example to you? And Why?
"Diego Ucrós. My dad, he is tough. He has seen the best and worst moments in the floral industry and has always been a winner with the right mindset and strategies to always be ahead of the market. Besides he is the most honest man I have seen in my life. He knows that business is business, but being ethical and honoring your word is even more important to him. "
Question 7
How do you handle stress or difficult moments in your life?
"Sports people!!! Do as much sports as you can. It is the only way to keep healthy in this business. I love my mountain bike. I ride every day to the office and back on my bicycle. on weekends I do longer rides. Besides, we play football after every lunch with my teammates."
Question 8
What has been the best (floral or non-floral) news for you lately, or of the last year?
"I just welcomed my second born, a baby girl; I am proud dad, family is first."
Question 9
Which is your favorite flower/plant and why is it good for you?
"My favorite Flower is the red Rose during January… for anyone in the industry, if they say something different, I wouldn’t believe them."
Question 10
What are you doing this weekend?
"The weekend is for family. I live in the countryside and my wife my two daughters and I love going hiking in the mountains or the lagoons around the Cayambe area. Some other weekends we also go to granddad and grandmom to visit them and get in the pool."
All pictures courtesy of Juan Diego Ucrós.
