Angela Escobar’s path into the flower industry is rooted in her upbringing and early exposure to agriculture in Colombia. As the granddaughter of a small-scale farmer, Angela’s connection to the land began at a young age, influencing her decision to study Agricultural Management. After completing her studies, a visit to a local flower farm sparked an emotional connection that would define her career for the next 20 years. In this interview, you'll learn more not only about her but what led her to create her own business, 'Floral Dynamics', where they focus on understanding their clients' needs and connecting them with the right suppliers, leveraging their strengths to enhance service delivery.
The Story of Angela Escobar in the Flower Industry
Following the lines of this interview, Angela shares how her hands-on experience in cultivation and post-harvest roles shaped her understanding of the industry’s challenges. She also discusses her transition into international trade, where she learned the importance of effective communication and relationship-building. Her goal is to serve importers from around the world representing them with their suppliers in Latam, allowing them to have more control, presence, priority as well as continuous information from the source. Additionally, she'll explain her current work in helping importers navigate the complexities of buying flowers from Latin America.
Through her story, you will gain insight into the practical realities of the flower trade and the dedication it takes to succeed in this field.
Q: Angela, where do you come from? Can you give us a complete background and tell us about 'your story'?
Angela:
"I’m Angela, 45 years old, married, and a mom to a 2.5-year-old. I’m a proud Colombian and the granddaughter of a small-scale farmer. My connection to the countryside from a young age inspired me to study Agricultural Management. After graduating, I took my resume to a flower farm, and seeing the vibrant fields full of life and color was genuinely emotional for me. I knew this was the industry I wanted to work in. It's been now 20 years working with flowers.
I spent my first five years in cultivation and post-harvest roles at well-known companies in the sector, where I became aware of the daily challenges involved in flower production. I also recognized the significant gaps between production planning and its effectiveness, as well as between logistics planning and its execution.
After those years in the field, I joined a well-established English importer. For many years, I exclusively supported their relationships with flower suppliers in Latin America. In this job, I learned the value and effectiveness of face-to-face negotiations, the competitive edge and efficiency of quick responses, and how the continuous flow of information between the importer and their suppliers creates a significant advantage in marketing the product and achieving superior customer service. This experience helped me understand how the constant challenges in the Colombian industry affect international buyers, whose customers often aren’t aware of the complexities in our countries."
"Knowing a large percentage of producers and different types of flowers with their thousands of varieties has honed my skills in flower buying, allowing me to secure interesting volumes and fair prices even during highly competitive periods. I've decided to start my own company, Floral Dynamics SAS. It operates as a sole proprietorship, but my vision is to expand our services to importers worldwide. My goal is to serve importers from around the world representing them with their suppliers in Lattam, allowing them to have more control, presence, priority as well as continuous information from the source."
Q: What exactly do you do and what do you love most about your job? Additionally, can you tell us more about the types of services you offer to your clients?
Angela:
"We are the eyes and ears of the companies that will hire our representation. Floral Dynamics actively monitors the market situation. I keep track of major, medium, and small producers of each product, as well as market entrants and exits, to offer diverse options to importers for their purchases. The latter is also possible thanks to a current and constantly growing network of over 300 suppliers of flowers and logistics. Additionally, we assess the strengths and weaknesses of our producers in Latin America across all areas of their businesses—productive, environmental, social, and commercial—to find the perfect match for our clients.
We strive to maintain loyal relationships with farms, their owners, key decision-makers, and operations teams to achieve the best results for the importer. Field visits are documented with photos, conclusions, and follow-up points. Also known for our high-quality processes effectively supporting importers with their procurement, such as pre-reserving products for seasons, standing orders, open market purchases, last-minute orders, and finding volumes to capitalize on sales opportunities."
"We monitor that suppliers meet their commitments in volume and timing, mitigate the impact of any non-compliance, and seek mutually beneficial solutions. I love the dynamic nature of my work—staying connected with people, observing the evolution of production and marketing practices in our countries, and showcasing them to the world. I also appreciate the quality of people I’ve met over the years and the new generations proudly joining this industry."
Q: What are the challenges and difficulties of buying from Latam to Europe, the UK, Russia, and the Middle East?
Angela:
"One of the biggest challenges is finding integral suppliers that match importer needs in terms of fulfilling their needs with quick reactions, reaching a competitive Price point for their markets with a product that will sell thanks to its consistent quality and presentation. In our countries, planning isn’t as developed as in Western or North American countries. We’re often more reactive and expect things to resolve on their own which can create friction with clients who expect 100% compliance, quick solutions, and responses tailored to their needs. Time zone differences play a significant role in getting real-time responses or short turnaround times, which can affect negatively customer satisfaction and business opportunities.
Effective and transparent communication is crucial for importers to provide high-quality service to their customers. Although importers have direct contact with their suppliers, face-to-face meetings in their native language offer an advantage for maintaining long-term, open, and honest business relationships. This is important not only for interacting with the supplier´s commercial team but also for coordinating with operational staff which can be challenging due to distances and associated costs.
There’s also limited information in real-time about suppliers—improvements, projects, key markets, business opportunities, entering and exiting varieties as well as challenges they face in meeting their production and commercial plans. My service addresses this issue by providing comprehensive insights into suppliers' capabilities and activities. By offering detailed information and updates, I help importers make informed decisions and enhance their service quality."
Q: How do you solve these problems and help your customers in the process?
Angela:
"I focus on identifying my client's real needs. I assess which obstacles or barriers they’re facing in their flower purchasing process and how these are impacting their sales results. This allows me to leverage my knowledge and experience to find tangible, measurable improvements in the short term."
Q: What is the most important part/component of importing products from Latam to the rest of the world? What is the key to have in mind when it comes to this type of operation?
Angela:
"For me, the most important aspect is having real-time knowledge and information about market conditions, key players, and how these factors might positively or negatively impact the business. It’s crucial to have both flower suppliers and logistics service providers aligned with the importer’s needs and willing to customize their offerings to focus on the client."
After so much astute and percipient information coming from such a professional, Angela finishes this interview by sharing her favorite quote, one that describes herself and what makes her job so special.
She shares that a simple yet defining quote for many stages of my life is:
"Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I believe in the power of certainty, perseverance, trust, effort, and above all, using the truth to achieve the goals I set."
To talk to her and learn more about her services completely, make sure to send Angela a message through Linkedin.
Photos courtesy of Angela Escobar.
