On Friday, September 12th, 2025, the Kenyan floriculture sector gathered to celebrate the transformation the industry has attained over the years, in the context of sustainability. This was during the second edition of Kenya Flower Council’s (KFC) Pinnacle Sustainability Awards. The evening gathering honored both the extraordinary beauty of Kenyan flowers and also the journey of an industry committed to flourishing with purpose. It was also much more about all those making all the difference, ensuring its sustainability.
An Industry Bearing All the Hallmarks of a Success Story
First things first, Kenya's floriculture industry has evolved from humble beginnings in the 1990s into one of the country's most inspiring success stories. In flower production, the country is a global force, ranking as the world's fourth-largest exporter of cut flowers, supplying over 40% of Europe’s imports and reaching markets across the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.
In 2024 alone, the industry generated over USD 1 billion in foreign exchange, provided direct and indirect employment to over 200,000 Kenyans, and impacted the livelihoods of more than two million people. However, aside from these numbers, the industry tells a story of resilience, innovation, and passion, particularly in relation to sustainable practices, according to Clement Tulezi, the CEO of KFC.
Mr. Tulezi:
"Our role has been to champion competitiveness, sustainability, and compliance in global markets. And over the past year, we have made strides in several areas."
KFC has, for instance, continued to enhance the country’s floriculture ambitions and sustainability compliance through the Floriculture Sustainability Standard (FSS), commonly referred to as the Flowers and Ornamentals Sustainability Standard (FOSS) or KFC Silver. The Council embeds the environmental, social, and governance principles of this standard into all floriculture operations, ensuring that Kenya’s flowers meet the requirements of international trade.
Other recent industry accomplishments include government advocacy on taxation, levies, logistics, and trade policy; advancing sea freight to reduce air reliance and boost eco-efficient exports; and building international partnerships to navigate regulations such as the European Union (EU) Green Deal and phytosanitary requirements.
FOSS Is Driving the Industry's Sustainable Transformation
The key driving force behind the industry’s sustainable transformation has been FOSS, a globally benchmarked code of practice that enables Kenyan producers to meet international market requirements and advance social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
Its impacts, KFC Board Chair Chris Kulei emphasized, have been significant in the journey. Mr. Kulei noted that the industry’s commitment to showcasing its sustainability journeys validates the progress being made as a sector.
The FOSS standard essentially means more than compliance; it embodies leadership in sustainable flower production. It positions Kenya at the forefront of responsible floriculture practices that respect nature, care for workers, and contribute meaningfully to communities across the country.
Awards That Matter Beyond Recognition
The Pinnacle Sustainability Awards, Mr. Tulezi emphasized, show the spirit of excellence that drives Kenya’s flower industry. It celebrates farms and organizations that have gone above and beyond in ensuring overall sustainability, innovation, workers' welfare, gender empowerment, logistics, and market development. This year's awards marked a big development from the inaugural event, with KFC members actively nominating their own farms in categories where they felt they showed the strongest sustainability impact.
This participatory approach enhanced transparency and encouraged peer benchmarking across the sector. 42 participants showcased their sustainability journeys, with 39 producer members and three associate members competing across nine award categories. Of these, 23 participants advanced to the final level of competition, showing the high caliber of sustainability practices being implemented across Kenya's flower farms.
Celebrating Excellence in Sustainability
The evening's most prestigious recognition, the Pinnacle Sustainability Golden Bloom Award, honored farms setting the highest benchmarks of excellence with the fewest non-conformities. The winners in this category were:
- Large Scale: Timaflor Limited
- Medium Scale: Kariki Ltd KR Farm - Juja
- Small Scale: Jangwani Roses PLC
In the Specialized Category, the winners were:
- Most Efficient Constructed Wetland: Kisima Farm Limited
- Best Sustainable Packaging: Red Lands Roses SEZ PLC
- Best Soil Health Management: Tambuzi Limited
- Best Employee Welfare Programs: Nini Limited
- Best Organic Waste Management: Carzan Flowers (K) Limited ST Farm - Rongai
- Best Community Partnership Program: Kisima Farm Limited
- Sustainability Excellence Award: Flamingo Horticulture (K) Limited - Kingfisher Farm
- Innovation Award: Sian Flowers - Maasai Flowers (K) Limited
- Young Growers Award: Benev Flora Limited
These winners showed that innovation flourishes in varied ways across Kenya's flower farms, from pioneering sustainable packaging solutions to setting new standards in employee welfare programs. The commitment to environmental conservation was evident throughout, while community partnerships and innovative perspectives from young growers highlighted the energy driving the industry forward.
Enhanced Global and Innovation Partnerships
During the event, Mr. Filippo Amato, the First Counsellor and Head of the Trade Section at the EU Delegation, also highlighted the European Union's strong partnership with Kenya's floriculture sector. The EU is Kenya's largest export market, accounting for over 70% of the country's flower exports. Mr. Amato commended the award winners, terming them “the pride of this industry” and ambassadors of Kenya's commitment to floriculture sustainability.
The evening also showcased innovative approaches to sustainability through partnerships with organizations like GIZ's Project Development Program, whose presentation highlighted opportunities for the floriculture sector to adopt renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions. This addressed challenges related to equipment modernization, greenhouse heating alternatives, and green ammonia production for fertilizer replacement.
These technological innovations align perfectly with the industry's sustainability transformation, where 92% of KFC member farms now use integrated pest management (IPM), 85% have adopted efficient irrigation systems, and over 60% rely on renewable energy sources.
In the end, the 2025 Pinnacle Sustainability Awards proved that Kenya's floriculture industry is thriving with a sustainable purpose. It is sustainable. The flowers tell of the industry’s resilience, its people, and beliefs, as well as being ambassadors of purposeful, transformative business practices that benefit the planet.
Photos by Kenya Flower Council
