There is a moment that happens every June in Nairobi. The doors of the Visa Oshwal Centre open. And suddenly, in one building, under one roof, the entire world of flowers is there!
Growers from the highlands of Kenya, breeders from the Netherlands, buyers from Europe, the Far East, the Gulf, the UK, and West Africa, freight agents, logistics partners, technology providers, and sustainability experts. All of them… in one place, for three days!
I have worked in Kenya's flower export industry for over a decade. I thought I knew what to expect at IFTEX 2026. I was wrong. In the best possible way.
The Industry That Refused to Slow Down
This year's IFTEX welcomed over 210 exhibitors, the highest number in the event's history so far. That number matters more than it sounds.
This year has been brutal for flower exporters; freight rates spiked, flight disruptions became routine, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East rerouted supply chains overnight, the cost of moving a kilogram of flowers across the world went up while margins went down. And yet …210 companies showed up! Not because things are easy. But because this industry does not wait for things to get easy before moving forward.
Walking those halls, I kept thinking about a word that came up again and again in conversations: resilience! Not as a buzzword. As a lived reality. Every person I spoke to had a story about the past year. A delayed shipment. A lost order. A client who paused because the numbers no longer worked.
And every single one of them was at IFTEX anyway. Planning. Connecting. Looking ahead. That is Kenya's flower industry in 2026.
The Flowers Themselves
I need to talk about the flowers. Because beyond the business conversations and the industry panels, the displays at IFTEX 2026 were extraordinary.
The variety on show from Kenya's breeders and growers was something I hadn’t seen before. New rose varieties in colors that felt almost impossible, deep burgundy with cream edges, soft peach with coral centers, whites so pure they seemed lit from within. Spray roses arranged in cascading displays that made you forget you were at a trade expo and feel like you had walked into a garden. Summer flowers, Alstroemerias, carnations in varieties I did not recognize, Proteas and indigenous Kenyan stems that reminded me why this country's flower industry is genuinely world-class.
There was creativity on display that went beyond growing. Florists and designers had transformed booth spaces into immersive experiences. You were not just looking at flowers; you were actually feeling what they could become in the right hands. It was a reminder of something the industry sometimes forgets in the middle of freight negotiations and compliance requirements: these are beautiful things we are moving across the world. And beauty still matters.
The Conversations That Will Shape the Next Season
Three themes came up in almost every conversation I had at IFTEX this year.
The first was sustainability. This is no longer a nice-to-have. Buyers from Europe are asking about carbon footprint, certification, and responsible production before they ask about price. Kenya's farms are responding, but the pressure to move faster is real, and the conversations at IFTEX reflected that urgency.
The second was new markets. The traditional dominance of Europe remains; Kenya supplies over 40 percent of flowers imported into the EU. But the energy at IFTEX was pointing elsewhere: Southeast Asia, North America, Eastern Europe, and most interestingly, Africa itself! The conversation about intra-African flower trade felt different this year; more serious, more possible.
The third was technology. Cold chain innovation, digital certification, post-harvest solutions that extend vase life and reduce waste. The future of this industry is being built right now, and IFTEX is where you see it taking shape.
Why IFTEX Matters Beyond the Business
I’d like to end with something personal. At IFTEX this year, I ran into someone I had not seen in eight years. A former manager who taught me everything I know about the commercial side of this business. Someone who found me green and nervous and coached me into confidence.
Standing there in those halls, surrounded by the industry we both love, reminded me of why events like IFTEX matter beyond the deals and the business cards and the new varieties. They remind you of the people who shaped you. They reconnect you with the community you are part of. They show you that the work you do – moving fresh, beautiful things across the world so that people can celebrate and grieve and love and appreciate each other- is work worth doing!
Kenya's flower industry showed up at IFTEX 2026 with 210 exhibitors and a room full of determination. I left with a full notebook, a handful of new connections, and a renewed sense of why I chose this industry or this industry chose me 😊
See you at IFTEX 2027. 🌸
Until next time, keep flourishing!
Beatrice Cheruon
Floriculture & Export Specialist
