Bob and Doug Hatcher aren't your typical petal pushers.
Planted in a North York flower shop that's remarkably been in the family for nearly a century, they care enough to dig up the floral facts on exactly where your pretty Valentine's Day roses and bouquets came from and the conditions in which they were grown.
On top of that they're one of the few known retailers in the Toronto area – and one of only about a dozen in Ontario – that offer certified, Earth-friendly flowers on request at the charming Hatcher Florist shop on Yonge St. near Finch Ave.
"More and more people are searching out these eco-products," said Doug Hatcher, noting it's a small but blossoming segment of the business that's been in his family since 1909.
"This is our small way of helping the planet. We're trying to change the world one flower at a time," brother Bob added.
It's not something most people think about when they buy posies for their sweetheart at this time of year, but where do all the flowers in North America's annual $8 billion floral market come from?
Particularly given the frosty February temperatures, the industry is forced to look south to satisfy Canadian consumers' ever-growing flower fix.
The vast majority of the roses and cut flowers that will be purchased for cupid's big day actually come from Ecuador and Colombia, where some farms over the years have been renowned for their use of pesticides harmful to both the environment and workers. Others have also grabbed global attention for unfair working conditions in this low-paying field, which employs mostly women and even children.
It's a thorny situation for environmentally conscious consumers in the frozen north since Canada's total flower market is made up almost entirely of imports, save for the tiny fraction grown in greenhouses or in better seasonal conditions in Ontario and B.C.
But not to worry; in the interest of all things green, the Hatchers and a budding number of Canadian florists have joined forces with a Montreal-based group called Sierra Flower Trading, the biggest flower distributor in Eastern Canada.
Just over one-third of Sierra's business is in providing flowers out of its Quebec and Mississauga outlets, flowers it monitors and gets shipped in from socially responsible and sustainable farms in South America and California.
The ultimate in flower power, the seven-year-old program supports and markets – and certifies with a special label on your delivery – the sale of flowers from farms that have adopted greener production methods and that adhere to high safety standards and acceptable conditions for workers.
"Retailers should wake up and make a difference by offering certified flowers. Producers and florists are just waiting for more customers to let them know it's important," says Sierra president and founder Tom Leckman.
Remarkably, the price difference is "negligible" for the consumer, who pays roughly 10 per cent more on a regular bouquet or a dozen roses, he notes.
Hatcher Florist just sold 100 of the Sierra roses to the U of T chapter of Engineers Without Borders. The students will sell them on campus for Valentine's Day to raise funds for the group, which works toward improving the quality of life in developing countries.
And in the ecological spirit of things, the Hatchers will be handing out a free Sierra "green" flower to people who drop by their North York store on Earth Day, April 22.
The flower industry has been under intense scrutiny over the last 15 years as stories have emerged about everything from serious health problems among workers exposed to toxic chemicals to the exploitation of children, work weeks of more than 60 hours, pregnant women being fired and the destruction of surrounding eco-systems. And for a time it had an impact on global sales.
Some producers in Colombia and Ecuador made changes in recent years in an effort to clean up their act, and workers are generally treated "much better" than they were 10 years ago, said Arman Patel, executive director of Flowers Canada Retail, which represents about 1,000 Canadian retailers and wholesalers.
"You hear about the odd farm's conditions that aren't right, but by and large, the governments of those countries realized they had to intervene and make changes," he said.
Still, the industry average of chemical use on flower farms in South America is about 100 kilograms per hectare, while farms certified by Sierra use about 10 kilograms of non-toxic sprays.
Otherwise, Canadian wholesalers buy in bulk from South America, and retailers buy from wholesalers, so "you're not sure exactly what farm you're dealing with," Patel said.
Surprisingly, grocery stores and big box chains that sell flowers still only make up less than 15 per cent of total sales in Canada, but these corporate heavyweights could make a big statement if they jumped on the eco-friendly flower bandwagon, Leckman argued.
Besides using fewer pesticides, herbicides and fungicides to grow your flowers, Sierra only certifies flowers from farms that recycle, compost and have better waste elimination on site. Leckman said they also work with farmers to provide a better quality of life for workers, on-the-job safety and guaranteed pay.
"For instance, the greenhouses in South America are all covered in plastic. We're talking 100 hectares in some cases. That has to be replaced every five years so we ensure that it's recycled," he noted.
The end product dropped off by the delivery person also benefits from these strict monitoring processes, resulting in longer lasting and higher quality flowers landing in your vase, Leckman said.
"Only the best farms can get you consistently good quality year after year," Patel agreed.
The 18 farms in Ecuador, Colombia and the U.S. that have the Sierra seal of approval are bound by strict grading and quality control criteria established by international organizations, and independent inspectors regularly check growing operations.
About 75 per cent of all cut flowers in Canada year-round come from Colombia and Ecuador and another 10 per cent from Holland while the remainder come from Kenya, California and Ontario and B.C., according to Flowers Canada Retail.
Canada's flower-growing industry cannot be as competitive since South America's labour and production costs are far lower and the industry there more established, Patel said.
But the strong Canadian dollar has meant Ontario and B.C. flower growers are exporting more less to the U.S. than ever before, he said.
"Randomly ask 10 florists, `Do you specifically look for Ontario flowers?' and if they didn't say `I don't care' I'd be surprised," Patel joked.
Eco Flora is another Canadian online floral retailer based in Toronto that specializes in organic and so-called fair-trade flowers.
And an increasing number of green distributors such as Sierra have been popping up over the past few years in Europe and in the U.S., namely in California, Miami and New Jersey.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Leckman suggests consumers "give the Earth a hug" by asking for Earth-friendly posies.
First magazine