Transporting Flowers in Refrigerated Containers

Colombian flowers travel in refrigerated containers because their shelf life is decided by temperature. A cut stem keeps respiring and consuming its reserves, and every extra degree speeds up that wear. For most of the species Colombia exports (roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, alstroemerias) the goal is to hold 0 to 5 °C (32 to 41 °F) at 90 to 95% relative humidity, without interruption from the farm's cold room to the wholesaler at destination. The refrigerated container is the link that makes that continuity possible over the long haul.

Colombia, the world's second-largest flower exporter

Colombia is the second-largest exporter of cut flowers in the world, after the Netherlands, and the main supplier to the US market. According to ProColombia, in 2025 the country shipped more than 338,000 tons of flowers worth over USD 2.376 billion, with more than 1,600 varieties and shipments to more than 100 destinations. It is the country's second-largest non-mining export line by value.

Production is concentrated in two regions with very stable high-altitude climates. On the Bogotá savanna, roses, carnations and mini carnations predominate; in eastern Antioquia, around Rionegro, chrysanthemums, pompons and hydrangeas weigh more. That geography explains the sector's logistics: two production clusters next to two international airports and a network of refrigerated trucks connecting them with the Caribbean ports.

Temperature and humidity: the two parameters that rule

Cold does three things at once: it lowers the stem's respiration rate, slows ethylene production and sensitivity, and reduces the transpiration that dehydrates petals and foliage. High relative humidity prevents that water loss, but it must be achieved without free water on the flower: condensation inside the boxes or sleeves encourages Botrytis, the gray mold that ruins a whole lot in a few days.

Not every flower tolerates the same cold. Post-harvest literature groups them into three categories by sensitivity to chilling injury: tolerant species (0 to 2 °C / 32 to 36 °F), subtropical (2 to 8 °C / 36 to 46 °F) and tropical (12 to 16 °C / 54 to 61 °F). Putting a heliconia in the same container as a carnation guarantees one of the two arrives damaged.

These ranges are post-harvest handling references. Each variety, cutting stage and destination market may require an adjustment, and the final value is always agreed between the grower and the customer. This article focuses on the container and the transport leg; the complete preservation process, link by link from cutting, is covered in cold chain for flowers.

Pre-cooling: the first hour after cutting

The sector's most expensive mistake does not happen on the ship or the plane: it happens on the farm. A flower cut at midday carries field heat, and if it enters the cold room at 20 or 25 °C (68 to 77 °F), the equipment takes hours to bring it down while the stem keeps consuming reserves.

Pre-cooling solves that. With vacuum cooling, a lot goes from 20 to 25 °C down to 2 to 4 °C (36 to 39 °F) in about 20 to 35 minutes, and the process also helps control free water inside the boxes, reducing the risk of condensation. With a conventional cold room the drop is slower and depends on the box design and the air circulation between pallets.

The operating rule is simple: the refrigerated container holds temperature; it does not bring it down. Its unit is sized to remove the heat load from the environment and from the product at steady state, not to cool several tons of warm flowers. Loading without pre-cooling transfers a farm problem to equipment that was not designed to solve it.

Export routes: El Dorado, Cartagena and Santa Marta

Most Colombian flowers leave by air from Bogotá's El Dorado airport and from José María Córdova, in Rionegro. On the farm-to-airport leg, refrigerated trucks hold 2 to 3 °C (36 to 37 °F), and air cargo warehouses operate at 2 to 4 °C (36 to 39 °F).

Sea freight has been gaining ground. Between January and February 2024, about 8% of the exported volume left by sea from Cartagena, Santa Marta, Buenaventura, Barranquilla and Turbo. The Port of Cartagena reports 2,500 reefer plugs and a transit time to Miami of around three days. For species with good post-harvest life (carnations, chrysanthemums, some hydrangeas), the ocean reefer is a real alternative to air, as long as pre-cooling and packaging are well handled.

Peak season: Valentine's Day and Mother's Day

Colombian floriculture concentrates a good part of its revenue in two peaks: Valentine's Day and Mother's Day in the United States. In the Valentine's season, on the order of 900 million stems leave through El Dorado, with close to a thousand cargo flights and peaks of up to 52 operations a day. All of it happens in a window of roughly 48 hours between the farm and the point of sale at destination.

The logistics effect is twofold. First, air capacity saturates and must be booked months in advance. Second, demand for temporary cold storage near the farms and terminals soars, because the bottleneck moves to the ground. That is where the refrigerated container works as a mobile cold room: it is placed at the farm or the logistics hub during the critical weeks and removed afterwards.

What to check in the container before loading flowers

• Valid PTI. The pre-trip inspection report must be available and recent.
• Door seals and gaskets. An inflow of warm, humid air causes condensation and frost on the evaporator.
• Clean, clear T-bar floor. The channels are the only path for cold air to reach the back of the container.
• Fresh air exchange. Flowers produce ethylene and CO2; the vent must be opened as agreed with the grower.
• Stowage with circulation. Boxes aligned with the floor channels, never above the red load line, leaving an air return to the evaporator.
• Active temperature logging. Without downloadable data there is no way to support a claim if the flowers arrive damaged.

The full walkthrough is in our guide on how to inspect a refrigerated container.

Frequently asked questions

At what temperature should Colombian roses travel?

The usual handling range is 0.5 to 2 °C (33 to 36 °F) at 90 to 95% relative humidity. What matters is not just reaching that value but holding it without swings from pre-cooling at the farm to the destination.

Can tropical and cool-climate flowers be mixed in the same container?

It is not advisable. An anthurium or a heliconia suffers chilling injury below 10 °C (50 °F), while a carnation needs to be near 0 °C (32 °F). If the shipment combines both groups, they must be separated into different units or a container with independent temperature compartments must be used.

How long can flowers be kept in cold storage?

It depends on the species, the cutting stage and the post-harvest treatments applied. Cold-tolerant species such as chrysanthemums withstand longer storage than a rose. In every case, time in the cold room subtracts vase life: every day in storage is one day less for the end consumer.

Is it worth exporting flowers by sea?

It is worth it when the species tolerates the transit time and the grower has real control over pre-cooling and packaging. The ocean reefer lowers the cost per kilo compared with air, but it does not forgive a cold chain broken before loading.

What capacity does a refrigerated container have for flowers?

It varies with the box type, stacking height and each farm's stowage pattern, so there is no single figure. Contact us with your box dimensions and seasonal volume and we can calculate it for you.

A mobile cold room for peak season: see our 20ft and 40ft refrigerated containers.