Grab a simple bouquet from your local grocery store and you're activating a global network of farms, shipping companies, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. Zachary Crockett stops to smell the roses.

• SOURCES:
  • Bob Mellano, vice president of wholesale operations for Mellano & Company.
  • Jasmine Gomez-Gonzalez, chief operations officer at OC Wholesale Flowers.

• RESOURCES:
  • "From Colombia with love: The journey of a Valentine’s Day bouquet," by Júlia Ledur and Fabiola Ferrero (The Washington Post, 2015).
  • "Your Valentine’s Day bouquet probably came a long way," by Daniel Ackerman (Marketplace, 2015).
  • "A Brief History of Specialty Cut Flower Production," by Ben Bergmann (NC State Extension).
  • Mellano & Company.
  • OC Wholesale Flowers.

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