The Long Life Solutions Floral Business of the Year award went to Greenisland Flowers. Up against last year’s winner Flowerfete, Greenisland Flowers was formed in 2004 after Donnelly Horticulture’s successful trails, experimenting in growing stock as a cut flower, concluded that the season could be extended.

Taking advantage of a gap in the market, Greenisland Flowers found that supplying late season stock opened up a world of opportunity. In 2004 the company won an order from Marks and Spencer to fill their flower shortages throughout the season and also extend its season into late August.

Now Greenisland Flowers grows in the region of one million stems of stocks each season in its 15 acres of environmentally managed land in Portadown, Northern Ireland. The company can extend its season of stock by up to three months over its English and Dutch counterparts and as a result 2006 saw Greenisland Flowers build a new state of the art packhouse to enable the business to meet its requirements as an expanding commercial cut flower grower and packer.

With this new facility, Greenisland Flowers predicts a brighter future; the staff’s conditions has greatly improved and new flower packing systems aimed at cutting costs have been exercised. Greenisland Flowers can now guarantee that quality will be constant over the season as having the new packhouse in place will ensure that from the moment the product leaves the building it is in chill until it gets to the shop floor.

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