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  • August 2022 (Revised October 2022)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?

By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:23
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Abstract

The setting for this case is the Sian Flowers, a company headquartered in Kitengela, Kenya that exports roses to predominantly Europe. Because cut flowers have a limited shelf life and consumers want them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, Sian or its distributors used international air cargo to transport them to Amsterdam, where they were sold at auction or trucked to markets across Europe. The Covid-19 pandemic caused huge increases in the cost of shipping, so Sian launched experiments to ship roses by ocean using refrigerated containers. Chris Kulei, the Executive Director, was interested in not only the potential costs savings, but whether he could also market the reduced carbon footprint.

Keywords

Supply Chain; Supply Chains; Sustainability; Sustainable Agriculture; Sustainability Reporting; Carbon Emissions; Supply Chain Management; Quality; Ship Transportation; Cost Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa; Kenya; Netherlands; Europe

Citation

Shih, Willy C., Michael W. Toffel, and Pippa Tubman Armerding. "Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?" Harvard Business School Case 623-008, August 2022. (Revised October 2022.)
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About The Authors

Willy C. Shih

Technology and Operations Management
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Michael W. Toffel

Technology and Operations Management
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Related Work

    • August 2022 (Revised October 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?

    By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding
Related Work
  • Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea? By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding
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