Publications
Publications
- August 2022
- HBS Case Collection
Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?
By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding
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; Supply Chain 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.