The Kenya Flower Council (KFC) marked 30 years of championing Kenya's floriculture industry, bringing together industry leaders, growers, partners, former leaders and stakeholders to reflect on the sector's transformation and consider what will be required to secure its competitiveness over the next three decades.
Held under the theme "Driving Resilience and Global Competitiveness, 30 Years On!", the KFC@30 celebrations recognized the journey of an industry that has evolved from an emerging export sector into one of Kenya's most globally recognized agricultural industries.
KFC was established in 1996 by five Kenyan flower growers and exporters, thirty years later, Kenya's floriculture industry continues to play a significant role in the country's export economy, with Kenyan flowers reaching markets across the world. In 2025, Kenya exported approximately 130,600 tons of cut flowers valued at KSh81.3 billion, with flowers accounting for about 62 per cent of the value of fresh horticultural exports.
Speaking during the celebrations, KFC Chief Executive Officer Clement Tulezi said the anniversary was an opportunity to recognize not only the longevity of the Council, but the people, partnerships and resilience that have built Kenya's flower industry.
"We are not simply celebrating the longevity of an organization. We are celebrating the remarkable journey of an industry, the people who built it, the partnerships that sustained it, and the resilience that has made Kenyan flowers globally competitive."
Panel Discussion at KFC@30, from left Caroline Gachanja Owner of Pamoja Flowers, Clement Tulezi CEO of KFC, Richard Fox Former KFC Board Chair
From growth To resilience
The industry's success has been accompanied by significant changes in production practices, market requirements, sustainability expectations, logistics and consumer demands.
Its sustainability journey began with the Code of Practice in 1996, which evolved into the Flowers and Ornamentals Sustainability Standard (FOSS) in 2014. FOSS provides a framework for responsible production and continuous improvement across environmental, social and operational practices.
As Kenya competes in an increasingly demanding global flower market, growers face pressures including rising production and logistics costs, climate risks, regulatory requirements, changing market expectations and competition from other producing countries.
The Council highlighted the strategic importance of logistics to a time-sensitive export industry. KFC emphasized the need for horticultural logistics to be treated as strategic economic infrastructure, alongside continued efforts to improve the efficiency, reliability and resilience of export supply chains.
Kenya–Netherlands partnership: Connected through flowers
The KFC@30 celebrations were honored by the presence of H.E. Henk Jan Bakker, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya, as Chief Guest.
Kenya Flower Council Board leadership pose with H.E. Henk Jan Bakker, Ambassador Of The Kingdom Of The Netherlands To Kenya(third from right)
The Ambassador highlighted the longstanding relationship between Kenya and the Netherlands within global floriculture, noting that the partnership extends beyond the trade of flowers to areas including breeding and genetics, biological crop protection, greenhouse technology, water management, logistics, research, investment and market infrastructure.
"Kenya and the Netherlands do not simply trade flowers. We have built a horticultural partnership around flowers."
The Ambassador noted that the future of the relationship should increasingly focus on innovation, sustainable production, resilient logistics, responsible trade and knowledge exchange.
He also emphasized that sustainability is increasingly central to competitiveness and market access.
"Sustainability should not become a race to comply with the next requirement. It should be a race to become better."
Pinnacle 2026: Making sustainability excellence visible
The KFC@30 celebrations were followed by the Pinnacle Sustainability Awards 2026, which recognize producers and industry stakeholders demonstrating leadership in sustainable floriculture. The 2026 edition recorded significant growth in participation and depth of assessment.
45 entries were enrolled in 2026, compared with 23 flower farms reported in 2025, representing an increase of approximately 96%.
The entries generated 135 submissions for assessment, supported by 1,036 pieces of evidence. This translates to an average of approximately 7.7 pieces of evidence per submission, demonstrating the depth of documentation supporting the assessment process.
Kenya Flower Council Staff Group Photo
The Awards also attracted 26 new entrants, bringing new perspectives, practices and approaches into the competition.
The growth in participation reflects increasing engagement with sustainability as an ongoing process of improvement rather than a one-time compliance exercise.
Speaking during the Pinnacle Sustainability Awards 2026, the representative of the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, H.E. Mutahi Kagwe, noted that sustainability expectations are increasingly shaping how Kenyan flowers are evaluated in global markets:
"The customer buying a Kenyan flower is interested not only in color, freshness, stem length and vase life, but increasingly in how much water was used, how workers were treated, how crop protection products were managed, whether biodiversity was protected, whether emissions are being reduced and whether the supply chain is transparent. Global markets are raising expectations around traceability, environmental performance, responsible sourcing and labor standards."
These expectations are reflected in the areas recognized through the Pinnacle Sustainability Awards, which highlight practical achievement in environmental stewardship, employee welfare, community partnerships, resource management, renewable energy and biodiversity, innovation, sustainable packaging and emerging leadership.
Recognizing those shaping the future
The Pinnacle Sustainability Awards reinforce KFC's broader sustainability agenda by creating a platform through which good practices can be recognized, documented and shared across the industry.
The objective is not simply to reward achievement, but to encourage continuous improvement and demonstrate what is possible when sustainability is integrated into day-to-day business operations.
KFC also recognized partners whose support contributed to the KFC@30 celebrations and Pinnacle Sustainability Awards 2026.
The next 30 years
As KFC marks its 30th anniversary, the Council is positioning the milestone not simply as a celebration of the past, but as a starting point for the next phase of Kenya's floriculture story.
KFC@30 Cake cutting ceremony
The industry will need to become increasingly climate-resilient, resource-efficient, technologically enabled and commercially sustainable, while continuing to strengthen market access and diversify its global opportunities.
The Kenya–Netherlands relationship will similarly need to evolve alongside the industry, deepening cooperation in innovation, technology, sustainable production, logistics, knowledge exchange and responsible trade.
For KFC, the next 30 years will require the industry to build on the foundations established since 1996 while preparing for a significantly different global operating environment.
As Mr Tulezi noted during the KFC@30 celebrations:
"The KFC of 2056 cannot simply be a bigger version of the KFC of 2026. We must become smarter, faster, more data-driven, technologically capable, internationally connected and responsive to our members."
The Council remains committed to working with its members, Government, international partners and other stakeholders to strengthen the resilience, sustainability and global competitiveness of Kenya's floriculture industry.
Source: www.floraldaily.com