Kalamazoo Flower Group Earns MPS Florimark TraceCert Certificate

Kalamazoo Flower Group (KFG) of Galesburg, Mich., is the first organization in North America to achieve the MPS Florimark TraceCert certificate. This certificate requires that the organization fulfill checkpoints regarding freshness of product, inspections and best practices regarding inventory management, storage, distribution and traceability of purchased flowers and plants in the supply chain. KFG joins a list of floral companies from Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Italy with the Florimark Certificate.

Florimark TraceCert was developed for wholesalers and other traders. The KFG is a wholesale bedding-plant annual supplier servicing a large number of independent garden centers and big box store customers that span a wide geographic area. It was originally the Flower Marketing Division of the Kalamazoo Valley Plant Grower Co-operative and became its own company in 2007. Spring bedding-plants and potted annuals make up the largest share of business but also grow items for all seasons such as fall pansies, garden mums, perennials and other potted holiday crops from over 150 acres of greenhouses.

The major greenhouse operations charged with managing the KFG, Sportel Greenhouses, Westrate Greenhouses and Wenke Greenhouses, began the MPS-ABC environmental certification program. All have received their initial MPS certification for their environmentally-friendly growing practices.

“The audit was a thorough check on our quality control systems and practices,” says Kim Selleck, quality plant inspector for the organization. “Over the past few seasons we have strived to update our quality checks, reporting systems and specifications. KFG growers are an integral part of our high quality by having excellent, professionally grown crops on par with other international growers. TraceCert allows us traceability in our supply chain and we look forward to continuing certification in the future.”