Flower Wholesalers Celebrate 60th Birthday with many Roses

“The BGI Trade Center has a lot of interesting things to offer again. Some exhibitors are already regulars, but there is always a lot of new stuff to see and new exhibitors to welcome,” says Andrea Kirchhoff, Managing Director. “We are, of course, delighted to have our members at our stand and the international wholesalers, who are always happy to be there. But the picture of the stand also includes companies that supply the wholesale trade, such as various packaging manufacturers.”

60 years of BGI and 30 years of MPS

Also represented are the three most important certification organizations in the industry: Fairtrade Germany, Global GAP and MPS. “In the discussion about sustainability reporting, the certifiers play an important role,” Kirchhoff is convinced. “With their various offers, they respond to the demand to make the sustainability of companies visible and to provide retailers and consumers with orientation through seals.”

And there is something to celebrate this year, too: “The fact that MPS is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year shows that sustainability is not a new topic in the industry,” says Kirchhoff. And so two anniversaries will be celebrated at the same time at the BGI Trade Center, because BGI is also celebrating an anniversary. “60 years ago, a group of wholesalers founded the Association for the Flower, Wholesale and Import Trade. At that time, it was a community of interests for the procurement of cut flowers from all over the world. Today, the association has a completely different face: it represents the interests of its members in politics and in public and offers its members the opportunity to exchange ideas in network groups – even beyond operational topics,” says the managing director, describing the development of the BGI.

Walk of Roses

At the IPM, the BGI anniversary year will kick off with the “Walk of Roses”. To mark the 60th anniversary of BGI e.V., the association, supported by exhibitors at the BGI Trade Center, international rose suppliers and Messe Essen, is paying homage to the most important product of the flower wholesale trade – the rose.

New exhibitors

New to the BGI Trade Center is the Italian exhibitor Barile Flower Service and its partner company Floramiata, which will be presenting an interesting range of green plants. This time, Four Seasons Quality will also be present at the Vahldiek and Nijssen Jr. stand with a high-quality assortment of Ecuador roses. The Import Promotion Desk (IPD) is introducing new exhibitors from South Africa to the industry. The IPD is an initiative of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA) and sequa gGmbH – the development organization of German business. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to establish sustainable trade contacts with emerging markets.

Euro Plant Tray GmbH is also new to the event. The winner of last year's BGI Innovation Award will be explaining its reusable transport pallet and the associated industry solution for the reusable system to interested trade fair visitors from production and trade, and promoting participation. Kirchhoff is convinced that the EPT reusable tray is a groundbreaking B2B solution for the concept of reusability in line with the new legal requirements for packaging. “It suits us that EPT is present at our stand and we hope that many people will be interested in the new system. The time until 2023, when the EU law requires a 100% reusable solution for B2B transport packaging, will fly by.”There will be plenty to see and celebrate at the BGI Trade Center and at IPM 2025, which, with an extensive supporting program and a restructuring of the halls, will once again make a major contribution to a successful trade fair landscape for the green industry. Kirchhoff on the reasons for being present at the IPM: “Year after year, the IPM shows the current developments in the industry, but at the same time it looks to the future and is therefore an inspiration and an important trend barometer for the industry.”